April 2021 Murfreesboro Pulse

INSIDE

REGIONAL RECORD RELICS / NORTHANGER ABBEY / RADNOR LAKE STATE PARK / BUSINESS BUZZ / AND MORE! APRIL 2021 / VOL. 16, ISSUE 4 / FREE

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

Main Street JazzFest Returns to the Murfreesboro Square May 1

Travis Tritt Country Artist and Veterans Advocate Performs at Hop Springs April 23

Find Perfect Pizza and Pasta at Family-Owned Luca's Pizzeria

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Contents

ON THE COVER: Travis Tritt photo by Ed Rode

19

10 FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE

10 5 Events MAIN STREET JAZZFEST 12 TRAVIS TRITT

Country artist and veterans advocate performs at Hop Springs, April 23.

16 RECLAIMING CLASSIC REGIONAL RECORDS

Local record collector Paul Glavin looks back at Tennessee garage bands.

18 BIG CREEK WINERY

8 Sounds

23 News

MUSIC NOTE Steel Panther and Black Stone Cherry at Hop Springs

BUSINESS MOMENTUM Promote your brand with Fully Promoted.

CONCERT CALENDAR ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

ALBUM Aye Mammoth

19 RADNOR LAKE

MOVIE Happily

Take a leisurely stroll or hillside hike along scenic Middle Tennessee lake.

RESTAURANT Luca’s Pizziera

20 Food Art Director: Sarah Mayo Copy Editor: Steve Morley

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

PHOTOGRAPHY Morrie Camhi Exhibit

13 Reviews

Find a Tennessee wine for every taste at downtown Christiana tasting room.

STATE PARK

THEATER Northanger Abbey

CALENDAR Easter Extravaganza, Kayaking Day, BBB Shred Day and more

Annual spring tradition returns to Murfreesboro Public Square, May 1.

TASTING ROOM

22 Art

Advertising: Jared Stuart

BUSINESS BUZZ Rock N Roll Sushi, Crying Cat Books and Records, Triple Threat, Red Bicycle, Sephora, Boro Nissan and more

26 Opinion POSITIVE PARENTING Strengthen sibling relationships.

CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH Reduce the stress and

Contributors: Melissa Coker, Jennifer Durand, Delores Elliott, Paul Glavin, Bryce Harmon, Laura Lindsay, Blaine Little, Zach Maxfield, Reanna Sarieh, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard

16 physical pain specific to you.

GARDENING EDUCATION Staying productive LIVE . . . WELL What do you know?

33 Sports

BLUE RAIDER BASKETBALL Lady Raiders fall to UT in first round of NCAA tournament.

SPORTS TALK Titans add Dupree, Autry, Jenkins; Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith move on.

Copyright © 2021, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 714 W. Main St., #208, Murfreesboro, TN 37129.

Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed by Franklin Web Printing Co. The 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

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The Murfreesboro Pulse

DON’T BE BLAND. Don’t waste your time eating bland food or listening to bland music or spending time with bland people. There’s too much variety, spice, sizzle, creativity and excitement, and too many interesting places and individuals for that.

Spring is here. Perhaps go to a park, whether a city park or a Tennessee state park like Radnor Lake State Park, featured in this month’s issue on page 19. The fine nature preserves in the area offer a great deal of room to spread out, a lot of beautiful scenery, plants and animals to observe, and plenty of fresh air to take in.

JazzFest is on! Organizers have announced that this annual outdoor Murfreesboro tradition will indeed take place in 2021. Wander out to the Murfreesboro Public Square on May 1 and check it out.

Get your gardens planted. Get your hands dirty and some plants in the ground and see what you can produce in your yard.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens.

Play music! Keep a song in your heart.

This month Rutherford County continues to see an increase in gatherings, concerts, fundraisers, consignment sales and other activities—so peruse though this issue’s event and concert listings to plan some activities, and mark your calendars.

March Madness has been quite exciting with some surprise upsets and deep sharpshooting. It seems like this year’s tournament offered more blowouts than buzzer-beaters, though.

As always, remember, the fine sponsors of the Pulse make this publication possible.

Check out The Great Escape’s big outdoor sale on April 10. See more about that on page 15.

Go enjoy some sushi from 219 Mixed Cuisine, the trains at Thor’s, pork belly from Primrose Table, some coffee from Fox & Goat, a massage from the Nurture Nook, some of those fine blueberry cake, chocolate cake, red velvet cake or carrot cake doughnuts from Donut Country, maybe some used records, clothing or furniture from the (now two!) Steered Straight resale stores, or a steak salad from the Alley.

The Mayos do!

Perhaps we will see you at the spring kickoff at the Fountains or on the Murfreesboro Greenway sometime soon.

Peace, BRACKEN MAYO Publisher/Editor in Chief

Events

CALENDAR / APRIL 2021

BY ANDREA STOCKARD

THROUGH APRIL 23

APRIL 5

YOUTH VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE REGISTRATION

MTSU BLOOD DRIVE

The Murfreesboro Youth Volleyball League is a summer volleyball league for beginners, advanced players and club teams.

Practices are once a week at either Sports*Com (2310 Memorial Blvd.), McFadden Community Center (211 Bridge Ave.) or Patterson Park (521 Mercury Blvd.), with matches on Friday nights and Saturday mornings. Participants play a seven-week season and conclude with a tournament. Registration is ongoing through April 23 at Sports*Com, McFadden Community Center and the main parks office at Barfield Crescent Park (697 Veterans Pkwy.). Ages 8-17 are welcome.

Weekly practices are held throughout May with games beginning in June. The fee is $75 per player (includes game jersey). For more information, contact 615-907-2251 or athletics@murfreesborotn.gov.

APRIL 1–MAY 14 BASKETBALL LEAGUE FOR AGES 15–17 Youth ages 15–17 can compete in an organized basketball league Tuesday and Thursday nights at 6 or 7:30 p.m. at Patterson Park Community Center (521 Mercury Blvd.). Players participate in recreational but competitive basketball games that help increase skill and ability while having fun. The league consists of seven weeks of regular season games followed by a single elimination tournament.

Each team has one game a week with two officials, two scorekeepers and a coaching staff provided. Teams are drafted by coaches and the league follows all TSSAA rules. Registration is April 1–May 14, and league play begins in June. The fee is $75. For more information, contact jteichman@murfreesborotn.gov or 615907-2251.

APRIL 2 SPRING KAYAKING DAY Celebrate spring break with a float trip Friday, April 2, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Begin with an introduction on safety and technique followed by an easy-to-moderate paddle on Percy Priest Reservoir (3737 Bell Rd.). All equipment is provided. Parents are welcome to join; space is limited to 10 people total. Registration is required at murfreesboroparks.com. Transporta-

APRIL 3 EASTER EGG DYEING Calling all grandparents! Dye Easter eggs using food coloring and foam shaving cream Saturday, April 3, from 10 a.m.–3 p.m., at Gateway Island (1875 W. College St.). In collaboration with St. Clair Senior Center, this messy, fun activity gives grandparents recreational time with their grandchildren. While the eggs are drying, enjoy other fun-filled activities (eating the Easter eggs is not allowed). All age groups are welcome; all participants must be accompanied by an adult. Due to COVID restrictions, pre-registration is required. Admission is $5. For more information, contact 615-893-2141 or efaye@murfreesborotn.gov, or 615-8482550 or cbaldridgemartin@murfreesborotn.gov. tion is not provided. Bring water bottle, sunscreen and a sack lunch. Ages 16–19 are welcome. The cost to join is $15. For more information, contact 740-502-5776 or clipscomb@murfreesborotn.gov.

APRIL 2–3 SPRING FESTIVAL, EGG HUNT AND BREAKFAST WITH THE EASTER BUNNY Join the Easter Bunny as he gets things hopping around Lucky Ladd Farms (4374 Rocky Glade Rd., Eagleville) April 2 and 3 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. This annual family tradition features baby farm animal encounters, meet-and-greets with the Easter Bunny, non-stop egg hunts with fun prize packs for kids, games and Easter crafts.

All the farm’s standard attractions are also available. Spring Festival activities are included free with standard farm admission.

Beforehand, enjoy a special VIP breakfast with the Easter Bunny from 9–11 a.m. For tickets and more information, call 615274-3786 or visit luckyladdfarms.com.

APRIL 3 EASTER BUNNY AT BIG CREEK WINERY TASTING ROOM

Visit the Easter Bunny at Big Creek Winery Tasting Room (7027 Main St., Christiana) on Saturday, April 3, from noon–5:30 p.m.

Take pictures while savoring treats for the kiddos and wine for the adults. For more information, visit bigcreekwinerytennessee. com/big-creek-winery-tasting-room, find Big Creek Winery Tasting Room on Facebook or call 615-785-2124.

APRIL 3 EASTER EXTRAVAGANZA AT HOP SPRINGS Hop Springs Beer Park invites the public to celebrate Easter on Saturday, April 3, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. A donation of $5 will gain you entry to this family-friendly event to raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. There will be fun for the entire family including egg hunts (3 different age groups), face painting, inflatables, build-a-basket, crafts, plant sales, games & prizes and special appearances by miniature horse Bonnie and friends, and bring your camera for photos with the Easter Bunny! Hop Springs is located at 6790 John Bragg Hwy., Murfreesboro. For more information call 931-313-6367.

Hop into MTSU’s spring blood drive on Monday, April 5, and help a neighbor by donating blood. The spring 2021 blood drive, sponsored by the MTSU Red Cross Club student organization, is set from noon to 6 p.m. at North Boulevard Church of Christ (1112 N. Rutherford Blvd.). The church is opening its gymnasium for an MTSU community blood drive for the fourth time since the campus’s pandemicrelated capacity restrictions. North Boulevard’s generosity has thus far helped MTSU welcome 421 donors to three community blood drives and potentially save 1,263 neighbors’ lives as a result. Each unit of donated blood can help up to three patients. Each donor will receive a T-shirt, and donors ages 16 to 24 are eligible to win prizes including $1,000 e-gift cards and a trip for four to the 2022 Indy 500.

Donors can make an appointment for April 5 by texting “BLOODAPP” to 90999.

Walk-in donors also are welcome.

APRIL 5–10 FOOD FOR FINES Pay your overdue fines at the Rutherford County Library System with canned goods from your pantry during National Library Week (April 5–10). Get rid of fines and help your neighbors at the same time. All donations benefit the Nourish Food Bank in Rutherford County. Each can waives $1 in fines. Please bring only new, unopened cans within expiration date. If you don’t have fines, you can still make a food donation.

Charges for lost or damaged items or referral fees cannot be waived. To find out if you owe any fines, visit rclstn.org and login. For more information, call 615-893-4131.

APRIL 6 AND 7 SPRING GRAPEVINE WREATH Embrace the season of crafting by making grapevine wreaths (part of the Spring Design Series) on Tuesday, April 6, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m., and Wednesday, April 7, from 6–8 p.m. at Gateway Island (1875 W. College St.). These lovely wreaths feature a natural look that is the perfect base for creative masterpieces. Embellish them with dried and silk flowers, wax fruit, ribbons and fabrics to turn them from simple brown wreaths into colorful concoctions of magnificence. Ages 18 and up are welcome.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2021 * 5

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 Call 615-893-2141 to register or contact efaye@murfreesborotn.gov.

APRIL 6 AND 24 WILDFLOWER HIKE AT BARFIELD April is a wonderful time for wildflower walking. Meet at Barfield Crescent Park (697 Veterans Pkwy.) for a leisurely 1.5-mile walk through the woods Tuesday, April 6, and Saturday, April 24, from 9:30–10:30 a.m. View beautiful spring blooms and discuss wildflower identification and natural history. Registration is required by contacting 615-217-3017 or hmeyer@murfreesborotn.gov. Ages 8 and up are welcome; admission is free.

APRIL 10 BLACK MURFREESBORO MARKET Black Murfreesboro Market is held one Saturday each month from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. April 10 through Oct. 9. The Market was created to help black-owned businesses launch and thrive while bringing the community together. A variety of vendors include bath and body, clothing, accessories, hair and beauty supplies, jewelry, cosmetics, home goods and an array of food trucks. Enjoy shopping and eating to the sounds of local DJs. All are welcome. April’s market is at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.). For more information, visit blackmurfreesboro.com.

APRIL 10 WILLIE MCGOWAN FISH FRY AND BAKE SALE Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center (511 Mercury Blvd.) hosts its annual fundraiser in honor of Willie McGowan, known as “The Father of B.A.H.A.” This year enjoy a fried fish sandwich and a sweet treat at the drive-up fish fry and bake sale on Saturday, April 10, from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Prices vary by item. All ages are welcome. For more information, contact vstembridge@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-962-8773.

APRIL 10 MACHINE FALLS HIKE Collect your thoughts in nature with a hike through Machine Falls on Saturday, April 10, from 9 a.m.–noon. Machine Falls is located at Short Springs Natural Area (200 Short Springs Rd., Tullahoma).

This 4.5-mile hike is rated moderate due to steep inclines, slick rocks and loose gravel. Registration is required at murfreesboroparks.com. Transportation is not provided. Ages 13 and up are 6 * APRIL 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM

These trails are moderately difficult, covering gradual inclines and declines, crossing crevices, rocky terrain and raised tree roots.

Stop along the way to enjoy a picnic lunch and share personal discoveries and inspirations from the trail. Wear appropriate attire, pack a lunch and feel free to bring binoculars, a walking stick or a nature journal.

Space is limited; registration is required by contacting apool@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-217-3017. Ages 13 and up are welcome; minors must be accompanied by an adult.

The fee is $3/person or $10/family.

APRIL 8 TABLE TALKS, HOW BULIMIA SAVED MY SOUL BOOK SIGNINGS Linebaugh Public Library (105 W. Vine St.) welcomes several local authors for a book signing Thursday, April 8, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Table Talks and Dashboard Conversations was a co-written by Michael DeLeon, Shaina Marie Afful and Darla DeLeon, and published by Heron Publishing in January 2020. Welland Andrus wrote How Bulimia Saved My Soul, published by Trilogy Christian Publishing in September 2020. The goal of Table Talks and Dashboard Conversations is for parents to have meaningful conversations every day with their children in a distraction-free zone. The book provides over 365 three-minute conversations regarding topics such as drugs and addiction, sex education, relationships and friendships, goal setting, defining who they are and who they want to become in life, treating others with respect, and how to take a stand when they witness or encounter bullying. There are also 96 family field trip ideas. In How Bulimia Saved My Soul, Welland Andrus, a recovered bulimic himself, tells the story of Larry, a high school senior who finds himself coping with bulimia after his life takes a sudden turn. How Bulimia Saved My Soul is the first Christian fiction novel in the “eating disorder” genre. For more information, call 615-893-4131 or visit rclstn.org. welcome; the cost is $8 per person. For more information, contact 740-5025776 or clipscomb@murfreesborotn.gov.

