A True Hero: Local Man Dresses as Batman for Kids’ Enjoyment
JANUARY 2016 | VOL. 11, ISSUE 1 | FREE
Experience Community: Pastor Tells Story of a Growing Congregation
Middle Tennessee’s Source for Art, Entertainment and Culture News
Murfreesboro band of video game enthusiasts earns spot on latest Rock Band, set to release Act III later this year
IN MUSIC
RED HORNET, MICHAEL TOMAN, TONY B, LUKE CACCETTA, BLUEGRASS UNDERGROUND, MUDDY ROOTS FESTIVAL
Contents MURFREESBORO PULSE | JANUARY 2016
9
Word from the Editor I’LL GO AHEAD AND SAY IT:
15 16
ON THE COVER Features
9
ENTER THE PROTOMEN
Murfreesboro band celebrating Mega Man winds up with hit on latest Rock Band game.
14
15
16
18
Local entrepreneur wants to help clients unlock their inner champion, opens facility on Park Ave.
Indoor trampoline park sends guests sky high and provides plenty of active, indoor fun for all ages.
On being Batman: Adam Prince says,“Dress for the job you want.”
Pastor Corey Trimble’s new book tells the story of the growth of Experience Christian Community.
TRAIN LIKE A CHAMPION
MIGHT AS WELL JUMP
NASHVILLE'S DARK KNIGHT UNMASKED
FROM THE GROUND UP
In Every Issue
4
20
26
THIS MONTH
GARDENING
Art teachers display work at City Hall; students to attend theater festival.
Events Polar Bear Plunge, Murfreesboro Anime & Comic Kon, and more!
8
Sounds LOCAL CONCERTS
Honeyboy & Boots; Hoo Doo Men, and more! MUSIC NOTES
Conner Derryberry; Muddy Roots Festival; and more!
Living
Arts
Use winter to plan next season’s garden.
22
28
News
Businesses collect pet donations for Operation Education; City Council limits the size of window signs.
24
Food
LOCAL ALBUM REVIEWS
Koji Express serves quick, tasty hibachi.
Reviews MOVIE
Star Wars: The Force Awakens VIDEO GAME
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain LIVING ROOM CINEMA
Hollywood is a Character
Tony B, Michael Toman, Red Hornet, Luke Caccetta
LIVE EXCEPTIONALLY . . . WELL!
What’s so essential about oils?
32
BUSINESS BUILDER
THE STOCKARD REPORT
38
Opinion Judges order release of inmates jailed for failing to pay fines. VIEWS OF A CONSERVATIVE
OPEC pushes oil prices down.
MUSIC ACROSS AMERICA
America the Beautiful
Manage your time, make more money.
Sports SPORTS TALK
Did Peyton take HGH?
MTSU SPORTS
Blue Raiders had tough Christmas Eve in the Bahamas.
Visit us at BoroPulse.com for more!
Publisher/ Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo
Art Director: Sarah Mayo Copy Editor: Steve Morley
Advertising: Jeff Brown Don Clark Leslie Russell Yost
Contributors: Dylan Skye Aycock, Sarah H. Clark, Gloria Christy, John Connor Coulston, Greg Crittenden, Tanner Dedmon, Jennifer Durand, Zach Maxfield, MacKenzie Meins, Robert Ritch, Edwina Shannon, Christy Simmons, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard, Sam Stockard, Norbert Thiemann, Phil Valentine
To carry the PULSE at your business, or submit letters, stories and photography: bracken@boropulse.com 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 (615) 796-6248
Copyright © 2016, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130. Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed by Franklin Web Printing Co. The Murfreesboro Pulse is a free publication funded by our advertisers. Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378X
Sign up to receive our weekly digital newsletter at BoroPulse.com/Newsletter
you can consider me an “anti-chipper.” When the ID chips, or convenience chips, become available for implanting in the human body, I don’t think I’ll have one, thank you. I’m sure they are very convenient; one’s credit card or PayPal info can be stored on there for quickness at the checkout line, drivers license, Social Security number, banking info, social media credentials for auto-check-in—who knows, maybe even some of your favorite music will be on there. Less paperwork and fewer items to keep up with, right? The slick ad campaign will most likely talk of how they are “secure” and “convenient,” “advanced” and “cutting edge,” probably featuring happy young people drinking coffee and getting stuff done—the chips may very well be manufactured by Apple; there’s a line outside of the store of people wanting the latest version of the iChip—but I think I’ll wait for the next model. Perhaps the abundance of sci-fi movie scenes of someone digging a chip out from under their own skin have given me an illogical negative bias towards all chip implants . . . keep the government out of my skin, and, as always, “keep the government out of the garden!” Anyway, enough about tomorrow—celebrate today! I hope you don’t spend too much of your time opposing something, whether it’s Trump, Republicans, Obama, Muslims, gays, the poor, the police, the protesters, the system, the banks, the corporations, big pharma, big agriculture, the music industry, etc. Focus