APRIL 10 AND 24 ECO PRINTING Learn about a beautiful and unique artistic medium known as eco-printing while at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) Saturdays, April 10 and 24, at noon. Use resources foraged from the forest or garden to create a one-of-a-kind piece to take home and display. Space is limited to 10 participants; registration is required by contacting 615-217-3017 or apool@murfreesborotn.gov. Ages 10 and up are welcome; minors must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $3 per person.

APRIL 11 JEEP DAY AT BIG CREEK WINERY TASTING ROOM

APRIL 13 TREE-OLOGY Trees give us oxygen, fruit, wood and toilet paper. Learn what the layers are inside the tree trunk, what are buds and leaf scars and how a tree functions and does all the amazing things it does. Hit curriculum standards while having fun. Ages 7 and up are welcome on Tuesday, April 13, at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent park (401 Volunteer Rd.) from 10 a.m.–noon. The cost to join is free. For more information, contact hmeyer@ murfreesborotn.gov or 615-217-3017.

APRIL 14 CULTURAL ARTS POP-UP

Do you own a Jeep, want to own a Jeep, like Jeeps or have friends that own Jeeps?

Come out and celebrate spring with the first Jeep Day of the year at Big Creek Winery Tasting Room (7027 Main St., Christiana) on Sunday, April 11, from 2–6 p.m. For more information, visit bigcreekwinerytennessee.com/big-creek-winery-tasting-room, find Big Creek Winery Tasting Room on Facebook or call 615-785-2124.

APRIL 11 AND 25 SPRING SPECTACULAR HIKE AND PICNIC Meet at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) for a guided hike along a portion of Barfield’s Marshall Knob Trail and the Rocky Path Trail (approx. 2.25 miles) Sundays, April 11 and 25, at noon. Discover beautiful landforms and springtime vegetation, and keep your eyes and ears open for signs of local wildlife.

Join Cultural Arts Murfreesboro the second Wednesday of the month at the Gateway Island Reception Center (1875 W. College St.) for an opportunity to get creative. Preschoolers can create a craft and learn something new on Wednesday, April 14, from 11 a.m.–noon. There is a different surprise activity each month.

Class size is limited to 10, so sign up early or take a chance and show up. The class repeats itself a second time each pop-up day. Ages 5–17 are welcome. The cost is free. For more information, contact lbrowning@murfreesborotn.gov.

APRIL 15 CRAFTERS’ EXCHANGE CONSIGNMENT SALE The annual Crafters’ Exchange Consignment Sale is a one-of-a-kind consignment sale in Middle Tennessee. Find thousands of supplies and materials for all types of crafts and hobbies at great bargain prices and all under one roof on Thursday, April 15, from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at Lane Agri-Park Community Center (315 John R. Rice Blvd.). Admission is free and open to the public. Proceeds benefit the MTSU Student Food Pantry. Bring items from the food pantry wish list (mtsu.edu/foodpantry) to drop off at the sale and receive an entry into a door prize drawing for each item you donate. For more information, visit crafters-exchange.com.

once called the Americas home on Saturday, April 17, at 3 p.m. Cover what paleontologists know about the range and life histories of a few dinosaurs that once called North, Central and South America home.

Ages 10 and up are welcome. Admission is free. For more information, contact 615-2173017 or efann@murfreesborotn.gov.

APRIL 16 SPRING KICKOFF 2021 Get outside, meet with friends and family and support local businesses while enjoying craft vendors, food trucks, live music

by Breaking Grass, local artist displays and a petting zoo Friday, April 16, from 5–8 p.m. at the Fountains at Gateway (1500 Medical Center Pkwy.). Food trucks include Cousins Main Lobster, Dough Box Pizza and Deezie’s Hot Chicken. For more information, visit fountainsatgateway.regfox. com/spring-kickoff-2021-application or find the Fountains at Gateway Spring Kickoff 2021 event on Facebook.

APRIL 18 DIY BUG HOTEL

APRIL 16–17 WOODEN PORCH SIGNS Continue the Spring Design Series using recycled wood from a local pallet company to design rustic, 58-inch “Welcome” porch signs. These stained, hand-painted, oneof-a-kind signs are the perfect way to welcome guests. Join the class Friday, April 16, or Saturday, April 17, from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at Gateway Island (1875 W. College St.). Ages 16 and up are welcome. The fee is $20. Contact efaye@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-893-2141 to register.

APRIL 17 HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION FISHING TOURNAMENT The Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee hosts its Annual Fishing Tournament on Saturday, April 17, at the Twin

APRIL 17 STORYBOOK BREAKFAST Storybook Breakfast, presented by MMC Pediatrics and ENT, is a fabulous way to get the family out while maintaining social distancing and supporting a good cause.

Visit Cannonsburgh Pioneer Village (312 S. Front St.) on Saturday, April 17, and enjoy photo ops with beloved children’s literature characters, an Imagination Library story time and take-away crafts and breakfast goodies for picnic-style meals on the grounds or at home. Funds benefit the Rutherford County Imagination Library Books from Birth program, which provides a book each month to all children from birth through age 5. Some seating is provided; however, families are encouraged to bring a blanket and folding chairs. Enjoy breakfast items from Chick-fil-a and Dunkin’ Donuts; seatings for the breakfast are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Tickets are $15 per person, with a $60 household maximum, and can be purchased at yourlocaluw.org/storybook.

Creeks Marina (91 Slip-A Way, Winchester).

Activities include a fishing tournament, breakfast, lunch, drinks and a cornhole tournament. For more information, visit hbact.info.

APRIL 17 BBB SHRED DAY BBB hosts Secure Your ID Day, sponsored

by Max Shred, on Saturday, April 17, from 9 a.m.–noon (or until the shred truck is full) in the parking lot of Planet Fitness (1954 Old Fort Pkwy.). The Rotary Club of Murfreesboro collects nonperishable food, toiletries (body wash, deodorant and toothbrushes) and bicycles to restore in support of Greenhouse Ministries. For more information, contact jprice@gobb.org.

APRIL 17 MT. JULIET COMMUNITY YARD SALE

APRIL 17 SPRING HIKE TO BURGESS FALLS Join Murfreesboro Parks and Rec on an easy-to-moderate hike to Burgess Falls (4000 Burgess Falls Dr., Sparta) to experience stunning falls and beautifully carved cliffs on Saturday, April 17, from 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Registration is required at murfreesboroparks.com. Transportation is not provided. Ages 10 and up are welcome. The cost is $8 per person. For more information, contact 740-502-5776 or clipscomb@murfreesborotn.gov.

 Send community event information to CONTACT@BOROPULSE.COM

Kick off your spring cleaning and get rid of things at Mt. Juliet’s Community Yard Sale on Saturday, April 17, from noon–7 p.m.

(300 Mundy Memorial Dr., Mt. Juliet).

The cost is $20 per booth and includes 2 parking spots. For more information, find the Mt. Juliet Spring Community Yard Sale on stayhappening.com.

APRIL 17 DINOSAURS OF THE AMERICAS Visit the Wilderness Station (401 Volunteer Rd.) for a program about dinosaurs that

Relocating unwanted insects, snails, and other bugs in our gardens to a bug hotel is a wonderful alternative to using pesticides as well as a kind and nurturing way to teach children Earth stewardship. Attend a class at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) on Sunday April 18, at noon to create bug hotels to take home and proudly display. Space is limited to 10 participants; registration is required by contacting 615-217-3017 or apool@murfreesborotn. gov. All ages are welcome. The cost is $3.

APRIL 23 EXPLORING THE ARBORETUM Celebrate Earth Day at the Historic Sam Davis Home (1399 Sam Davis Rd., Smyrna) Friday, April 23, at 6 p.m., as Ashley Kite-Rowland from the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council teaches everyone about the beautiful arboretum and the beauty of trees. See and touch different bark, leaves and seed pods while exploring the grounds and discovering fun facts about the trees.

Make a special take-home craft to remember Earth Day 2021. Admission is $10 per person. For more information, visit samdavishome.org/family-nights-at-the-museum or call 615-459-2341.

APRIL 23 ADULT KAYAK FLOAT Enjoy the sights and sounds of spring on the water with Murfreesboro Parks and Rec on Friday, April 23, from 4:30–7:30 p.m. Kayaks, paddles and life vests are provided. Registration is required at murfreesboroparks.com. Ages 15 and up are welcome. The cost is $15 per person. The location is determined the week of the float based on water conditions. For more information, contact 740-502-5776 or clipscomb@murfreesborotn.gov.

APRIL 24 MURDER MYSTERY ESCAPE GAME Assemble a team and solve the mystery at the Murder Mystery Escape Room on Civic Plaza (111 W. Vine St.) on Saturday, April 24, from noon–5 p.m. Teams of detectives have 30 minutes to find the hidden clues CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2021 * 7

Sounds AWAY FROM THE MURFREESBORO town lights and sirens sits a place of solace and fresh air, a place of recreation to bring the dog for a hike, have a picnic, toss a round of disc golf . . . or even get married. This very place, on April 24, will shift to hard and raunchy metal, presenting comedic, heavy glam-metal foursome Steel Panther along with special guests, alternative Southern rockers Black Stone Cherry, live at Hop Springs Beer Park. Country rockers The Josephines will open the evening.

Deep into their Heavy Metal Rules tour, L.A.’s inappropriately crass, highly foul, goofy-as-hell, hair-laden glam band Steel Panther parodies the excessive lives of revered inspirations such as Poison, Twisted

Sister and Judas Priest onstage, in the studio, and in real time.

Steel Panther continues to promote its latest album, 2019’s Heavy Metal Rules, playing slamming originals (such as metal puncher “I’m Not Your Bitch”) as well as displaying a softer side in power-ballad “Always Gonna Be a Ho.” Since its conception, Steel Panther has landed No. 1 spots on the Billboard comedy chart and has toured with Alice Cooper, Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe.

Not quite as over-the-top and colorful, but just as rocking, Kentucky’s well-traveled, Southern radio-rock powerhouse Black Stone Cherry opens for Steel Panther with its wall of sound—the guys get loud.

“Again,” the single from 2020’s The Human Condition, shows the band is in tune with its raised-Southern material featuring hints of ’00s mainstream rock (Nickelback, Creed) and a whiff of Audioslave—uplifting and empowering rock, America-style.

Breakfast Served All Day!

PHOTO BY DAVID JACKSON

STEEL PANTHER  BLACK STONE CHERRY TO ROCK HOP SPRINGS BEER PARK APRIL 24

MUSIC NOTE

And those who appreciate hard rock bands paying tribute to the blues may find interest in Black Stone Cherry’s Black to Blues series, performing amplified versions of tunes from Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf and other blues legends.

venue doors open at 1 p.m. that day with the show starting at 7 p.m. Hop Springs is located at 6790 John Bragg Hwy., in between Murfreesboro and Woodbury.

Tickets start at $35. Find tickets at ticketmaster.com or hopspringstn.com; find more information on the bands at steelpanther.com and blackstonecherry.com.

Steel Panther and Black Stone Cherry rock the Hop, Saturday, April 24. The

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APRIL CONCERTS  ONLINE AT BOROPULSE.COM/CALENDAR THURS, 4/1 HANK’S Jordan Carter HOP SPRINGS Singo!

FRI, 4/2 COCONUT BAY CAFE Karaoke with DJ Ceiz HANK’S Delyn Christian; Lefty Ferguson HOP SPRINGS Graham Anthem Band PUCKETT’S Brianna Alomar SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Petty Junkies (Tom Petty tribute); Nightingale

SAT, 4/3 COCONUT BAY CAFE Karaoke with Mike Dizill FRONT STREET PUB Brad Howard HANK’S American Pie; Zach Neil HOP SPRINGS Teddy Robb PUCKETT’S Radio Farm SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Ibiza Mobile Party

SUN, 4/4 HOP SPRINGS Americana Sunday Jam

MON, 4/5 HANK’S Open Mic Night

TUES, 4/6 FRONT STREET PUB Acoustic Jam Session HANK’S Becki McLeod

PUCKETT’S Skeeter & Sparky SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Static Pop

SAT, 4/10 COCONUT BAY CAFE Karaoke with Krazee D FRONT STREET PUB Brad Howard HANK’S Joe Hooper; Phil Valdez MAIN STREET MUSIC Revelry; Plow’d MAYDAY BREWERY Jackson Cole Harrison PUCKETT’S Troy Kemp SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Backlit; Ibiza Mobile Party

SUN, 4/11 HANK’S The O’Donnells HOP SPRINGS Steel Blossoms; Americana Sunday Jam

MON, 4/12 HANK’S HONKY TONK Open Mic Night

TUES, 4/13 FRONT STREET PUB Acoustic Jam Session HANK’S HONKY TONK George Dunn SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO RWMC Bike Night

WED, 4/14

WED, 4/7

COCONUT BAY CAFE New Binge HANK’S HONKY TONK Dakota Leigh

HANK’S Cody Joe Hughes

THURS, 4/15

THURS, 4/8 HANK’S Tawnya Reynolds HOP SPRINGS Singo!

FRI, 4/9 COCONUT BAY CAFE Revelry HANK’S Bailey Rose; Jack Finley Band HOP SPRINGS World Turning Band (Fleetwood Mac Tribute) MAYDAY BREWERY David Massey

HANK’S Spencer Maige HOP SPRINGS Singo!

FRI, 4/16 COCONUT BAY CAFE Escape Band HANK’S Sara Simmons; Clayton Mann Band HOP SPRINGS Southern Accents (Tom Petty Tribute) MAYDAY BREWERY Delyn Christian PUCKETT’S Larysa

SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Cooter River Band; Ibiza Mobile Party

SAT, 4/17 COCONUT BAY CAFE Karaoke with The Hitman Walker FRONT STREET PUB Brad Howard HANK’S Jason Sutton; Jeff Caron HOP SPRINGS Carly Pearce PUCKETT’S Herrick SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Rocking Country; Ibiza Mobile Party

SUN, 4/18 HANK’S Emily Miller HOP SPRINGS Americana Sunday Jam

HANK’S HunterGirl; Whiskey Smoke HOP SPRINGS Steel Panther; Black Stone Cherry MAIN STREET MUSIC Rubiks Groove SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Sound Dawgs; Ibiza Mobile Party

SUN, 4/25 HANK’S Karree J. Phillips HOP SPRINGS Americana Sunday Jam

MON, 4/26 HANK’S Open Mic Night

TUES, 4/27

HANK’S Open Mic Night

FRONT STREET PUB Acoustic Jam Session HANK’S Delyn Christian SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO RWMC Bike Night

TUES, 4/20

WED, 4/28

FRONT STREET PUB Acoustic Jam Session HANK’S HONKY TONK HunterGirl

COCONUT BAY CAFE Glenn Brown HANK’S Phil Valdez

MON, 4/19

WED, 4/21 HANK’S Liz Bentley

TUES, 4/22 HANK’S Ben Owens HOP SPRINGS Singo!