on what you love, celebrate the positive elements of our town and society; stand for beauty, truth, peace and love, do what you are great at, and share it with the Pulse so we can tell others! Make the food you like, view the art you like, listen to the music you like, breathe the essential oils you like, play the games you like, spend your time with the people you like, respect man, beast and nature and say “no” to negative energy! So . . . don’t call me “anti-chip,” just call me pro-art, music, life, liberty, family, food and fun! This Adam Prince guy is a superhero. Check out his story in this edition. Why does he have so many Batman masks and comics? Well, if he’s making kids smile, he’s a true hero in my book. Unless he frightens kids, in which case he may be a villain of sorts, we’ll just assume that kids love Batman, and that Adam is an all-around good guy. Also in the coming pages, The Protomen, a band founded on love for video games, has found itself in one of the top musical video games ever. Nice. Plus, the story of the growth of the Experience Community, the evolving tale of the local probation system and those trying to reform it, jumping on trampolines and physical training (get active, get healthy!) and more. Enjoy the interesting people, nice musical sounds and wealth of opportunity that Middle Tennessee has to offer. Happy to be comin’ at ya from La La Land until our next edition. Peace, BRACKEN MAYO Editor in Chief BOROPULSE.COM
* JANUARY 2016 * 3
Events COMPILED BY
ANDREA STOCKARD
Send event information to murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com
JAN. 9 KIDS CLOSET Kids Closet offers free clothing for children the second Saturday of every month at Riverdale Baptist Church (307 Warrior Dr.) from 9 a.m. until noon. You must register; bring picture IDs for each adult along with names for each child and birth certificate or report card. For more information, call (615) 6630427 or visit riverdalebaptistchurch.net.
JAN. 9 POLAR BEAR PLUNGE Ring in the new year as you plunge into Sports*Com’s (2310 Memorial Blvd.) frigid outdoor pool. Participants of the 14th annual Polar Bear Plunge are encouraged to bring non-perishable foods to partake in the plunge. The Sports*Com gym transforms into an Arctic Adventure with games, inflatables, coffee or hot chocolate, donuts, and registration at 8:30 a.m. followed by the plunge at 10 a.m. For more information, contact kgoss@murfreesborotn.gov or (615) 895-5040.
JAN. 12 TENNESSEE TRAILS MEETING
her own ad agency. Ruby’s Choice, the debut novel of the Ditch Lane Diaries, is a coming-of-age story with a splash of the paranormal set in the late 1970s in Middle Tennessee. Ever since Ruby discovered an amber-encased spider web in the Campbell Ridge Cave, she has had dreams of births, deaths and glimpses into the future. Ruby is drawn into a college dating game by two handsome suitors. Who will be Ruby’s choice? Linebaugh Public Library is located at 105 W. Vine St. in Murfreesboro. For more information, call (615) 893-4131 or visit linebaugh.org.
JAN. 18 MEMORY CAFÉ Memory Cafe meets the third Monday for every month from 2–3 p.m. at Through the Grapevine Restaurant, 630 Broadmor Blvd., providing people with memory loss and their caregivers with a relaxed, friendly occasion for guests to talk, laugh and experience friendship. For more information, call (615) 848-2250.
JAN. 16 & 17
Murfreesboro Anime & Comic Kon
The Murfreesboro Anime & Comic Kon (MACK) invites everyone to its fan-friendly show at the Clarion Hotel (227 Old Fort Pkwy.) on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free parking, free nylon totebag and free entry to win over $5,000 in merchandise (Sunday). Play free games like Apples to Apples, Zathura and Pokemon. On Sunday, enjoy a freebie table with posters, pins, toys, comic books and more. Come in costume and get a gift at the door, and enjoy a kids’ costume contest on Sunday! All guests will sign any merchandise for free. For more information, call (615) 896-2420. Guests for the show include Louise Dorsey, voice of Jetta from Jem & the Holograms (Saturday only, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.), Bill Bryge, Nathan Massengill, illustrator of Deadpool, Batman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Wolverine, X-Men, Spider-Man and over 100 other titles, plus more.
JAN. 18 CELEBRATE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY Celebrate the accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Discovery Center (502 S.E. Broad St.) from 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Tennessee Trails presents guest speaker State Naturalist Randy Hedgepath at 7 p.m. with tips on winter hiking and safety. For location and more information, contact Sara Pollard at sarabpollard@gmail.com or (615) 714-3610.
ANNUAL CHILLY CHILI HIKE
WELLNESS INFORMATIONAL COMMUNITY DINNER
JAN. 22
All are invited to the annual Chilly Chili hike at Bridal Veil Falls (Sewanee, Tenn.) with hikes followed by a chili lunch in Monteagle. Meet at the Lake Cheston parking lot on the Sewanee Domain at 9:30 a.m. Please bring a dish which will complement chili, or a dessert. For more information and to sign up, contact nannietta@blomand.net or (931) 924-7666, or visit tennesseetrails.org.
BUSINESS AT ITS BEST 2016
JAN. 16 D.F. JONES BOOK SIGNING
4 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
JAN. 19 Dr. Nutt and the staff from the Family Chiropractic and Wellness Center office will host a fun and free dinner event at Logan’s Roadhouse (740 N.W. Broad St.) where they will answer all of your questions about chiropractic care, health, nutrition and living a holistic lifestyle. RSVP by Jan. 18 at (615) 893-5679 or maxlifemidtn@gmail.com.
JAN. 16
Linebaugh Public Library will be hosting Murfreesboro author D.F. Jones from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16. She will be selling and signing copies of the book Ruby’s Choice, published by D.F. Jones in 2015. After graduating from MTSU, Jones worked as a broadcast consultant at the ABC affiliate in Nashville, which led to her later opening
Free admission. For more information, please call (615) 890-2300 or visit explorethedc.org.
JAN. 10–MARCH 6
Wedding Dresses Through the Decades
Oaklands Historic House Museum (900 N. Maney Ave.) features timeless homemade and couture wedding dresses and gowns worn throughout different decades, displayed in Maney Hall. Admission is $8. For more information, contact info@oaklandsmuseum. org or (615) 893-0022 or visit oaklandsmansion.org.
Join the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce at Embassy Suites Murfreesboro Hotel and Conference Center (1200 Conference Center Blvd.) for its annual celebration of the past year’s accomplishments and sharing of future plans. Rutherford County’s most prestigious businesses are presented awards like the 2015 Business Legend and Business Person of the Year. The Reception begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Sponsorships available. Registration is required by Jan. 19. For more information, visit rutherfordchamber.org.
JAN. 23 H.O.M.E. BOUND PROGRAM OPEN MIC Do you have a talent and want to be seen or heard? Nonprofit organization the H.O.M.E.
Bound Program (Helping One Man Every Day) invites you to show your true talent among family and friends at Patterson Park Community Center Gymnasium (521 Mercury Blvd.) on Saturday, Jan. 23, with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. and show from 5–7 p.m. Pizza and drinks served. Tickets can be purchased at homeboundtn.org; for more information, contact donations@homeboundtn.org or (502) 767-0347.
JAN. 24 FREE CLOTHES & FOOD Oakland Park 7th Day Adventist Church (711 N. Maney Ave.) invites you to share in free food and clothes given away the fourth Sunday of every month from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. For more information, call (615) 410-7552.
JAN. 28
SATURDAYS
JAN. 23
SQUARE DANCE
Essential Oils Class
Tennessee Walkers Square Dance Club invites you to join them Saturdays for fun-filled nights of square dancing and line dancing at the St. Clair Street Senior Center (325 St. Clair St.) at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (615) 848-2550.
Interested in learning more about essential oils and how they can help improve your health? Learn ways to use them in everyday life from supporting your immune system to natural, green cleaning with Family Chiropractic and Wellness Center (1114 N. Tennessee Blvd.) from 1–2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23. The advanced class is 2:30–3:30 p.m. For more information, (615) 542-1760 or find Dr. Stephen D. Nutt Chiropractic and Wellness Center on Facebook.
THROUGHOUT JANUARY RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE
MTCS EXPERIENCE DAY Experience Middle Tennessee Christian School’s campus (100 MTCS Rd.), meet teachers and shadow classes on Thursday, Jan. 28. Each visiting student will be hosted by a current MTCS student throughout the day. A full-day tour lasts from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.; a half-day tour lasts from noon until 3:30 p.m. Lunch is included. The parents’ question-and-answer session and campus tour is from 2–3:30 p.m. Admissions testing will be available. Register at mtcscougars.org or call (615) 893-0601.
JAN. 29 & 30 SOUTHERN INVITATIONAL INDOOR TRUCK & TRACTOR PULL Join the Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304B W. Thompson Ln.) Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. for categories including: 8000 Pro Stock Diesel Trucks, Super Stock, 6200 Limited Lite Super Stock, 8500 Pro Farm and 11000 Hot Farm (Cut Tire). Admission will be charged; kids 10 and under are free. For
more information, please call (615) 4060381 or visit southernmotorsports.net.