FRI, 4/23 COCONUT BAY CAFE Zone Status HANK’S HONKY TONK Blake Esse; Justin Dukes HOP SPRINGS Travis Tritt & Frank Foster MAYDAY BREWERY Strings Attached PUCKETT’S Matt Nicholls SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Derailed; Real Deal Band

SAT, 4/24 COCONUT BAY CAFE Real Deal Band FRONT STREET PUB Brad Howard

THURS, 4/29 HANK’S HONKY TONK Effron White HOP SPRINGS Singo!

FRI, 4/30 HANK’S Aly Cutter & Cameron Lenz; Cooter River Band SEASONS OF MURFREESBORO Mixtape PUCKETT’S Olivia Faye

SAT, 5/1 FRONT STREET PUB Brad Howard MAYDAY BREWERY Timothy Myles MURFREESBORO PUBLIC SQUARE JazzFest

SUN, 5/2 HOP SPRINGS Americana Sunday Jam

MON, 5/3 HANK’S Open Mic Night

If You Go AHARTS PIZZA 2476 Old Fort Pkwy.

615-494-9797 COCONUT BAY 210 Stones River Mall Blvd.

615-494-0504 EL TORO 1006 Memorial Blvd.

615-546-5150 FRONT ST. PUB 104 Front St., Smyrna 615-355-6880 HANK’S HONKY TONK 2341 Memorial Blvd.

615-410-7747 HOP SPRINGS 6670 John Bragg Hwy. 615-450-1907 HOTSHOTZ 1208 S. Lowry St., Smyrna 629-255-8296 JACK BROWN’S 113 N. Maple St. 615-962-9641 MAIN STREET MUSIC 527 W. Main St. 615-440-2425 MAYDAY 521 Old Salem Rd. 615-479-9722 NACHO’S 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd.

615-907-2700 PUCKETT’S GROCERY 114 N. Church St. 629-201-6916 SEASONS 2227 Old Fort Pkwy.

615-895-5471 THE BORO 1211 Greenland Dr. 615-895-4800 THE BOULEVARD 2154 Middle Tennessee Blvd.

615-624-8002 VAN’S BAR & GRILL 2404 Halls Hill Pk. 615-624-7767

KARAOKE, TRIVIA AND DJ NIGHTS IN MURFREESBORO  ONLINE AT BOROPULSE.COM/KARAOKE

 Mondays AHARTS PIZZA GARDEN Trivia Night 7 p.m.

HANK’S Open Mic Night 6–9 p.m.

JACK BROWN’S Trivia Night 7 p.m.

LEVEL III Trivia 7 p.m.

SEASONS Songwriters Night 7 p.m.

THE BORO Karaoke 8 p.m.

 Tuesdays COCONUT BAY Trivia 7:30 p.m.

FRONT STREET PUB Acoustic jam session NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT Trivia 7 p.m.

 Wednesdays BURGER REPUBLIC Trivia, 7 p.m.

EL TORO Trivia, 7 p.m.

GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Karaoke 8 p.m.–12 a.m.

JONATHAN’S GRILLE Trivia 7:30 p.m.

JUST LOVE COFFEE EAST Trivia 5 p.m.

SEASONS Salsa and Bachata with DJ Julian 8:30 p.m.–1 a.m.

BOULEVARD Trivia 8 p.m.

VAN’S Bike Night, Karaoke 6 p.m.

 Thursdays 219 MIXED CUISINE Trivia 7 p.m.

FRONT STREET PUB Line Dancing PARTY FOWL Trivia Night 7 p.m.

SEASONS Free Poker 7 p.m.

STARS & STRIKES Trivia 6:30 p.m.

VAN’S Pool Tournament 7 p.m.

 Fridays BOOMBOZZ PIZZA Trivia Night 8:30 p.m.

FRONT STREET PUB Karaoke GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Karaoke 9 p.m.–1 a.m.

MARGARITAS Karaoke 7 p.m.–12

 Saturdays CORELIFE EATERY Trivia Night 7 p.m.

FRONT STREET PUB Karaoke GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Karaoke 9 p.m.–1 a.m.

SEASONS Latin DJ Night 10 p.m.—3 a.m.

VAN’S Karaoke 7 p.m.

BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2021 * 9

Sounds

Read more about local music at

boropulse.com/category/music

YAMIL CONGA

ALISON BRAZIL

JazzFest Is Back!

Free Community Concert Returns to the Public Square May 1

BY BRYCE HARMON

A

fter cancellation last spring, it’s a great pleasure and relief to many local music fans to find that Murfreesboro’s (mostly) annual JazzFest returns to our historic Public Square on Saturday, May 1, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Bryan Cumming Swing Quartet, Alison Brazil with Yamil Conga and Nashville’s own ’30s and ’40s-style big band Music City Swing plan to play into a beautifully warm, harmonious and dry evening (rainstorms dampened the festival in ’19 and ’18).

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Beginning the full day at 10 a.m., before Rutherford school jazz bands begin taking the stage, the free, family-friendly festivities begin with an interactive kids music workshop, “Shake, Rattle, and Roll,” presented by the Discovery Center staff for preschool and elementary ages at the Courthouse Stage.

Following right afterwards, about a block away from the Square near the corner of Church and College, Afro-Cuban drummer Yamil Conga (who will perform with Alison Brazil later in the evening) will host a free interactive jazz clinic including a lecture, Q&A and Afro-Cuban drumming demonstration. From 11 a.m. to noon, students and curious cats alike can have “a once-in-alifetime opportunity to interact and perform with a professional jazz artist,” at Murfreesboro’s Center for the Arts, 110 W. College St. “There is an educational component as well as . . . entertainment offered at this year’s JazzFest,” said Sarah Callender, execu-

BRYAN CUMMING tive director of JazzFest organizer Main Street Murfreesboro, expressing excitement about the two pre-concert music workshops.

Although JazzFest events in recent years have involved a Friday and Saturday on the Square, “Main Street is excited to host a smaller version of the annual JazzFest event this year, focusing on our student jazz bands who haven’t been able to perform in over a year,” Callender told WGNS radio. “We are thrilled to have [so far, six] student bands and three professional local bands performing.”

With over a dozen food trucks and vendors, free downtown parking at the Maple Street and Vine Street garages, free-range Square access, “and a great Kids’ Alley with interactive booths,” according to Callender, JazzFest should be in full swing by noon.

Rutherford County school jazz bands planning to take the stage include: 12 p.m. – Oakland Middle School 12:30 p.m. – St. Rose Middle School

1 p.m. – Blackman High School 1:40 p.m. – Middle Tennessee Christian 2:20 p.m. – Rockvale High School 3 p.m. – MTSU Ensemble One Taking the stage at 4 p.m., kicking off the concluding trio of professional acts, The Bryan Cumming Swing Quartet will make its first appearance at the Murfreesboro JazzFest.

Nashville vocalist/guitarist/saxophonist Bryan Cumming began his swing quartet in 2014 as a solo project outside of his role as lead guitarist for Nashville’s long-running Beatles tribute band The WannaBeatles.

Alongside Murfreesboro’s own Kelli Cox on the piano, John Vogt on bass and Adam Mormolstein on drums, The Bryan Cumming Swing Quartet’s jovial sounds will swing the festival into dusk with their renditions of such classics as Ella Fitzgerald’s “Blue Skies,” or Nat King Cole’s “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” Two wonderfully titled newer singles, “Bellwether Serenade” and “I’ll Leave the Moon on For You,” are welcome, too, harking back to the sounds of the classic artists who have inspired Cumming and his bandmates.

From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., vocalist/violinist/ singer-songwriter, educator from the Nashville Music Academy and “The Queen of Louisiana Latin Soul” Alison Brazil performs her soulful blues-and-folk-inspired, popflavored Latin grooves, cultivated through years spent teaching and performing in all of the Americas. It’s a sound referred to as the “Stick to Ya Type of Hot” jazz, with Brazil accompanied by drummer Yamil Conga.

Conga is a versatile Puerto Rican-rooted musician known for dynamic drumming on congas and timbales. Conga is also proficient in several other genres and has toured and sat in with Joseph Wooten, Kevin Mac, DJ Maj, Lalo Davila (director of percussion studies at MTSU), Nashville Latin Allstars, The Roots of Rhythm and Alison Brazil. Conga will show you he’s a madman on timbales.

Find a video for Brazil and Conga’s newest single “This Love,” joined by The Roots of Rhythm, on Brazil’s Facebook page.

Conga is on cajón on that one.

Finally, Music City Swing will take JazzFest home. MCS, led by band leader Karl Wingruber, is Nashville’s 15-member (plus or minus at any given time), Cab Callowayheavy sound that brings the brass, strings, woodwinds, backup harmonies and big rhythm up a few levels from behind rows of white-fronted stage-band music stands adorned with the Music City Swing logo.

FREE!

DuPont ont High School Band 1955-56 Don Belcher (Alto Saxophone)

uPont High School Band 1955-56 Don Belcher (Alto Saxophone)

Sax Appeal

JazzFest First-Timer Has Musical Link to ’Boro History

BY STEVE MORLEY

W

hen Nashville-based multiinstrumentalist Bryan Cumming takes the stage on May 1 for his debut JazzFest appearance, his vintage alto saxophone will in fact be making a homecoming visit.

Several years ago, Cumming bought the horn from Sally Weatherford, a longtime darling of the Murfreesboro theater and arts scene. The saxophone had belonged to her late husband, Don Belcher, since his teens, and Weatherford (who passed in 2018) wanted it to go to a serious and appreciative user. Weatherford, who’d met Cumming through a mutual acquaintance, knew of the versatile musician’s facility on saxophone and evidently recognized a quality in the man himself that prompted her exclusive offer to purchase the instrument.

The sentimental value of the horn wasn’t lost on Cumming, who later composed a melody inspired by Belcher’s beloved sax and his wife’s

May 1, 2021

attachment to it. “After Sally sold it to me, I played it, listening to how it sounded, looking for a tune that would emerge,” Cumming said. “I took the [song’s] name ‘Bellwether Serenade’ from the company Sally and Don had formed, which combined their two names of Belcher and Weatherford.”

The sax, a fine quality Selmer brand instrument, brought the professional musician’s lengthy journey full circle.

One of three horn-playing brothers raised in a musical family in Atlanta, Cumming grew up along the cusp of his father’s big-band bent and the innovative 1950s jazz floating from the Selmer saxes of players such as Stan Getz, John Coltrane and Paul Desmond.

This premium brand was the jazzer’s standard, Cumming notes, and buying his own first Selmer—a 1953 model— nearly 50 years after picking up his first saxophone reconnected him to the streams of classic influences and family ties that had helped form his approach to, and passion for, the instrument.

Cumming draws from elements of that mid-century jazz era on the silky, slightly sultry “Bellwether Serenade,” driven by his mellifluous sax and the harmonically expansive piano work of Murfreesboro-based musician Kelli Cox. Expect to hear the composition during Cumming and his quartet’s JazzFest set scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 1.

“Bellwether Serenade” is available at YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and other outlets.

BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2021 * 11

Murfreesboro Public Square SCHEDULE

1 p.m.

Blackman High School

10 a.m.

Discovery Center “Shake, Rattle and Roll” Music Workshop on Stage For Preschoolers through Elementary Age

11 a.m.

Yamil Conga Jazz Clinic at The Center for the Arts Workshop for Students and Community

1:40 p.m.

Middle Tennessee Christian School 2:20 p.m.

Rockvale High School 3 p.m.

MTSU Ensemble One 4 p.m.

Bryan Cumming Band

12 p.m.

Oakland Middle School

5:30 p.m.

Alison Brazil & Yamil Conga

12:30 p.m.

St. Rose Middle School

7 p.m.

Music City Swing

Presented by

Sponsored by

Sponsors

Michael Busey

Jeff Flowers

mainstreetmurfreesboro.org/jazzfest

Sounds

Read more about local music at

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A Great Day Country artist Travis Tritt makes his way to Hop Springs April 23

BY MELISSA COKER

R

eady to take a musical cue from Travis Tritt and put some drive in your country? Maybe just take a drive ever so slightly outside the city to the (sort of ) country to catch a concert from a legendarily country artist? Look no further than Hop Springs.

Tritt and his world-renowned countryclubbing style are taking to the large outdoor stage at the local beer park/music venue in April as one of many stops among a plethora of new concert dates for Tritt in the coming months. He and his band (this date is a full-band stop, although not all on the tour are) are sure to bring the Southern rock and classic country heat, along with new music, too. After some delay last year, Tritt’s new album, Set in Stone, is set for release on May 7. Plus, appropriately enough for a brewery, his nostalgic new single (following the first, the reassuring Aaron Raitiere co-write “Ghost Town Nation”) from the project is

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titled “Smoke in a Bar.” So put some drive in your country. When the music gets you dancing, you know that can’t be wrong.

Accomplished director David Abbott directed “Smoke in a Bar”—“he’s the best!” said Tritt about Abbott (Abbott directed the fun-loving, all-out brawl of a video “You Can Have Him, Jolene” for CMT’s Next Women of Country family girl group Chapel Hart, too).

“It’s getting back to that classic, no-frills, outlaw-country sound,” Tritt says of Set in Stone. Not that he ever left such a sound, but still it’s refreshing to say that after a long hiatus from full-length original projects, the whiskey is still working plenty well. Released through Big Noise Label Group and produced by Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Shooter Jennings, The Highwomen, Sturgill Simpson, The Oak Ridge Boys), the new album features 11 new songs, eight of which were co-written by Tritt.

PHOTO BY ED RODE

in the ’Boro

Set In Stone marks Tritt’s first original fulllength studio album in over a decade. He pays homage here to all sides of his musical personality along with the trademarks of his originality—be it through opening with the rowdy “Stand Your Ground” or powerful love songs like “Leave This World,” with searing country-rockers like the first single, “Ghost Town Nation.”