JAN. 30 HIKE THE MERRITT RIDGE TRAIL Hike the Merritt Ridge Trail at Edgar Evins State Park (1630 Edgar Evins State Park Rd., Silver Point), a beautiful 8-mile (moderate to difficult) trail along the hilly shoreline of Center Hill Lake, with the Tennessee Trails Association on Saturday, Jan. 30. Pack a lunch, snacks and water. For more information and to register, contact (615) 714-3610 or sarabpollard@ gmail.com, or visit tennesseetrails.org.
meets Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. at Woodgate Farm Apartments Clubhouse (755 St. Andrews Dr.). The event is free. For more information, visit dbsalliance.org.
TUESDAYS FREE TUTORING (K-12) Free tutoring is available for children in grades K–12 every Tuesday night from 6:30 until 8 p.m. at Emery United Methodist Church (2989 Emory Rd).
Support the Red Cross Blood Drive Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 7 a.m. to noon at the Heart of Tennessee Chapter of the Murfreesboro Red Cross (501 Memorial Blvd.). Murfreesboro is also equipped to service platelet aphaeresis donations. If you are at least 17 years old, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and are in good health, you are encouraged to give. For more information, call (1-800-448-3543) or visit redcross.org/tn/murfreesboro.
FEB. 1 BEEKEEPERS CLUB The Rutherford County Beekeepers Club meets the first Monday or every month at the Lane Agri-Park (315 John R. Rice Blvd.) from 7–8 p.m. For more information, call (615) 898-7710.
TUESDAYS DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR SUPPORT Depression Bipolar Support Alliance of Murfreesboro, a peer-led support group for anyone dealing with these issues,
JAN. 16
Music in the Wild
Einstein’s Folly enchants the audience with big, orchestrated popular songs while guests enjoy delicious bird-friendly coffee at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (301 Volunteer Rd.) from 6:30–8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16. For more information, call (615) 217-3017. BOROPULSE.COM
* JANUARY 2016 * 5
ENTERTAINMENT
DJ, BINGO, TRIVIA & KARAOKE NIGHTS MONDAYS BUNGANUT PIG Live Trivia, 7 p.m. THE POUR HOUSE DJ, 7–11 p.m. AHART’S PIZZA GARDEN Live Trivia, 7 p.m.
TUESDAYS OLD CHICAGO Live Trivia, 9 p.m. COCONUT BAY CAFÉ Live Trivia, 7:30 p.m. THE POUR HOUSE DJ, 7–11 p.m. NACHOS Live Trivia, 7 p.m. NOBODY’S Bingo, 7 p.m. TGI FRIDAY’S Live Trivia, 9 p.m.
WEDNESDAYS CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m. MELLOW MUSHROOM Live Trivia, 8 p.m.
HEAR WHAT MURFREESBORO SOUNDS LIKE
NOBODY’S Live Trivia, 7 and 9:30 p.m. SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Live Trivia, 8 p.m. WOODY’S BBQ Live Trivia, 7 p.m.
MT BOTTLE Karaoke, 9 p.m.–3 a.m. WHISKEY DIX DJ Cliffy D, 8 p.m.
THURSDAYS
CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.
CAMPUS PUB Live Trivia, 8:15 p.m. COCONUT BAY Karaoke, 8 p.m. NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m. SPORTS SEASONS Live Trivia, 7 p.m. THE POUR HOUSE Karaoke, 9 p.m. WHISKEY DIX DJ Cliffy D, 8 p.m. MURFREESBORO BILLIARDS CLUB Karaoke, 9 p.m. LIQUID SMOKE DJ Night, 10 p.m.
SATURDAYS
LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.) Karaoke, 6 p.m. NACHOS Live Trivia, 7 p.m. NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m. WHISKEY DIX DJ Cliffy D, 8 p.m.
SUNDAYS O’POSSUMS Live Trivia, 8 p.m. THE POUR HOUSE DJ, 7 p.m. SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Live Trivia, 8 p.m.
FRIDAYS NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.
Send entertainment listings to listings@boropulse.com
Want your band listed on our QR Classifieds? E-mail murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com
BOROPULSE.COM
* JANUARY 2016 * 7
Concerts JANUARY 2016
Send show listings to Listings@BoroPulse.com
THURS, 1/7
NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT
Ivan LaFever
THE BORO
All-star jam with Stuart Montez
FRI, 1/8
ALFONSO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT
Three Simple Rules
BUNGANUT PIG
Mixtape 80s Band
Phoenix Rising
Open Mic Night Far Cry
Honeyboy & Boots
SAT, 1/9 BUNGANUT PIG
O’Donnells
COCONUT BAY CAFE
Bunganut Pig 1602 W. Northfield Blvd. 893-7860
THURS, 1/14
Carmen’s Taqueria 206 W. Northfield Blvd. 848-9003
Hoo Doo Men
NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT
Ivan LaFever
All-star jam with Ross Maynard
HONEYBOY & BOOTS
FRI. 1/8 @ MAYDAY BREWERY
FRI, 1/15
BUNGANUT PIG
Backlit
COCONUT BAY CAFE
Missy Garnett and the Two Pistols
HIPPIE HILL
Open Mic Night
MAYDAY BREWERY
Grass2Mouth
Mayday Brewery once again welcomes Drew and Courtney Blackwell, a.k.a. Honeyboy & Boots. The husband-wife duo blends Delta blues with a haunting chamber ensemble sound, somehow playing driving/acoustic/aggressive/romantic/sentimental/Americana/punk/folk rock with their guitar and cello as their voices blend in natural harmony. The Evil Octopus and Angry Redhead will be flowing at Mayday, located at 521 Old Salem Rd. “Singing seems to make things not so bad . . . let put down our touchscreens and tune up our guitars.”
THE BORO
Stalemate
BUNGANUT PIG
TEMPT
Govinda, Raga Sutra, Comatosik, Apache Jericho, Dopethrown, Cosmosis Jones, Ives
Open Mic Night Todd London Trio
SAT, 1/16
AUTOGRAPH REHEARSAL STUDIO
MAYDAY BREWERY
Saint Luke’s Drifters Mark Instinct, TwoFold
Coconut Bay Café 210 Stones River Mall Blvd. 494-0504
THE BORO
JOZOARA
TEMPT
Bonhoeffer’s 610 Dill Ln., 907-2890
BUNGANUT PIG
HIPPIE HILL
Vahalla, War All the Time, Transfer the Tragedy
Autograph Rehearsal Studio 1400 W. College St. 631-2605
TUES, 1/12
DJ TruFX
MAIN STREET MUSIC
PICK
Reilly’s Writers Night
MAIN STREET MUSIC MAYDAY BREWERY
PULSE
BUNGANUT PIG
Zone Status
HIPPIE HILL
Alfonso’s Mexican Restaurant 179 Mall Cir Dr. (615) 439-6155
SUN, 1/10
COCONUT BAY CAFE GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL
IF YOU GO:
Neputne the Mystic, Trigger Digit, Ashes Of Folly
BIRD SONG STUDIO
Clint Alphin, Wes Collins, Heather Styka
The Mesa Project
COCONUT BAY CAFE
My July
HIPPIE HILL
Open Mic Night
MAIN STREET MUSIC
Seize the Empire, Pick Your Poison, Ire and Uprise, Hydrawolf
MAYDAY BREWERY
Ragan Rae
TEMPT
Luzcid, South, Kid Ayrab, DJ Skinny B, Beat Bear, Rambo Lee, Lost Charters, ESCPE
THE BORO
Denny Presley & The Sandwich, The Lefthooks
WILDERNESS STATION
Einstein’s Folly
SUN, 1/17
BUNGANUT PIG
PULSE
PICK
HOO DOO MEN
TUES., 1/12 & 26 @ BUNGANUT PIG The Hoo Doo Men, Bill Steber and Sammy Baker, will bring their vintage juke joint blues to the Bunganut Pig twice this month, on Tuesday, Jan. 12, and Tuesday, Jan. 26. The members of the guitar-anddrums duo, both well seasoned in the Middle Tennessee music scene, celebrate the fuzzy, screamin’ blues of the Mississippi Delta. 8 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
Reilly’s Writers Night
TUES, 1/19 BUNGANUT PIG
Worried Minds
MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING
Arunesh Nadgir
WALL STREET
Jay Matthes
THURS, 1/21
NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT
Ivan LaFever
FRI, 1/22
BUNGANUT PIG
Zone Status
COCONUT BAY CAFE
Crossroads
GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL
Scott Steele
HIPPIE HILL
Open Mic Night
MAYDAY BREWERY
Camille Rae
TEMPT
Liquid Stranger, Space Jesus, Au5
SAT, 1/23
BUNGANUT PIG
11th Hour
COCONUT BAY CAFE
Stranger than Fiction
HIPPIE HILL
Open Mic Night
JOZOARA
Ernest Newsom Jazz
MAYDAY BREWERY
Rhythm Kitchen
SUN, 1/24 THE BLOCK
BUNGANUT PIG
Hoo Doo Men
THURS, 1/28
Georgia’s Sports Bar and Grill 555 S Lowry St, Smyrna (615) 267-0295 Hippie Hill 8627 Burks Hollow Rd. 796-3697 Journey Point Church 1267 Middle Tennessee Blvd., 896-9272 JoZoara 536 N. Thompson Ln. 962-7175 Liquid Smoke #2 Public Square 217-7822
NACHO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT
Main St. Music 527 W. Main St. 440-2425
FRI, 1/29
Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Hwy. 479-9722
Ivan LaFever
BUNGANUT PIG
Marshall Creek
COCONUT BAY CAFE
Backlit
GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL
Southern Ground
HIPPIE HILL
Open Mic Night
MTSU Wright Music Building 1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 898-2469 Nacho’s 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd. 907-2700
MAYDAY BREWERY
Tempt 211 W. Main St. 615-225-7757
SAT, 1/30
The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 895-4800
Stelle Amor
BUNGANUT PIG
Ragged Co.