Some of the most landmark moments of Tritt’s iconic career have Murfreesboro to thank. His memorably heart-wrenching trilogy of music videos “Anymore,” “Tell Me I Was Dreaming” and “If I Lost You” still feel like mini-movies as they vividly follow the story of war veteran Mac (portrayed by Tritt), his best friend and the love of his life, Annie. Some of the moments in these stories were filmed at Murfreesboro’s Tennessee State Veterans’ Home. To this day, Tritt says he holds the utmost respect for veterans, no doubt in large part to this video project.

“The thing I love most about this particular song is the video that we did for it,” Tritt said of “Anymore” at a show in 2019. “This turned out to be one of the biggest hits of my career and that was a wonderful thing to see happen, especially since I was one of the writers on this song. But the video actually gave me my first acting job. In this video I played the part of a disabled American veteran. And I knew as soon as I read the script, it was going to be something special.

But I was also nervous because we were going to film it in an actual veterans’ hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. And everybody in the video with the exception of myself and about four other actors were all veterans . . .

I had never served . . . I was afraid that those people were going to hate me, that I was going to go in there, sit down in a wheelchair and try to portray myself as one of them and they were going to look at me and go ‘Who does this guy think he is?’

“The morning that we started filming,” he continued. “As soon as I sat down in that

wheelchair, I found myself surrounded by all of these actual veterans. And I found out very quickly, they did not hate me at all. Quite the contrary, they were just happy that someone was there to tell their story. Before the day was over, I knew every single one of them by first name. They told me very personal stories . . . it was just a very special experience.”

A few weeks later the team brought the music video to debut at the VA. “I was sitting to the side of the stage, watching the video play on the big screen,” the artist said. “I wasn’t watching the screen.

I was looking out into the audience as the video played. Before it ended I looked out and I did not see one person in the audience who didn’t have a little bit of a tear rolling down their cheek.”

Potential YouTube viewers beware if you haven’t watched these videos before. Be prepared.

“It touched my heart so much that as soon as I got home, I called my senator and my congressman and I said, ‘I don’t know if there’s anything that a country music singer like me can do, but if there’s any way that I can be of service to veterans or veterans’ issues in this country, I would like to volunteer for that.’”

As a result of those calls, Tritt served as the celebrity chairman and the spokesperson of the Disabled American Veterans Association for four years in a row. The two years following that, he served with the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

“That six-year period was one of the greatest times of my life,” Tritt said.

Travis Tritt with opener Frank Foster play Hop Springs Beer Park on Friday, April 23, at 7 p.m. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster; options include both pod seating and general admission.

Hop Springs is located at 6790 John Bragg Hwy. Find more on Travis Tritt at travistritt.com.

Reviews

AYE MAMMOTH Living Lightning

Steadily vigilant and vigilantly steady, Murfreesboro’s solid garage-metal trio Aye Mammoth self-produced and released an original EP for 2021, Living Lightning, pulling the trio’s headbang count up to nine EPs. Containing six tracks totaling almost 24 minutes, Living Lightning stands as a respect-filled continuation of Mammoth albums past, maintaining the established, midtempo grunge-fuzz-metal base influenced by staples Maiden, Sabbath, Motörhead and Thin Lizzy, but produced Mammoth-style. The trio plays around with various influences from album to album, though (for example, last year’s Strigiformes Gaze supplied us with a darker, bluesier version of Mammoth). This round, Living Lightning seems to channel some Clutch and Rage Against the Machine (track 3) and some Eagles of Death Metal (track 5), with a solid lyrical and structural swing at Queen’s Flash Gordon, too.

“This album is one of the deepest concept albums we’ve created. It’s very heavy metal-driven, inspired by fantasy elements of magic and science fiction,” said Aye Mammoth frontman Micah Loyed.

Much like fresh influences tapped album to album, Mammoth does the same instrumentally, building in some bells and whistles—in Living Lightning’s case, synths, organs, glass percussion, whip and thunder cracks, and the mighty Moog are utilized.

“Zephyr to Eternity” serves as a good

ALBUM

example of that habit, instrumentally.

Opening with the hum of an electric organ warming up, Loyed nonchalantly chimes his guitar’s intonations over the hum, gradually timing them into the song’s rhythm structure. A synth quickly joins in, pinging out a simple melody when, suddenly, the chimes turn into that heavy Aye Mammoth grunge-fuzz. This hypnotizing earworm drone then builds to the metal heavens with rolling, explosive gong crashes and high-register Moog oscillations. Loyed, evoking Zappa metal-riffing a climactic solo, propels a lifting, metal build before the song suddenly dissolves into a Godspeed You Black Emperor-like fading into Loyed quietly and softly beta-testing his new sounds in a practice “Zephyr” session. By itself, climactically, it’s somewhat of a letdown, but the fist pump-littered journey into it is well worth it.

Lyrically, Living Lightning is a tale of our hero’s journey between “Sight Beyond Sight” and the EP’s finale, “Might Above Might,” where our hero victoriously Spark[s] the Living Lightning.

While it may be analogical of simply getting out of bed in the mornings, our hero begins this quest in wondering, figuring out, and then knowing he is the one to vanquish any foe, as he/she has righteousness on his/her side. So, our hero embarks to the high authority for permission to do so. This thread is contained in the first three tracks.

Then, “Ascendant Wrath” depicts our hero’s struggle, battling the foe out in the universe. Epically high and low over the course of both “Zephyr to Eternity” and “Ascendant Wrath,” it’s realized the foe our hero battles is none other than himself !

Prevailing in the existential crescendo, “Might Above All Might,” our hero is at peace, needing only to use himself for good. Spark the Living Lightning!

Living Lightning, along with the entire Aye, Mammoth catalogue, can be found at ayemammoth.bandcamp.com.

— BRYCE HARMON

MOVIE

HAPPILY DIRECTOR

BenDavid Grabinski STARRING Kerry Bishé, Joel McHale, Stephen Root RATED R

Another oddity found in the corners of Amazon’s rentals section, Happily is an ambitious grab-bag of styles and genres that shows promise from its first-time director, while not entirely hitting its mark.

Tom and Janet (McHale and Bishé) are every friend group’s worst nightmare: a married couple who not only rarely ever fight (and are quick to make up when they do) but also whose sex life is as strong and passionate as it was when they first married . . . 14 years ago. So strong is their lust that their friends Val and Karen (Paul Scheer and Natalie Zea) disinvite them from a couples’ weekend during a dinner-turned-intervention because they have too much sex and “everyone hates them.” Only slightly dismayed, the Stepford-esque couple continues living in bliss until a mysterious man-in-black type (Root) appears at their doorstep with a briefcase containing two syringes that can cure their shared inability to experience diminishing returns (thus making them normal). What happens next might reveal one too many zigs in a movie overfull of zags, but all of it is preamble to Tom and Janet going on that couple’s weekend getaway after all.

Set almost entirely in an ultramodern Airbnb reminiscent of the minimalistic mansion from Parasite, Happily becomes a feature-length Twilight Zone episode for better or worse. Are Tom and Janet really that happy? Did one of their

so-called friends send that eerie guest with the briefcase to their door? Will the weekend turn into a weird group sex thing? Writer/director BenDavid Grabinski concocts an interesting premise, but the answers (and intentional non-answers) to these questions end up making the whole less interesting than the parts.

The tonal shifts in the movie—from quirky satire to improvisational one-liner comedy, from ponderously art-house to romantic drama—show a youthful ambition that might have benefited from a tighter focus.

The casting of comedic actors in dramatic roles has often proven to be an inspired choice, but Happily casts an entire movie of them for roles with dialogue that is understated and relatively joke-free. Jon Daly (the aforementioned quipster) manages to get in a few outthere references, but the movie is more often weird than funny, and intentionally so. Two of the film’s more dramaticleaning actors, Kerry Bishé and Natalie Morales, end up breathing some life into the movie just by showing the smallest range of actual emotions (those emotions being scared and drunk, respectively).

Happily is a hodgepodge of disparate parts, and taken individually there is evidence of care and craft. At its core, it tries to be about relationships and the lies we tell ourselves and others to sustain them, but those themes get muddied by the high-concept premise, the tonal whiplash, and an unnecessary Deus ex Machina used to put all the characters in place. As evidenced by the film’s overlong and unearned epilogue, followed by inapt picture credits (I swear one or two of them are actual blooper reels), followed again by not one, but two post-credits sequences, Happily is just a bit too much.

— JAY SPIGHT BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2021 * 13

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 and solve challenging puzzles before the case goes cold. Groups of 1–4 can reserve a slot by contacting 615-642-3170 or hbelcher@ murfreesborotn.gov. Space is limited; ages 10 and up are welcome. The cost is free. For more information, contact 615-642-3170 or hbelcher@murfreesborotn.gov.

APRIL 25 ARTS IN APRIL Arts in April is a free annual event at Discovery Center (502 SE Broad St.) on Sunday, April 25, from 9 a.m.–4 p.m., that celebrates performing and visual arts. Visitors of all ages can experience the arts through the cultural lens of local artists who share their unique heritage with performances and hands-on activities.

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, visit explorethedc.org.

APRIL 26–28 LITTLE RANGERS MINI CAMP Take part in Kids First Nature Camp April 26–28, from 9–11:30 a.m., at Wilderness Station at Barfield Park (401 Volunteer Rd.).

This is a great opportunity to ease children into camp and school environments and let those with older siblings attend a camp of their own. Stories, songs, snack-time and lots of outdoor time fill each morning. A guardian must stay with their child. Registration is required at murfreesboroparks.com. Ages 3–4 are welcome (with some flexibility). The cost is $30. For more information, contact 615217-3017 or hmeyer@murfreesborotn.gov.

APRIL 27 SPRING JOB FAIR Rutherford Works presents a Rutherford Country Spring Job Fair outdoors on Tuesday, April 27, from 3–6 p.m., at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Smyrna Parking Lot (663 Ken Pilkerton Dr.). This event is free to employers and includes one 8-foot table and two chairs. Set up is from 1–2:30 p.m. on the day of the event.

Registration confirms that your organization has available employment opportunities in Rutherford County and can publicize those positions during the duration of the event.

For more information or to register, visit web.rutherfordchamber.org/events.

APRIL 30 HOMETOWN HEROES WALK FOR CHILDREN The Child Advocacy Center celebrates Child Abuse Prevention Month with the sixth annual Hometown Heroes Walk for Children on Friday, April 30, from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. (registration begins at 10:45 a.m. with speakers at 11:30 a.m. and the walk at noon).

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Complimentary shuttles run from the Child Advocacy Center to the event kick-off from 10:30–11:30 a.m. at Civic Plaza (111 W. Vine St.) and concludes back at the Child Advocacy Center (1040 Samsonite Blvd.).

For more information, visit cacrutherford.org.

MARCH 31–APRIL 2 MESS FEST! Kick off spring at the Discovery Center (502 SE Broad St.), where mess = success! Get creative and messy with free outdoor activities such as making oobleck, elephant toothpaste and more. For more information, visit explorethedc.org.

WEDNESDAYS PAPER FLOWER CRAFT Participate in a gorgeous paper-flower making class with Kathy Wallace Wednesdays, April 7, 14 and 21, from 10–11 a.m., at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.). This is a simple, fun and easy way to learn how to decorate for parties. All ages are welcome. The cost is free. For more information, call 615-890-0355.

WEDNESDAYS ADULT BASKETBALL LEAGUE The Sports*Com (2310 Memorial Blvd.)

Adult Basketball League is a great way for adult athletes to stay in shape, socialize and play. The league offers full-court games with trained officials one day per week. Teams interested in participating in the league can call 615-907-2251. A list of interested individuals is kept, and efforts are made to help individuals find a team. Games begin at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. Wednesdays in April. The cost is $4 per player per visit or free with a premium pass. For more information, contact mccafferty@murfreesborotn.gov.

WEDNESDAYS OUTDOOR WILD THINGS The Wild Things program is back Wednesdays in April but temporarily outdoors unless under 45 degrees. Sing songs, read a story, complete a craft and conclude with a short walk. There is a different nature theme each week. Registration is required the day before by contacting hmeyer@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-217-3017. Ages 1–4 are welcome at 9:30 a.m. at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.). Please call the Tuesday before to register. The fee is $3. For more information, contact 615-2173017 or hmeyer@murfreesborotn.gov.

THURSDAYS GREENWAY GUARDIANS Help keep the Greenway clean for the plants, animals and people that love it on

SUNDAYS IN APRIL CREEK STOMPIN’ Go creek stompin’ at Barfield Crescent Park (697 Veterans Pkwy.) Sundays in April at 3 p.m. Meet at the River Overlook in Barfield (a two-mile round-trip walk on the paved trail) and see what critters can be found hanging out in the Stones River.

Shoes are required in the water. Nets and critter keepers are provided. Feel free to bring towels and snacks to make a day of it. All ages are welcome. The cost is free.

For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or hmeyer@murfreesborotn.gov.

Thursdays in April from 9–10 a.m. Pickers, gloves, and trash bags are provided.

Volunteer hours can be signed off on. All ages are welcome and admission is free.

April 1 – Southridge Boulevard April 8 – Cason Lane April 15 – Broad Street April 22 – Overall Street April 29 – Barfield Road For more information, contact outdoormurfreesboro@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-217-3017.

or shull@murfreesborotn.gov.

THURSDAYS

FRIDAYS

MAKE BIRD FEEDERS

GREENWAY WALKS

If you love wildlife, join this spring activity with the Cannonsburgh staff in making bird feeders to bring various species of birds into your backyard. Meet at the Visitor Center (312 S. Front St.) for classes on Thursdays, April 8, 22 and 29 at 1 p.m.

The cost is $3 per person and all supplies are provided. Dress appropriately for the weather. All ages are welcome. For more information, call 615-890-0355.

Walk the Greenway in Murfreesboro on Fridays in April from 9–10 a.m. Call 615-217-3017 for help locating one of the trailheads. All ages are welcome. Admission is free.

April 2 – Thompson Lane Trailhead April 9 – Southridge Boulevard Trailhead April 16 – Fortress Rosecrans Trailhead April 23 – General Bragg Trailhead April 30 – Barfield Road Trailhead For more information, contact outdoormurfreesboro@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-217-3017.