COCONUT BAY CAFE
DJ RDP
HIPPIE HILL
Open Mic Night
MAIN STREET MUSIC
Stack, Funkhammer, Ashford
The Green Dragon 714-F W. Main St. 801-7171 The Block 123 SE Broad St. (615) 393-9935
J. Buck, La Fever, Jessica Taylor, D’Vonna Taylor, Vann
MAYDAY BREWERY
The Pour House 2404 Halls Hill Pk. 615-603-7978
Reilly’s Writers Night
SUN, 1/31
Wall Street 121 N. Maple St. 867-9090
BUNGANUT PIG
TUES, 1/26
Jake Leg Stompers
BUNGANUT PIG
Reilly’s Writers Night
View the monthly concert schedule online:
BOROPULSE.COM/CONCERTS
Wilderness Station 697 Barfield Crescent Rd. (615) 217-3017 Willie’s Wet Spot 1208 S. Lowery St., Smyrna 355-0010
Sounds
Read more about local music at
BoroPulse.com/Category/Music
MURFREESBORO BAND CELEBRATING MEGA MAN WINDS UP ON LATEST ROCK BAND GAME.
A ENTER THE
PROTOMEN STORY BY JOHN CONNOR COULSTON
s history shows us, video games being adapted to films, television series and any other medium, really, just don’t translate well. However, what if you could limit the simplification of the narrative necessary for a visual project and instead enhance and expand on it through music? Enter The Protomen. MTSU alums The Protomen are a progressive hard-rock band who, aside from two recent albums of covers, focus on retelling the saga of Capcom’s iconic android Mega Man through rock operas. For the uninitiated, the Mega Man series, which debuted on the NES in 1987, focuses on the continuing battles between the protagonist and an army of evil robots created by antagonist Doctor Wiley. The Protomen take that concept and set it on a dystopian backdrop, in which Wiley is a ruthless dictator and Mega Man is created to fight for the people. This tale plays out on the band’s self-titled 2005 debut and 2009’s Act II: The Father of Death, with Act III currently in the works. With synths, guitar riffs and choruses of epic proportions in tow, the group—which has been comprised of a variety of band members with names like Shock Magnum, Reanimator CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 BOROPULSE.COM
* JANUARY 2016 * 9
PROTOMEN DISCOGRAPHY
2005 The Protomen
2009 Protomen: Act II – The Father of Death
2012 Present: A Night of Queen
2013 William Shakespeare Presents: Terminator The Second 10 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 and K.I.L.R.O.Y.—is poised for a big 2016. The Act II highlight “Light Up the Night” is featured in the acclaimed rhythm game Rock Band 4 alongside some of music’s biggest names. The band has also released the first single from Act III, “This City Made Us,” and is continuing to bring its revered, electrifying live show to venues and conventions across the country. We chatted with band member Commander B. Hawkins about the band’s humble beginnings at MTSU, rock operas and, of course, its members’ love of videogame culture.
The Protomen, founded as an MTSU recording class project a decade ago, have achieved a remarkable amount of international success and has clearly struck a chord with many video game and synth-rock fans.
to say no to something as ridiculous and awesome as Terminator the Second. The band’s concerts are raved about; what kind of experience do you all aim to create when planning your live shows? We really just try to make the shows not too shitty and boring. When a movie has a really killer soundtrack, it’s just a better movie. When a rock ’n’ roll concert has a really killer stage show, it’s just more fun for everybody.
MURFREESBORO PULSE:
How did The Protomen first form? HAWKINS: We actually started in college. Most of us were going through this little recording program down in a town called Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and some of us, it turns out, were really good at procrastinating (i.e., me). It was the last two days of the semester, and I needed a band to record for our final class project. I was new to the school, so I grabbed the only three or four people I knew that played rock ’n’ roll. It was mostly just friends that worked at WMTS (the radio station, not some kind of disease). After a mind-numbing all-nighter in the studio, “Due Vendetta” was born. From there, it was all gravy. Intense, nerdy, horrible, life-consuming gravy. What drew you all to Mega Man? Why not another classic game, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda or the always essential Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2001? I think we talked a few times about our regrets that we didn’t write a rock opera about the Jaws game. There’s still time, I guess. I think, though, that the first Mega Man games were just so unstoppably good . . . and the later ones seemed to go in a different direction somehow. We just wanted to tell the story with the tone we always wished had been there from the start. What inspired the band’s ambitious sound and concepts? Almost all of us came to The Protomen from some other band. And we were all playing various degrees of rock ’n’ roll in Murfreesboro and Nashville, which is an incredible scene full of some of the most talented musicians around. We just wanted to do something that hadn’t been done around here in a while. I guess most of our ambition comes from boredom. Boredom and watching a shit-ton of awesome movies and wishing we could’ve done the soundtracks. Why don’t you think more modern rock bands create rock operas?