THURSDAYS YOUTH VOLLEYBALL CLASS Bump, set and spike it at Sports*Com (2310 Memorial Blvd.) as qualified coaches give instructions on every aspect of the game on Thursdays in April from 4:30–6 p.m. From beginners to advanced, youth volleyball players develop and refine skills in both practice and game situations. Class is limited, so call 615-907-2251 the day before or day of class to reserve a spot. Ages 8–15 are welcome. The fee is $3 per visit. For more information, contact 615-907-2251

THROUGH APRIL 16 SPRING BOOK CLUB Meet at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) to discuss a section of Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac each Friday in April (through April 16) from 6–7 p.m. Ages 16 and up are welcome. Admission is free.

For more information, contact 615-2173017 or apool@murfreesborotn.gov.

SATURDAYS ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS Meet at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (401 Volunteer Rd.) for a short program introducing one of the education animals on Saturdays in April at 1:30 p.m. Learn about the animals’ cool adaptations and natural history. All ages welcome; admission is free. For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or hmeyer@murfreesborotn.gov.

Sounds

Read more about local music at

boropulse.com/category/music

Separating

Treasures from Trash Reclaiming Regional Rock ’n’ Roll Relics at Resale Stores and Record Shops

C

BY PAUL GLAVIN

ulture and history are not only determined by what the residents of a community have built or acquired; they can just as easily be defined by what a community throws away—or, similarly, donates to charity. Local thrift shops and flea markets are graveyards of a sort where the magnificent and the mundane lie side by side, their respective value seemingly indistinguishable. Some of these items—say, appliances or electronics—are commodities that have become irrelevant, often due to advancements in technology that have rendered them obsolete.

This is precisely what occurred in the later 1990s and 2000s, when the compact disc replaced vinyl records as the format of choice for listening to music. Both the record and the turntable increasingly found themselves occupying space at thrift shops 16 * APRIL 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM

all over the country, relegated to low-rent status; a nostalgic nod to the archaic and space-consuming way that parents and grandparents listened to music. However unexpectedly, the reemergence of vinyl as the music format of choice among a younger generation has changed that perception.

Sales of new vinyl records have soared (yes, they’re pressing new ones, folks), and there is no evidence to support any claim that the trend will be slowing down. Used records, while long available to those who know where to look, have also gained attention and popularity. They’re more available now than ever (though often at higher prices in line with elevated demand).

Both the second-hand store and the used record shop are places where discarded personal artifacts from a not-so-distant past end up being re-homed, with no remaining evidence of the hopes and dreams that fueled their creation, or the rush of excitement that accompanied their initial purchase. In the case of music released by major labels for mass consumption—especially the crass kind designed for a quick sale, and typically destined for a short shelf life—this is hardly tragic. But imagine being an undiscovered small-town singer or musician and investing all your energies into putting out a record or two—in small quantities—on a tiny regional label . . . and

later finding the fruit of your labor residing in a dusty pile alongside middling massmarket music from decades past.

Disheartening, to say the least.

Such a find, however, when made by a passionate collector of rare vinyl—someone like me—is a cause for celebration. In a way,

it’s also a small-scale resurrection of the excitement felt by the artists who recorded them, not to mention the local fans who cheered them on. It is this possibility of unearthing littleknown gems that keeps collectors actively digging through the bins.

Beginning in the 1960s there was a musical revolution being fought in Battles of the Bands all across the country by young rock ’n’ roll hopefuls, primarily teens who had been profoundly impacted and influenced by The Beatles’ culture-changing appearances on TV’s Ed Sullivan Show. For the most part, such bands were known only to fans within their own communities. Maybe, if they were lucky, they managed to record a tangible document of their existence to hand out to friends or impress members of the opposite sex. In many instances, these are the only remaining scraps of evidence confirming their existence.

If they were even luckier, a local DJ may have been impressed enough to provide them with some local radio airplay (as in the memorably ecstatic scene from the 1996 movie That Thing You Do). In reality, though, this didn’t happen often. Usually these bands were casualties of the draft, with members being selected for military service. In other cases, they were foiled by their own awareness of their musical limitations and the fear of being exposed when faced with more proficient competition.

A tragic example of a military casualty would be one-time Middle Tennessee resident Larry Herman, a member of The Prophets Combo. The band, which according to all available evidence was likely from Hermitage, had already released its first 45 rpm single prior to Larry coming on board. The band’s second single, “Gertrude” (though misspelled on the record as “Gertrud”), is a flat-out rock ’n’ roll classic and certainly one of the best examples of teenbeat/garage-rock to emerge from the Middle Tennessee area.

(Incidentally, a mint-condition copy of this hard-to-find single made it into my collection earlier this year after being spotted at Murfreesboro’s own Steered Straight Thrift.) Shortly after the release of this single in June 1967, Mr. Herman was drafted and lost his life in Vietnam.

The records many of these bands left behind are textbook examples of youthful exuberance and teen testosterone, their performances rising to levels of energy that their technical ability was unable to match.

PHOTO BY BRACKEN MAYO

Such bands are now credited as having laid the groundwork for punk-rock, and are often referred to as garage-punk, owing to the swagger and aggressive delivery their records contained.

No location was immune, and nearly every local scene had its own individual identity, the result of these teens merging their personal social and geographical influences with the sounds they were hearing broadcast through their own hand-held transistors and car radios. The term “garage band” has been coined to collectively represent the incredible outburst of creative energy and the almost simultaneous formation of thousands of teen bands in nearly every community across the United States after witnessing the Beatles’ Big Bang on TV. Middle Tennessee was no exception to this explosion of teen activity, and pretty soon even the Bible Belt was loosening its buckle and grooving to the new sounds of these teenbeat bands.

Given its history as a country music mecca by the mid-20th century, Nashville seems like an unlikely epicenter for a musical explosion of this type to occur.

And although there were a handful of teen combos from the immediate area releasing records from Nashville, the truth is that many of these records released on Nashville-based labels were by bands outside of Davidson County, and in some instances not from Tennessee at all. Many would visit Nashville from surrounding states to cut records for tiny labels such as Zap, Valiant, Sur-Speed and Bullet, and bring them home to be distributed as they pleased.

A recent trip to a Bedford County thrift store led to a find that opened up a small part of this musical phenomenon—a single released on Nashville-based Varsity Records by a Shelbyville combo called The Vicars, formed from the remnants of a popular local Ventures-influenced instrumental band, The Fabulous Playboys. This single, “Love Has a Way,” released in December of 1965, is an aggressive, crude recording driven by a wild organ and snotty vocals, with a pair of frantic guitar solos that propel the song totally out of control.

These types of unpolished performances were unlikely to be committed to tape in the pristine studio environments of Nashville, and thus a legion of tiny independent labels emerged across the state to handle these “vanity” pressings of usually 500 to 1,000 records. The Champ label alternated its offices between Nashville and Johnson City and was home to East Tennessee’s The Checkmates as well as a band who, in 1960s-era Middle Tennessee, had the audacity to release two extremely scarce singles as Thee Saints and the Prince of

Darkness. Wonder how that name went over at the local VFW or high school dances? Both bands were from the Tri-City area and somehow found their way to Middle Tennessee for their recording opportunities.

The Tangle, comprised of teenagers from Camden, Tennessee, released its audacious single “Our Side of Town” on the Canary Record label. This sneering and taunting 45, boasting sexual innuendo and Rolling Stones swagger, was more than likely not going to receive airplay in the band’s hometown and remains one of the most soughtafter records from the area.

All roads lead to The Kapers actually being from East Nashville, and with no success locating any member of this band it can only be imagined how this group of presumably teenagers saw fit to record and release a single in 1964 pairing an outrageous cover of shock-rock innovator Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “Alligator Wine” with the band’s very own, gleefully raunchy composition “Topless” on the local J.E.D. International record label. Among other Nashville groups were The Coming Generation, The Chessmen, The Glass Threads and The Emergency Exit.

Many other bands from Middle Tennessee found it far easier to rent studio time closer to home. The Sinders released one amazing single, “Get Out of My Life,” on the McMinnville-based Key label, while Waynesboro’s The Ravenz left us with the astonishing garage-punk single “Just Like I Want Her” on Crockett Records (no doubt a tip of the hat to native son Davy!).

Rounding out the region were The Missing Lynx from Lawrenceburg, The Madhatters from Livingston, The Mid-Knight-Ere from the Crossville area and The Jacks Wild from Cookeville, all represented on shiny black vinyl 45s.

The Uncalled For, hailing from the Man-

chester area, ultimately found redemption by being asked to represent their hometown at the Bonnaroo Festival in 2011. In 1967, the band had put Manchester on the map after its single on the local Dollie label, “Do Like Me,” was picked up for national distribution by Laurie Records. It is now recognized as a classic of the genre and is sought after by collectors all over the world.

This brings us back to the thrift stores and antique shops. Over the years, many of

these records have found their final resting place in the very communities where these teen bands once enjoyed local success.

These records were given to family members, girlfriends and boyfriends, and sold to fans as souvenirs. The remainders, if any, languished in basements and closets until they were either rediscovered or simply discarded as remnants of time and place no longer considered valuable in either personal or historical terms. Personal value may be subjective, but historical value and significance clearly exist regarding this overlooked period of American music. Singularly these bands may seem insignificant, but collectively they represent something much greater, being historically significant to the communities from which they emerged. The priceless, nearly lost history of American garage bands is one sure gauge for separating the vinyl treasure from the trash.

Guest contributor Paul Glavin is a Smyrna-based record collector and historian who originally hails from Lynn, Massachusetts. His weekly radio show, Eargasm, featuring raw-boned garagerock from his massive collection, airs and streams live from 5–7 p.m. every Wednesday evening on Nashville’s WXNA (wxnafm.org).

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Living

 DAY TRIPS

Tennessee Wine Find a Wine for Every Taste at Big Creek Winery Tasting Room

BY LAURA LINDSAY

T

he Big Creek Winery Tasting Room in Christiana offers varieties of its wide selection of Tennessee wines in various levels of sweetness, so wine lovers can pick a wine to their taste.

The tasting room, located just across from Miller’s Grocery, offers wines from Big Creek Winery including grape wines from white muscadine, red muscadine, Niagara

18 * APRIL 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM

white, Catawba and Concord, and types of fruit wines such as blackberry, peach, pear, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and cherry.

All of the wines come from Big Creek Winery in Giles County, Tennessee, located about an hour and a half south of Christiana, said Candy Pomeroy, owner of The Big Creek Winery Tasting Room.

“Billy and Ann Brymer own the winery, landscape and nursery, and Billy is the winemaker,” Pomeroy said. “He started out very young in landscaping and along with that he opened up a nursery.

“He started dabbling in wine making a little bit, then he and his wife were having a dinner in a local restaurant, and a gentleman walked in with what looked like homemade wine. It looked gorgeous, and it caught Billy’s

PHOTO BY LAURA LINDSAY

Candy Pomeroy, owner of Big Creek Winery Tasting Room

eye,” the tasting room proprietor continued.

“The man’s name was Sam Duncan, they became good friends and Billy spent about four years studying the way Sam makes wine.”

The Brymers grow a variety of grapes for their wines featured at the tasting room.

Red muscadine grapes can be pinkish, purple or even black in color. The addition of a sugar in the wine-making process frequently transforms the wine into a favored dessert wine. Others like a special dry red table wine made from bronze muscadine grapes.

Most indigenous muscadine vines produce dark grapes—pink, purple or even black. However, the settlers and explorers of what is now North Carolina reported the abundance of the golden muscadine grape.

This muscadine variety (scuppernong),

sometimes known as white muscadine, is similar to the green table grape, but is much rounder and larger.

Concord is the dark blue or purple and a favorite table grape, the one loved in jelly, juice and even soft drinks.

The Niagara grape is green and is the most common grape used for white grape juice. It is known for its sweet flavors that taste a little of lemon and flowery jasmine.

The Catawba is a purplish-red grape that is a favorite for wines, juice, jams and jellies Many know the specialty wine for its shades of pink and white and for its musky and earthy flavor.

Other fruits make delicious orchard wines, also known as “country wine.” A harvest of peaches, blueberries, blackberries, apples, cherries, strawberries and pears are the natural bounty of the Big Creek Winery orchard.

What sets Big Creek’s wines apart from many wineries is that they aren’t only available in dry or sweet.

“We make muscadine, we make it dry, we make it sweet, but we also make it a medium, so you don’t have to have a really sweet muscadine,” Pomeroy said. “Almost everything we have is made in more than one sweetness level, and some of them we make in up to four sweetness levels.”

Many wine consumers want a little sweetness, but not something super-sweet.

All of the varieties can be sampled at Big Creek Winery Tasting Room.

“Right now, we have 22 wines on our list and that’s pretty much everything. Our wines are seasonal, so come summer, we will probably be out of a few. But then the next batch will be ready by fall,” Pomeroy said. “With dry wines, you get the fruity smell with a little bit of the fruity taste and a dry finish. If you go to our 2% [sugar] which is our medium dry, it has just a little sugar to it—just a sprinkle, but it brings out the fruit flavor so much more. Our medium sweet has 5% sugar, but then we get into our sweetened which is 10%, that’s the really sweet one and the number-one seller.”

Wine tastings are $5 at Big Creek Winery Tasting Room, and this year the special events are back. On Saturday, April 3, the Easter Bunny will visit, families can hang out in the grass and picnic if they like, and Sunday, April 11 is Jeep Day. For more about the tasting room and upcoming events, visit bigcreekwinerytennessee. com/big-creek-winery-tasting-room.

Stroll Around the Lake, View Wildlife, Scenic Hills and Water at Radnor Lake

BY BRACKEN MAYO FOR THOSE WHO ENJOY EXPLORING the state parks of Tennessee, Radnor Lake State Park makes for an easy, fun and scenic day trip.

Radnor Lake State Park offers approximately seven total miles of trails and paved walkways surrounding the small lake. Visitors can walk around the whole lake in under two and a half miles, taking the shortest and easiest route. It’s a fairly gentle, level and easy hike. Mulch covers much of the trail through the forest, while a milelong section of the walk on the south side of the lake covers the portion of the paved Otter Creek Road that is now closed to vehicular traffic.

Benches sit along the trail for walkers who need to rest frequently, or for those who just want to sit and look at nature, have an outdoor conversation with someone or read in a peaceful setting.

In addition to this shortest, easiest route around Radnor, various other trails and loops climb the ridges farther from the lake for greater challenges and inclines.

A group may encounter turtles sunning themselves on logs near the lake, as well as deer, a woodpecker, squirrel, geese and all sorts of other birds and wildlife during just a casual walk. Signs near the lake offer some information about birds commonly found in the area and other animals that call the water and forest home.

Recently, a group passed a park ranger helping a large snapping turtle that wandered onto a bridge find its way back to the water. The ranger gave some curious children information about the heavily armored reptile with a strong bite.

At times, the Radnor Lake State Park parking lots and street parking can be packed with cars, but the trails offer plenty of room to spread out once a visitor finds somewhere to park.

Portions of the Lake Trail had an abundance of sunshine in March, but as the summer leaf canopy comes in, the trees should provide more shade.

Find the park just off of Old Hickory Boulevard in Brentwood, between Granny White Pike and Franklin Road, with entrances located off of both Granny White and Franklin Road.

If You Go Radnor Lake State Park

1160 Otter Creek Rd., Nashville 615-373-3467 Open for day use only from 6 a.m. to 20 minutes after sunset year-round More information: tnstateparks.com.

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Food

 RESTAURANT

STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO

E

very detail of a pizza pie from Luca’s Pizzeria, a family-owned neighborhood pizzeria on New Salem Highway, matters.

“They seem to have mastered the perfect ratio of toppings to cheese to sauce to crust,” said a pleased local customer, Amy, following a meal from Luca’s. “Nothing in life is perfect but a slice from Luca’s comes pretty close!”

The New York-style pizzas, built on a thin and foldable crust with just a bit of crispness on the bottom, contain a blend of whole milk and part-skim mozzarella cheeses, so they come out not too greasy, but still with some deep, creamy flavor from the cheese.

Restaurant owners Margherita and Juan Medina make many of the sauces and dressings from scratch at their Murfreesboro establishment, named for their (now 12-year-old) son Luca.

The pizzeria, bursting with the aroma of garlic, serves as more of a pick-up or delivery spot, with only four tables available for dining inside and a couple more located outside.

Despite the dining room’s modest size, the Murfreesboro restaurant serves some quality pies, according to almost all accounts.

Emily Ducker said she was “blown

20 * APRIL 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM

away” by Luca’s “true, authentic New Yorkstyle pizza.”

“I’m a bit of a pizza snob, as I have worked for a few reputable mom and pop type pizzerias . . . I judge pizzas pretty hard,” the diner said. “You guys have nailed it! Can’t wait to try more things that you have to offer.”

Luca’s even makes its Italian sausage fresh and from scratch.

“We get raw pork and season it and cook it,” according to Margherita.

Another customer, Stephen McKenzie, appreciates this.

“The sausage is the best I’ve ever had,” he said. “Best pizza I’ve ever had!”

A deliciously sweet balsamic glaze punctuates the margherita pizza with a lovely flavor.

“The margherita is my favorite,” another pleased customer, Melissa, said. “They’re quick with delivery orders and always so nice. I’m so glad we discovered them.”

The Medinas have put some time and love into perfecting their bread and pizza dough. The very garlicky garlic rolls remain pillowy soft and fluffy on the inside while slightly crisp on the outside.

One customer called these rolls pieces of “garlic heaven” and said this ultimate

Medina Family Serving Fantastic Pizzas and Pasta at Luca’s Pizzeria

garlic bread was the perfect way to start an Italian meal.

“Garlic rolls to die for!” another Luca’s patron, Amy Abrams, said. “Stromboli, on point! . . . If you want anything close to New York pizza, this is the place . . . the best pizza in Murfreesboro and the surrounding area.

And the owners, Margherita and Juan are two of the sweetest people you will ever meet.”

Another customer stated that the Hawaiian pizza had a decent amount of toppings, while Scott Hurst said Luca’s Pizzeria is “probably our favorite place to eat.”

“Everything I’ve had here is amazing.

The owners work here and have always been extremely friendly,” Hurst said.

If a customer wants a sauce other than the marinara, try a pizza with pesto, buffalo, barbecue or Alfredo sauce, or the house garlic butter, rather than the standard red sauce.

The Luca’s menu also contains Italian sausage, meatball or eggplant parmigiana sandwiches, for $9.99 apiece—or $10.99 for a chicken parm—as well as calzones and stromboli.

“The calzones are ridiculous,” Matt Garner reported. “The marinara is so good.”

And find a wide selection of pasta dinner

options, spaghetti—with meatballs, sausage or eggplant, if desired—manicotti, lasagna, baked ziti with meat sauce or ziti carbonara, a ziti dish with Alfredo sauce, bacon, onions and mushrooms.

“The best manicotti I have ever had! You can absolutely tell they use fresh ingredients and make it fresh,” Ally Farley said. “Between the garlic rolls, pasta and cannolis Luca’s has become our new favorite restaurant.”

This fantastic cannoli, made in-store with real ricotta cheese, cinnamon and flaky pastry tubes, has earned Luca’s quite a few local fans.

“You should eat the cannoli. Eat. The. Cannoli.” Joseph Reynolds stressed. “Furthermore, their pizza just hits the spot, every time, when I want a pizza that is thin, crunchy and just the right amount of burnt.”

In the midst of all of this Italian influence, the establishment offers a special carnitas pizza, topped with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, onions, tomatoes and cilantro. But otherwise, Luca’s focuses on pasta, pizza, sandwiches, cannoli and calzones inspired by Italy.

Margherita has a strong connection to Italy—she is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated to the U.S.

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from Italy, while Juan’s family hails from Columbia. The couple formerly owned and operated seven restaurants in South Florida before relocating to Murfreesboro.

And many Middle Tennesseans are glad that they did come to the Murfreesboro area.

“The Giovanni’s ziti and meat lasagna are absolutely delicious and the pizza is great too. Overall I’ve not had anything I don’t love,” Jessica Graham said.

As food costs continue to rise, a couple of loaded large pizzas at Luca’s—or anywhere—can get into $50 territory.

But for a deal, on Mondays and Tuesdays, grab a 16-inch cheese pie for only $10 (cash only).

Luca’s also has some special lunch values, such as two one-topping slices and a drink for $6.99 or spaghetti and a drink for $7.99.

The restaurant offers a cauliflower, gluten-free crust, as well.

Feed a large crowd with huge trays of lasagnas and other pastas, large strombolis and other catering options.

For those willing to donate to helping to feed their neighbors, Luca’s runs its Altruistic Slice program. Prior to the pandemic shutdowns, every third Monday the restaurant provided pizza to the Journey Home to serve to the local homeless community.

Although those meals have been put on hold, Luca’s has moved its Altruistic Slice proceeds to the Good Shepherd Children’s Home. All Luca’s customers who feel led can donate whatever monetary amount they can afford, with each dollar donated covering the cost of a slice of pizza for residents at the children’s home.

Juan says he would eventually like to provide pizza to both local organizations.

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* APRIL 2021 * 21

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7

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HAPPY HOUR DAILY, 3–6 P.M.

Art

 THEATER

 PHOTOGRAPHY Serina Matsas, at home, Ioannina, Greece 1980 by Morrie Camhi

Consider This Presents Northanger Abbey, Adaptation of Jane Austen’s First Novel

An Eye Towards Justice: Gelatin Silver Prints by Morrie Camhi on Display at MTSU

PHOTOS BY TOM BECKWITH

THIS APRIL, LOCAL COMMUNITY THEATER CONSIDER THIS will present Jane Austen’s coming-of-age classic Northanger Abbey, adapted by Jon Jory and Playscripts Inc. The shows will be performed at Mills-Pate Arts Center, located at 7120 Old Nashville Hwy., Murfreesboro, and streamed live online.

Based on Jane Austen’s first novel ever written, the show follows Catherine Morland’s adventures as she is introduced into society in 18th-century England. The young Ms. Morland is obsessed with gothic novels and expects mystery and intrigue around every corner. She is surprised to find that instead of abductions, secret passageways and unsolved murders, life possesses enough twists and turns to keep one country girl on her toes.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. on April 23, 24 and 30 and May 1 and at 2 p.m. on April 25 and May 2. For tickets, streaming options and more information, visit considerthisinc.com.

22 * APRIL 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM

AN EYE TOWARDS JUSTICE, an exhibit on display in MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery, captures the work of documentarian Morrie Camhi through excerpts from two of his thought-provoking photo collections: “The Prison Experience” and “Faces and Facets: The Jews of Greece.”

Guests can view the exhbit on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Thursday, April 15, in Room 269 of the university’s Bragg Media and Entertainment Building.

The gelatin silver prints in Cahmi’s exhibit include images of individual Jewish people living in various places in Greece and the lives and concerns of prisoners in the California State Prison at Vacaville.

Camhi was born in New York City in 1928, a descendant of Greek Sephardic Jews. He majored in English literature at UCLA, working his way through school as a lab technician before commencing a self-taught career in commercial photography in Petaluma, California. He traveled extensively, shot and exhibited photos, taught and mentored other photographers and was a respected member of the Petaluma business and art communities until his death in 1999.

A campus parking map is available at tinyurl.com/mtsuparking2020. For more information contact shannon.randol@mtsu.edu or visit baldwinphotogallery.com.

BUSINESS MOMENTUM

BY BLAINE LITTLE

Fully Promoting Your Brand IN OCTOBER OF 2019, Gabe Frazier and Bethany Cardente purchased the Embroid Me location near the Stones River Country Club on Broad Street. The franchise was soon converted to Fully Promoted and the new owners remodeled the front of the store. A new sign was hung, and the new showroom looked great!

Frazier said he knew “the business would be a success so long as there is not an economic downturn.” Wouldn’t you know it, their unspoken fears were realized.

A couple of years ago, Frazier who is in personal insurance, was looking for another business opportunity which would not take him away from his insurance agency. He spoke with several business brokers about what enterprises were available in the Murfreesboro area. Most did not seem to be a good fit for him, but he felt promotions to be a safe bet.

“Every business owner is in marketing,” he said. “I also think a lot of people get into business and they don’t necessarily spend an adequate amount of time developing a marketing plan and coming up with a strategy to effectively get the word out to the marketplace.”

As an entrepreneur, Frazier wanted to diversify, and also had a number of bad experiences with marketers in the past that were a source of frustration.

Though he owns Compass Insurance Group in town, he felt there was a need for providing good products and great service in the branded apparel and promotional items realm. Functionally, though, he did not see himself running the day-to-day operations of a storefront. He knew Cardente and gave her a call to see if there was an interest in a partnership.

A year prior, Cardente reached out to Frazier to ask for business advice when she graduated from MTSU. “My degree is in merchandising and buying, so I thought I wanted to go that route,” she said.

Though she was managing another store at the time, she knew retail could be risky for a business owner. Still, like her counterpart, she had that entrepreneurial spirit. So partnering was intriguing

to her. They talked about it and the rest is history, as they say. Frazier is more of a silent partner at Fully Promoted, while Cardente manages the dayto-day operations.

When COVID hit, they both knew it was time to quickly pivot from what they thought would be their business model. Fortunately, the Fully Promoted corporation already had strong ties with manufacturers of masks and other forms of personal protection equipment. So, the local franchise was able to provide medical clinics and rest homes with facial coverings that not only performed a function but promoted a message as well. Other franchisees within the FP brand also provided great support, as other owners were very giving with operational ideas during the beginning of the pandemic.

The Fully Promoted store provides businesses, charities and sports teams with thousands of brandable items to help them get their name out. Visiting the showroom at 1818 NW Broad St. in Murfreesboro and looking at all the available options will inspire any marketer or distributor with dozens of ideas, whether or not they know what they are looking for. It really is about the longevity of advertising your brand.

Providing customers and associates with durable goods such as mugs and backpacks means your people will think of your organization every day!

Pens, tablets, water bottles, toys and duffel bags, oh my! Yes, the business still offers embroidery, too. Shirts and caps with a logo are almost like free advertising. This is also the perfect place to incentivize employees or donors with trophies and plaques.

Everyone loves being appreciated for their effort.

Blaine Little is the founder and CEO of Momentum Seminars Training and Coaching, helping companies remain profitable by investing in their people. Learn more at momentumseminars.com.

Be sure to get his new book Managerial Mistakes, Missteps & Misunderstandings, available now on Amazon in paperback or Kindle format. Check out the podcast at bit.ly/toastcaster143.

BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2021 * 23

AROUND TOWN ’BORO BUSINESS BUZZ

Crying Cat Books and Records, Triple Threat, Rock N Roll Sushi, Red Bicycle, Sephora, Ascend

BY DELORES ELLIOTT TRIPLE THREAT ATHLETIC TRAINING has opened a golf, softball and baseball training facility at 1222 Park Ave. in Murfreesboro. The training facility offers indoor hitting and pitching training for all ages, as well as an indoor golf simulator where golfers can play famous courses from around the world. Batting cages are available for rent with or without pitching machines, and training aids are also available for rent. Facility rental for teams is also an option provided by the business. Triple Threat offers memberships, along with the option to pay by the hour. The business opens at noon daily, and closes at 9 p.m. except on Sundays, when it closes at 8 p.m.

The indoor batting cages feature a padded turf floor; cages can be opened to provide room for infield, base running and other non-hitting drills.

The indoor golf simulator offers technology with outstanding 3D graphics, a variety of games and swing analytics. Golf balls are provided. For more information on Triple

Threat Athletic Training, call 615-809-2444 or visit triplethreattn.com.

A new and unique indie bookstore is coming to Murfreesboro. CRYING CAT BOOKS AND RECORDS will open at noon on April 1 at 504 N. Maney Ave. The bookstore will offer new and used books; according to a recent post on the business’ Facebook page, the store, owned and operated by Terri Delong, will carry 95% gently used books and 5% new books. Crying Cat Books and Records’ hours are noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The small business will also offer records, CDs, candles and various other gift items.

Art from local artists can also be found at the business, some of which is available to buy. For more information on the shop, visit facebook.com/cryingcatbooks.

A new vape and smoke shop has opened in Murfreesboro. TN VAPE AND SMOKE SHOP is located at 2705 Old Fort Pkwy. near Fu Sing. The vape and smoke shop features products related to CBD, hookah, vape and smoke. The business is open Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

SEPHORA is opening a new location at The Avenue in Murfreesboro. The store will host an event for its grand opening on Friday, April 9, beginning at 11 a.m., and will offer scratch cards with any purchase during

Austin Betty, parts manager at Murfreesboro Nissan, shows the new check-in kiosk to a customer.

BORO NISSAN, located at 814 Memorial Blvd., has installed a self-service kiosk where customers can check their vehicles in for oil changes and other automotive services.

The dealership, which services most makes and models of vehicles, becomes the first auto dealership in the state to install such a kiosk.