I think, since the MP3 took hold and everyone could download single jams from the Internet, a lot of people stopped listening to records as a whole. But bands are still doing it in terms of concept albums, just maybe not quite to the extent that we do. For instance, one of the best story albums in recent-ish history, in my opinion, is Okkervil River’s Black Sheep Boy. And Coheed and Cambria has been telling some incredibly cohesive stories in their albums for years as well. So, they’re out there. You just have to take the time to listen to the whole story they’re trying to tell. Your last two releases were focused on covers. Why did you all decide take this detour before releasing Act III? We started what would become The Cover Up around the time Act II was wrapping up, so that one wasn’t so much a detour, as it was a long-term project that kept getting pushed back. The detours really started with our A Night of Queen album. We got the chance to play a farewell show for a really great local band, Evil Bebos, who wanted to go out by playing nothing but Black Sabbath. We decided we couldn’t, in good conscience, play Protomen
jams next to Sabbath, so we played all Queen. One of the sound guys at the venue recorded the tracks, and we ended up liking it so much, we mixed it and put it out. Then detour number two came along. We were asked to help score (and act as the super-tough SWAT team in) the Terminator the Second play that some of our friends put together. It was super-fun to do and we decided to turn it into a soundtrack concept album about a year or so later, so that took a little time to put together. We’ve known for a good while now that Act III is well overdue. It’s just tough for us
“Light Up the Night” is featured in Rock Band 4. How does it feel to have one of your songs in one of gaming’s biggest music franchises? It’s pretty rad, but we realllly suck at playing it. It’s been a great experience working with the guys at Harmonix. Rock Band is a wildly entertaining game and has been for a while, so it’s an honor to have “Light up the Night” listed amongst some pretty classic jams. It’s just a shame that we got added to the game at the same time they ditched synths and the keytar controller. What (and when) can we expect from Act III? Well, we just released the new Act III single, “This City Made Us,” as a 10-inch record. You can get a taste of it right now at protomen.com. The single actually has two Act III jams on it, “This City Made It” and “Hold Back the Night.” As for the when . . . just whenever it’s done. We’re really excited about it, but we know better than to rush it just because people are getting antsy. Lastly, if you could have any videogame character join the band, who would it be and why? Probably Crissy or Mark from Friday the 13th on NES. They’re both pretty fast and can jump super-high. Learn more about The Protomen at Protomen.com.
2015
BOROPULSE.COM
* JANUARY 2016 * 11
Sounds
MUSIC NOTES
THE GRASCALS
Bluegrass
Underground
to Bring in Another Crop of Amazing Americana Artists and More During 2016 Season. THE MAKERS OF THE AWARD-WINNING PBS PROGRAM Bluegrass Underground have announced its sixth-season lineup, which ranges from traditional bluegrass acts to Americana favorites. The program will be filmed before a live audience in The Volcano Room, a naturally formed amphitheater below ground at Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tenn., about an hour’s drive southeast of Murfreesboro. The season kicks off Saturday, Jan. 16, with performances by the Secret Sisters and the Americans; the next show, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 13, features performances by husband and wife bluegrass/Americana duo Darin and Brooke Aldridge and traditional bluegrass band Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers. Other highlights this season include Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys and The Howlin’ Brothers (March 26), Hayseed Dixie (Aug. 30), The HillBenders (Aug. 20), who will deliver an acoustic spin on The Who’s groundbreaking rock opera Tommy, and bluegrass season closer The Grascals with the six-piece Hogslop String Band. For more information on Bluegrass Underground and the full lineup, visit bluegrassunderground.com. — DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK 12 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
SECRET SISTERS
CONNER DERRYBERRY WINS MACON-DOUBLER FELLOWSHIP SCHOLARSHIP Conner Derryberry has been selected as the 2016 Macon-Doubler Fellowship scholarship recipient for music lessons in old-time banjo. The mission of the Macon-Doubler Fellowship is to promote old-time music and dance and to perpetuate the music and legacy of Uncle Dave Macon. Conner lives in the Shelbyville area with his parents, Brian and Beverly Derryberry, and is in fifth grade. His interest in old-time music began a few years ago when he played spoons and bones for the old-time band Uncle Shuffelo & His Haint Hollow Hootenanny. Over time, he took an interest in the banjo, learning from his older brother and YouTube videos. Since then, Conner has placed in beginner banjo competitions at Uncle Dave Macon Days in Murfreesboro and Bluegrass Along the Harpeth in Franklin. When he is not playing an instrument, Conner is an avid reader and loves Civil War history. “Old-time music is very important to me,” Conner said recently. “I want people my age to know more about it.” To improve his banjo playing, Conner applied for the Macon-Doubler Fellowship scholarship and won. The music lessons will occur during the first half of 2016. Conner will perform a public recital from the main stage of Uncle Dave Macon Days on July 8, 2016, as part of the festival’s opening ceremonies. Until then, old-time music fans can see Conner performing as part of Uncle Shuffelo & His Haint Hollow Hootenanny in appearances throughout Tennessee. The Macon-Doubler Fellowship is organized as a not-for-profit entity under the umbrella of Uncle Dave Macon Days. Contributions to the Fellowship are always welcome and are fully tax-deductible. For further information, please contact Dr. Michael D. Doubler at mddoubler@yahoo.com.