24 * APRIL 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM

ROCK N ROLL SUSHI has opened its fifth location in Tennessee. The new restaurant location is located at 3053 Medical Center Pkwy., Murfreesboro. Rock N Roll Sushi specializes in sushi and seafood dishes with a rock ’n’ roll music theme, featuring items such as the Axl Roll, the Jailhouse Roll, the Sharp Dressed Roll, the Sweet Home Alabama Roll and, of course, the Good Times Roll and the Drum Roll. The business’ hours are Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The idea began in 2010 in Mobile, Alabama, spearheaded by husband and wife Lance and Gerri Mach Hallmark, and the concept has since spread to six other states where more than 40 locations exist. The business began offering franchises in 2015. Visit rocknrollsushi.com for more information. the opening weekend. Prizes will include Sephora gift cards for up to $100, sample sets and other Sephora products, while supplies last. Store hours will be Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Find more information at theavenuemurfreesboro.com/events/ sephora-coming-soon.

response to repeated requests from our clients to provide sustainable solutions for their waste and recyclable products generated through manufacturing, building, remodeling and demolition,” Nationwide Express President David Coffey said.

For more on Nationwide Express, visit nationwide-express.com.

THE RED BICYCLE plans to open its second Murfreesboro location this summer on the south side of the Murfreesboro square in the former Bink’s building. The Red Bicycle serves gourmet coffee and scratch-made crepes and will also offer tours of their own roastery.

The Harvest Club—Farm Direct, created by a Middle Tennessee entrepreneur, has announced its launch of THE HARVEST CHAIN, a blockchain software designed to add transparency and accountability within the legal cannabis industry. The business stated in a recent press release that as the hemp crop prohibition comes to an end and CBD becomes more sought after within the healthcare field, consumers need assurance that the products they purchase have been manufactured safely. The Harvest Chain will track every aspect of a plant’s journey, from the farm to the consumer.

The Harvest Club—Farm Direct is a Nashville-based hemp marketplace founded by a

NATIONWIDE EXPRESS INC., based in Shelbyville, has announced that it will be adding a new service, Nationwide Waste Management, for businesses and residents of Middle Tennessee. The new service will provide improved sustainable options for residents’ waste management needs.

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CLOSING CORNER The local coffee shop MORNING BREW COFFEE, located at 405 N. Front St. in Murfreesboro, has closed permanently. The business opened in May of 2019, but could not stay afloat and announced that their last day in business was Feb. 27.

“Know that we appreciate you all giving us a chance to serve you, get to know you, and be a positive light in our community,” according to a social media post from Morning Brew Coffee.

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ASCEND FEDERAL CREDIT UNION has announced that it will be opening a new regional operations center at 1524 Williams Dr. in Murfreesboro. The new location will occupy 18,000 square feet, and will be Ascend’s first regional operations center. Ascend currently operates six branches in Rutherford County.

The new operations center will have

room for up to 100 employees, and will offer space for a talent recruitment and training hub, offices for business development, branch operations, information technology and mortgage banking staff.

“Our company’s growth necessitated that we further increase our presence in this market. We also believe providing a desirable hiring, training and office working environment is a sound investment in line with our mission of being an employer of choice, as well as a trusted financial partner,” said Ascend President and CEO Caren Gabriel.

Re s i d

shared commitment and passion for Tennessee agriculture, a love for local farmers, and a belief in the potential benefits of cannabis.

As Americans begin to see the health benefits provided by various forms of cannabis, it is important that consumers know where the product is cultivated and processed, according to The Harvest Club representatives, especially in a climate where any company can loosely claim that their medicine is “born and raised organic,” “pesticide intolerant” or “intrinsically holistic.”

The Harvest Chain will help consumers make informed purchases through packaging that will feature QR codes. Once scanned, consumers will have access to information about the product’s life from farmer to extractor, to packager and finally to the retailer. Manufacturers will be able to create a profile to verify claims about their products.

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Opinion POSITIVE PARENTING

Strengthen Sibling Relationships Have One-on-One Time With Each Child and Family Fun Time Together

BY REANNA SARIEH SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS ARE important, possibly some of the most important relationships that a person can have.

Think about it: the relationship that a child has with a parent often takes center stage, but in reality, the relationship with a sibling can potentially last for an entire lifetime.

Positive sibling relationships do not always come naturally and are not always priorities in the typical busy household. Sometimes as parents, we assume that our children are just going to get along and like each other. But just like all relationships, the sibling relationship requires attention, intention and upkeep.

Our son recently celebrated his 18th birthday. As I recall, the day that he was born, our 5-year-old daughter was extremely disappointed with him. Although we laugh now, it was very impactful for her. She expected him to be ready to play and have fun from the moment he was born! It took her awhile to accept the realities that he was never going to just do what she wanted him to. Over time, we noticed that she had developed some jealousy towards him. Maybe it was the presents sent in from family, or the extra fussing over his cute, chunky baby cheeks. Whatever the reason, she started to build some resentment and it showed in her choices and behaviors until we learned to manage it.

Interestingly enough, as an administrator, parents are typically hypervigilant that a new baby in the house may cause some bumps with the older sibling, yet those bumps are rarely immediate despite the fact that the adults are ready for them straight off the bat. It usually goes like this: parents know that there will be some bumps when baby arrives, they prepare for bumps, baby arrives, older sibling seems fine, parents think that they somehow magically avoided the bumps and then . . . it happens: behaviors regress, or new ones surface. Sometimes months pass before this happens, leaving parents flabbergasted at what is going on.

From a child’s perspective, it can be a challenging shift. Here they are enjoying being the center of attention when along comes baby. But we all know that bumps are just 26 * APRIL 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM

a part of this journey. But how can parents cultivate sibling relationships that are respectful, meaningful and nurturing?

Beginning when the children are young, it is important to model one-on-one time with each child. Individually. Separately. Consistently. When children know and can count on having a parent’s undivided attention consistently, there are fewer reasons for them to choose behaviors that beg for attention (either positive or negative). This one-on-one time is important with both parents/caregivers. Seriously, this one parenting shift can be transformational. We have seen it happen over and over with families. This one-onone time can be structured or unstructured.

It could be as simple as sitting down on the floor and playing whatever your child wants to play for 30 uninterrupted minutes (no phones, no television, no distractions) or as elaborate as an outing of your child’s choice.

In our household, this one-on-one time would happen often. Sometimes it was planned and sometimes a complete surprise. Some of my favorite times were surprise pick-ups from school a tad bit early, giving our kids a time frame, and telling them we would do whatever they wanted to do (within reason) during that time. Sometimes it would be going home to play with trains, or tea parties, or going to the park and playing tag. Whatever they wished to do, we would give them the full time and focus just on them. In the same week, we would do the same with the other child.

FAMILY FUN TIME When our daughter came home during quarantine, both she and my son let us know that they really missed our family date nights.

Family date nights were a way for us to plan to have fun together as a family. These

dates would happen once a month and we would take turns on who would plan them.

We would have a strict budget and the only rules were that everyone had to be a good sport and fully participate in the activity. This bonding activity was a great memory in our home and in other friends’ Montessori homes as well. It gave each family member a chance to plan something fun for everyone and it gave each of us an opportunity to try new things while giving encouragement and support to whomever planned it. Our next family date night is April 11, and I cannot wait!

Family date nights work for families of all sizes including families with one child. Try it!

FAMILY MEETINGS I recommend during our Positive Discipline workshops that all families begin conducting family meetings when children are between 4 and 5 years of age. Family meetings are a place to discuss things in the family that need to be addressed. By setting this expectation early in your child’s life, it will become a regular habit in your household. When the children were young, a 5–7-minute meeting was enough. We would have an agenda and discuss whatever needed to be addressed. It was also an opportunity for my husband and I to model discussion and conflict resolution.

In the early years, our family meetings might be to discuss upcoming projects at school or dirty soccer socks on the floor or why we were going to continue having vegetables for dinner for the rest of eternity and that actual allergies to broccoli were rare. In later years, the family

“While healthy sibling relationships can be an incredible source of support, unhealthy and toxic sibling relationships may be equally devastating.”

meetings became a place where heavier issues in their lives were discussed. Things like friends, peer pressure, drugs and a classmate’s suicide. Although it was hard sometimes to hear what they had to say, we did feel good knowing that the lines of communication were open so that we could talk about things. Did this work for every issue? No. Did they share every difficult teenage emotion? No. But in those difficult teenage years, we were thankful to have that habit set and that they knew that there was a place for us to listen to what they wanted to say if they felt like sharing.

Family meetings were at 7 p.m. on Sunday evenings. To help keep our household running, we have returned to having them often. They make a difference. Listening to the little stuff now means getting to hear the bigger stuff later.

Eighty-two percent of children live with a sibling, according to Dr. Shawn Sidu of the University of New Mexico. Dr. Sidu goes on to say that “while healthy sibling relationships can be an incredible source of support, unhealthy and toxic sibling relationships may be equally devastating and destabilizing.”

Parents can play a strong role in making sure that sibling relationships stay healthy by making sure to not compare and to value the uniqueness of each child. Celebrating differences promotes respect and cooperation while raising a child’s self-confidence. Parents should also not hesitate to seek out counseling for conflicts or family support at any time. By helping our children nurture positive sibling relationships, we are making an investment into their future. I don’t know about you, but hoping that my children will stay connected during the ups and downs of life certainly gives me a little comfort. Knowing that we helped them develop that relationship along their journey is a great source of pride.

Next time, we will explore family meetings a little more closely and find ways to fit one into your family’s culture. Whether you have one child or 10, these meetings can become your number-one parenting tool!

Reanna Sarieh is the founder and directress of Bambini Village Montessori school in Murfreesboro. She received a B.A. in anthropology from MTSU, a MAT in teaching and AMS certification from Belmont University. Currently, she is pursuing a doctorate degree in education administration. 17 years ago, she and her husband decided to incorporate the Positive Discipline philosophy into their family, and it made all the difference in the world!

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Chiropractic Health

BY MORTER FAMILY CHIROPRACTIC

Reduce Stress and Physical Pain for Better Overall Well-Being DID YOU KNOW that your stress could

help them get down to the cause of their be killing you? Often we say “stress is killissues. Dr. Josh and the patient will set ing me,” without knowing how true that some health goals and together, as a team, statement can be. In today’s fast-paced we help our patients reach those goals. We world, many people experience repetioffer specific treatment plans and do not tive stress that can cause multiple health take the cookie-cutter approach that many issues—neck pain, back pain, weight gain people find when they go to a chiropracor for some unhealthy weight loss, mitor. Our patients can attest that their care graines, headaches, and the list goes on. has helped with their stress levels and So how can chiropractic care help? their attitudes. They have increased enThe repetitive movements that we do ergy, better attitudes, and reduced stress. every day can start a spiraling effect. The How do we accomplish this? Not only constant sitting for the office worker, the do we treat each patient’s specific concerns getting in and out of a car for a real estate with chiropractic care, but we also teach our agent, the line job of the factory worker—all patients ways to manage their stress at home of these repetitive motions cause stress and and at work. We teach our patients about breakdown in our bodies. When our bodies deep breathing exercises and offer different physically break down, often so does our apps that we as a staff use to help us relax. emotional well-being. When this happens, Throughout their care we offer at-home exerwe can no longer do the things that we love. cises and simple workouts to help them stay We no longer feel good or satisfied with life. out of pain. When we are not in pain, we feel When our bodies are broken, we cannot play better and can do more. By relieving the pain with our kids the way that we would like to. and teaching our patients how to manage We cannot work out or their day-to-day stress, pursue the hobbies that we can get our patients make us happy. back to doing what Or on the other they love. Our mission end of that, we do statement is “Restoring not have the time to Health to Experience invest into our bodies Life.” Everything that because our job conwe do at Morter Family sumes us. Many parChiropractic revolves ents find themselves around that statement.

Dr. Josh Morter working extremely Not only do we care long hours at their salaried job or working about the health of our patients, but we also multiple jobs just to make ends meet. care about our whole community. Through Unfortunately, the events of 2020 our community outreach program, we brought about an entirely new layer of pick a local business each week to pamper. stress, with many workers forced to draw A couple of staff members will go to the unemployment. Some who were fortunate business and do chair massages along with to keep their jobs are now laboring in some of the therapies we offer here in the “makeshift” home work stations that may office. Businesses love it when we do this! be uncomfortable or cramped. Essential Everyone loves a little stress relief in the workers were forced into high gear, workmiddle of the day. While we are there, we ing harder and longer than before. talk to the staff about who we are and what In our office we see patients that fall we do. Of course, this is completely free for into all of these categories. They come to the businesses we visit. If you are interested us with the aches and pains that have led in scheduling something for your staff or to a loss of hope in life. What sets Dr. Josh business, please contact Ashley, our practice Morter apart from others in our area is manager, at ashley@morterchiro.com. how he approaches his patients’ concerns. He does not just take X-rays, offer Morter Family Chiropractic is located at a recommendation and then ask for your 221C Castlewood Dr., Murfreesboro. For money. Dr. Josh takes the time with each more information, visit morterchiro.com patient to listen to their concerns and or call 615-900-3770.

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Gardening Education Series

BY EDWINA SHANNON

Staying Productive THE WINTER IS OVER and the rebirth of plants has begun.

I think it is in all of us to get our hands dirty this time of year.

When you are buying plants, understand what you are buying. Are the vegetables hybrid? You can’t save their seeds but they have been altered for the best production in the area. Buying a shrub? How big will it get? What type of growing conditions does it need? Is the plant a native or will it spread and become a nuisance?

ELIMINATING NUISANCE PLANTS

the cold of the winter, I took my clippers out to the trees on the perimeter. I clipped the English ivy vines off the bark from the ground to 6 feet up. Now, that left the vine still in the trees and winding through the branches. It has taken until the end of March for me to detect nutrient and water deficiency in those remaining vines but they are dying. I had also ripped the vines out of the ground around the base of the trees and will follow up this month with a vine killer, spraying the foliage and roots still left. I want the tree to live and the vines to be gone. They don’t belong there. I will spray on the other side of the property and determine if the trees get freed as quickly from the spray as they do from the slow nutrient-deficient death. I will, if I have to, go and clip vines off the bark there, too, but I am trying to minimize physical labor.

Consider planting a combination of plants that will provide nuts, seeds, fruits, berries and flower nectar.

Keep their spacing needs in mind so they can mature in the selected spot.”

Try to plant native species of a wide variety.

If you’ve been reading this column for awhile, you have read about my dislike for kudzu. It’s not native, and it just takes over. Well, I have an experiment in progress.

Nature has decided that I needed to redirect my experience with kudzu.

My disdainful expression as I drive by it has been replaced by a shovel, a pick, dirty hands and a kill-it attitude for the vines that dared to invade my property. So, I have pulled and dug and I know that the sucker still lives. Somewhere in that hole is a sliver of a tuber that will regenerate. I am adding epsom salts to that hole in hopes of eliminating regrowth. Stay tuned for more on that saga.

Another invasive is English ivy. It is climbing up and strangling every tree in the little woodlands behind my property and it dares think that I invited it onto mine. Several months ago, in 30 * APRIL 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM

PLANT TO SUPPORT WILDLIFE As you select your plants, assess if they are ornamental only and do not support our native wildlife. You do want to plant annual flowers, herbaceous plants, low and tall shrubs, vines and small and tall trees. This wide variety of plant species encourages cover for a variety of animals while it is a food source for some. The same animal can have different food needs throughout the year. As an example, birds feed primarily on seeds, but will switch to insects when raising CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

their young. Consider planting a combination of plants that will provide nuts, seeds, fruits, berries and flower nectar. Keep their spacing needs in mind so they can mature in the selected spot.

PLANNING AND PLANTING

DAFFODILS ARE NOT BUTTERCUPS Buttercups are not daffodils.

The “cup”-shaped center of the daffodil probably helped start this confusion long ago, but daffodils are of the Narcissus species, while the buttercup is a five-petaled yellow flower of the Ranunculus family. It’s attractive to look at, but it’s more weed than flower, growing naturally and spreading aggressively.

In planning and planting your outdoor refuge, Daffodil mimic nature. Intermix areas with native grass, shrubs and trees. As you plan your yard, don’t forget to plan places for yourself. Provide a place with a seat among TRIM TREES, the trees. Have the bird DON'T TOP feeders within view of Cutting off branches your windows. Draw and making tree limbs up your plan on graph into stumps is not the paper; decide if you or a same thing as tree trimlandscaper will be doing ming. For more informaButtercup the work. Realize that vegtion on how to correctly etation growth does take time. trim a tree or shape it to what Every stage of your yard transforms you think it should be, visit the as it grows and throughout each season. extension office. Or if you’ve got internet With proper planning, you can accept it access, search for it online: trimming a for what it is. tree (not “tree topping”). Trim, don’t top.

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BY JENNIFER DURAND

What Do You Know?

NOTHING STAYS THE SAME FOREVER. We can learn something about ourselves from everyone we meet.

When you feel love, the capacity to love increases.

hardest heart.

When in doubt, don’t!

People don’t ask enough questions.

Information helps you make better decisions.

What once created happiness can also create deep pain.

Everyone is useful and has value— sometimes you have to dig a little deeper.

People are capable of more than they think they are.

Listening is a skill; understanding is an art.

Everyone wants to feel wanted.

Just accept the compliment and say “thank you.”

How we judge others is really pointing out our own insecurities or desires.

People change their mind.

The slightest kindness mixed with genuine sincerity can melt the

Struggles are very real to the ones experiencing them.

Life happens whether you’re ready for it or not.

You can plan and prepare, but

something will always catch you by surprise.

with an open heart every day.

There isn’t a shortage of anything.

Things aren’t always what they appear to be.

Most people are afraid of being vulnerable yet yearn for that kind of trust.

We have all we need at any given moment.

You always have time for what matters most.

When you live authentically people gravitate toward you.

Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see.

Those you seek are also seeking you.

Gossip isn’t truth—don’t be a spreader. Go to the source.

It’s important to feed your mind with intentional good, just as it is to feed your body.

A Divine presence and order exists.

Everyone has an opinion. It’s important to have something to do, something to look forward to and someone to love.

Children make excellent teachers.

Too much is too much.

We are always children to some one.

Everyone has “buttons” that, when pushed, show the indication of unresolved experiences.

“There is nothing good or bad, only thinking makes it so.”

— William Shakespeare Connecting to other like-minded individuals creates energy.

People will surprise you.

Life is cyclical—it will come back around.

I like giving a hand up, not a handout.

People will rarely do more than what you ask of them.

Ask for what you want—you just might get it.

Actions speak louder than words.

Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Darkness is simply the absence of light.

There is nothing to fear but fear itself.

You aren’t what you think, but what you think you are.

Never be in too big a hurry to be considerate.

Don’t overlook the little things.

Do something for someone else 32 * APRIL 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM

Don’t take something for face value. Do the work.

“In quoting others, we cite ourselves.” — Julio Cortazar Smiles and hugs are like a magnet to others.

Don’t wait for your life to happen, you might miss it.

Sleep is good.

Thoughts of guilt and shame will stunt your growth—let them go.

You can love those you don’t like and you can like those you don’t love.

Surround yourself with people who make you feel good, happy and valued.

Sex is healthy, but it isn’t everything.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket—diversify your friends, money, time and talents.

What you thought was cute once can irritate you later.

When you see the good in others you see the good in yourself.

Art in all its forms opens the eyes and heart to the consciousness of soul.

Prayer and meditation are a discipline but they will increase your capacity to handle more with greater ease.

Don’t always go with your “knee jerk” reaction— marinate on it.

“Minds of people need a good revolution and great quotations are good revolutionists!” – Mehmet Murat Ildan Money creates change; so does love. Ideas are truly unlimited.

Being present means not wanting anything else in the moment, rather taking notice of what is.

People don’t do things unless they get something out of it—and that might not be what you think.

Everything is subjective.

Patience can be challenging, character building, revealing and a life saver in the long run.

Your parents actually don’t know everything, but what they know can be useful when finding your way.

As Tom Cruise said in Days of Thunder, “I’m more afraid of being nothing than I am of being hurt.”

Breathing with intention can change your mind, body and spirit within seconds.

Mind your own business.

Stay out of someone else’s story.

You can never know what someone else is thinking (even if you think alike).

Telling the truth is easier than telling a lie, even if it hurts.

There is nothing to hide in truth.

People will often sacrifice their own feelings rather than risk hurting someone else’s feelings.

People don’t like confrontation, but truth is what is waiting on the other side.

There is strength in numbers but it only takes one to make a difference.

“Like your body, your mind also gets tired, so refresh it by wise sayings.” — Hazrat Ali Jennifer Durand is owner and operator of The Nurture Nook Day Spa & Gift Shoppe; a certified QiGong and Breathe Empowerment instructor, and is licensed in massage therapy, body work and somatic integration. Visit nurturenook. com or call 615-896-7110.

Sports 

BLUE RAIDERS

PHOTO BY NATHAN WALLACH

MTSU vs. UT

Lady Raiders Fall to Lady Vols in NCAA Tournament THE MTSU LADY RAIDERS earned a spot in the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament after a 17–8 regular season, and the team put a scare into the Tennessee Lady Vols in the opening round, but a strong third-quarter push by the Lady Vols carried them to an 87–62 win.

The teams were knotted 39–39 at the half and the Lady Raiders had visions of becoming the first No. 14 seed to upset a No. 3 in tournament history, however Tennessee had different plans coming out of intermission.

The Lady Vols used a 23–10 thirdquarter run to carry them to victory.

Middle Tennessee was 0-of-4 with two turnovers on its first six possessions of the third quarter, while Tennessee was 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line on its first six possessions to turn the tide.

Tennessee used that strong third quarter start to build the game’s first doubledigit lead, 56–44.

Anastasia Hayes capped a remarkable junior campaign with a game-high 26 points, five assists and three steals.

Aislynn Hayes was also in double figures for the Lady Raiders with 15 points, while adding two assists and one steal. She played all 40 minutes without a turnover.

The first half provided an exciting brand of basketball and hope for a firstround upset for Middle Tennessee. The

Lady Vols raced out to a 16–9 lead, but Middle Tennessee closed the quarter strong. Aislynn Hayes’ long 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining pulled the Lady Raiders to within 21–18 at the end of the first quarter.

Alexis Whittington, Anastasia Hayes, Aislynn Hayes and Deja Cage all converted field goals during MTSU’s first-quarter run.

The Lady Raiders won the second quarter 21–18 to pull even. Middle Tennessee was 4-of-11 from 3-point range in the quarter.

“We felt good about things at halftime,” Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. “We were able to battle on the boards and we hit shots in the first half.

Hitting shots is what we are about. We weren’t able to knock down some shots to start the third quarter, and Tennessee took advantage.”

In the end, Tennessee’s size was too much. The Lady Vols had a decisive advantage on the boards, winning the rebounding battle 56–21. Of those 56 rebounds, 20 were on the offensive glass as Tennessee piled up 21 second-chance points. The team also scored 48 of its 87 points in the paint.

“Their size was a difference,” Insell said. “We haven’t been outrebounded like that all season. We knew we were going to have to keep them off of the offensive boards to have a chance and we were not able to do that in the second half.”

BOROPULSE.COM

* APRIL 2021 * 33

SPORTS

TALK

COLUMN BY “Z-TRAIN”

titanman1984@gmail.com

Jayon Brown

Bud Dupree

Janoris Jenkins

Titans Overhaul Defense

Add Dupree; Autry, Jenkins; Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith move on THE TRAIN DADDY IS BACK with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard!

I am extremely excited for summer to begin, so let me say this one time! I do not care about COVID or your feelings or lockdowns or your opinion on anything involving COVID-19. I am done with it.

My focus this summer is on work, making money and taking care of my family. I am thankful to live in a state like Tennessee that, for the most part, has stood by its citizens and their constitutional rights.

It’s scary thinking some people in this country now want a “vaccine passport” as a necessary thing to be able to attend events. No thank you! I will hold to my convictions. It is simple, if you want the vaccine, take it. If you don’t want it, don’t take it. On that note, I will shut up about COVID for the remainder of 2021. Thank God! Alright, let us talk Titans football since it has been a remarkably interesting and busy off-season so far. The Titans ended 2020 with some serious questions regarding players set to become free agents.

As of April 1, I believe this 2021 Titans team has become night-andday more balanced. And that is a great thing for a team that had one of the most productive offenses in the NFL in 2020 to go alongside a 34 * APRIL 2021 * BOROPULSE.COM

historically bad defense. The thirddown defensive woes still give me nightmares.

Yes, the Titans lost some valuable pieces to accomplish this, but they also added some new talent. The foundation of the last two seasons is still in Titans blue. Ryan Tannehill, King Henry and A.J. headed-towards-top-10-WR-talent Brown.

The Titans had to let wideout Corey Davis and tight end Jonnu Smith walk. The haters say losing these two will be too much for Tennessee to overcome on offense, but I disagree. I love the recent signing of Josh Reynolds. This 6-foot, 3-inch receiver is young (26) and excelled as a WR3 for a top-heavy Rams team. With that said, the receiver position is still one of the team’s biggest needs and I honestly expect them to go get a receiver like DeVonta Smith or Rashod Bateman in the first round of the April 29 NFL Draft—or maybe work magic a little later and grab a guy like A.J. Brown’s old teammate and do-it-all receiver Elijah Moore. After a spectacular pro day for Moore, Brown publicly made it known he wants the Titans to draft Elijah, a slot guy who has speed and can contribute on special teams. The only flaw I see regarding Elijah is his size: 5 feet, 9 inches.

The tight end spot is a little

trickier to predict after losing Jonnu, and I think the Titans will be content to roll with the fourth-year TE Anthony Firsker. I have seen a few mock drafts showing the Titans grabbing TE Hunter Long in the second round. I think the Titans have enough issues at WR and CB to even entertain a TE that early in the draft, a position hard to fill.

I will say that having a quality TE with hands is extremely underrated. I am willing to give Anthony a shot. He may not be Kelce, Kittle or Waller, but he put up numbers when called upon. Firsker is not a blocking TE but he excels at being a big slot guy and he proved that when Adam Humphries went down. Is he a true No. 1 TE? I don’t think so, but he can catch on passing downs and be a security blanket for Tannehill.

I think the Titans will regress a little on offense, but I fully expect this unit to be productive. That production is almost guaranteed when you lock up your star QB and running back and were fortunate enough to draft one of the most talented young receivers in that class.

If you have not seen the workout videos King Henry releases, check them out! I have no doubt he is looking forward to possibly a third straight crown or even what seems improbable: two straight seasons at 2K-plus rushing yards!

I spent a lot of time talking about the offense when it was in fact the defense that had the biggest overhaul and has many Titans fans excited! I have seen some mixed reviews regarding this 2021 defense,

and it baffles me. I only have one worry right now when looking at this group—they need some more talent at the cornerback position.

The Titans brought in Jackrabbit Jenkins and we have Kristian Fulton, a young player on the rise, and the addition of the underwhelming Kevin Johnson. The Titans need to sign another guy, and there remain a few good options available.

The Titans desperately need (let’s be honest, overpaid) safety Kevin Byard to step up. Last year was a rough year for Byard, and he needs to be that guy that snagged 17 balls out of the air between 2017 and ’19. I also have high hopes for safety Amani Hooker. He is a player to watch grow after finishing 2020 strong. It’s huge that these two guys pick up the slack in the secondary.

Take a moment and forget about everything I have said. Who cares if the secondary for the Titans might be problematic. Mark my words!

The Tennessee Titans’ pass rush will be the most improved group in the entire NFL. The Titans 2020 defense finished the season with 19 sacks and, in case you were wondering, that’s historically bad. Let us not even mention how bad this defense was at third-down stops. It was atrocious.

Do the Titans get media love for moves made? Nope, I see a lot of articles about how they spent too much on superstar linebacker Bud Dupree. Maybe they did overpay,

but we have a general in the middle of the field now and he has the potential, if healthy, to be a one-man wrecking crew.

The Titans stealing Denico Autry away from the Colts was huge. The 7.5-sack machine last season is now ready to pound that sorry Wentz two times a year. With the addition of Bud and Denico it’s going to be a field day for Harold Landry, and I truly feel like Big Jeff Simmons is primed to be a potential breakout player for the entire league.

At the end of the day, I think one of the most exciting moves was the Titans re-signing inside linebacker Jayon Brown. One of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL surprised us all after he signed a one-year deal with the Titans for literally less than half the price he could have demanded elsewhere. I had predicted he would sign with Cleveland. He publicly said he likes the direction this defense is heading, and he wants to reset his market value after a nasty season ending injury versus the Ravens last season.

With all that said, I think Titans fans should be overly excited for a group that will spit in the face of 2020. If this unit stays healthy, I think they have a chance to be dominant, making life a lot easier for the secondary that all the experts seem to have concerns about.

Alright my friends, the Train is rolling into the station. Choo-choo!

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