HARDIN DRAW
MUDDY ROOTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2016 LINEUP INCLUDING THE DEL McCOURY BAND, THE MELVINS AND MORE THE SEVENTH ANNUAL MUDDY ROOTS FESTIVAL doesn’t return to Cookeville until early September, but festival organizers dropped the 2016 Muddy Roots Festival lineup in its entirety last month, with scheduled acts including Nashville’s own bluegrass legend The Del McCoury Band, The Melvins, Bonnie Prince Billy and more. The annual celebration of AmeriTHE MELVINS can roots music brings together an eclectic mix of bluegrass, traditional country and punk acts for a weekend of music and community to June Bug Boogie Ranch in Cookeville, Tenn., on Sept. 2–5. Regional acts performing at the festival include Hillbilly Casino, Blackfoot Gypsies, the Hardin Draw, Deadly Lo-Fi and Kristina Murray and Logan Ledger. In addition to the music and mayhem, the weekend will include free camping and hot showers, open mics, a Sunday morning church service and other activities. Early-bird tickets are long gone, but $100 tickets are still available on the event’s website. For more information on Muddy Roots Music, the annual Muddy Roots Festival and this year’s full lineup, visit muddyrootsrecords.com. — DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK
LaFEVER
“THE SHOW” R&B NIGHT LOCAL ARTISTS WILL FILL THE BILL at The Block on Sunday, Jan. 24, as the venue hosts an R&B night. Co-sponsored by the local music network group “The Show,” a mix of young artists will perform starting at 7 p.m. MTSU alums J. Buck and Ivan LaFever (both recently featured in the Pulse), top the bill. J. Buck is fresh J. BUCK off his latest release The J. Buck Experience, while LaFever’s eponymously named full-band project fills regional venues with feelgood R&B vibes and pop covers. Other performers include Jessica Taylor, D’Vonna Taylor, Vann and more MTSU/Murfreesboro artists. The Block is located at 123 SE Broad St. BOROPULSE.COM
* JANUARY 2016 * 13
Living
M
TRAIN Like A CHAMP
urfreesboro personal trainer Kelman Edwards Jr. opened his own training facility in late 2015; that milestone is not the beginning of his fitness training career, and certainly not the end of it, but it is the realization of a huge dream. Edwards, who studied biology and chemistry at MTSU, has long had a passion for helping others achieve their fitness goals. STORY AND PHOTOS BY BRACKEN MAYO He began his personal training career in the fitness center at The Pointe at Raiders Campus apartments—even though he did not even live at the apartment complex. “The GM there was very supportive and now is extremely proud,” Edwards said. Looking back, he realizes that it was a risk for the apartment manager to allow him to use their facility, he said, and he appreciates her having the faith in him to allow him to do so. But over time, Edwards has grown his client base and his entrepreneurial confidence to the point where he has rented his own facility, located on Park Avenue in Murfreesboro, “Championtone Fitness was built on the idea of individuals unlocking the champion within,” Edwards said. “As a trainer, I have the opportunity to listen to potential clients who need to make personal changes but lack the willpower to believe they can do it. It Kelman Edwards Jr. brings me joy to see signifiit’s a big stress reliever . . . cant changes both mentally and physically in “Kelman pushes you as little as two weeks!” above your personal limit,” he While pushing one of his clients to her continued. “He’s the ultimate limit, the Championtone owner/operator said trainer; he mixes fitness with he didn’t want any exercise to be too easy. “Instead of doing a regular bench press, we health, eating right, getting the proper amount of rest.” add a bicycle pedal with it,” Edwards said. Howard’s church now Across the room, another client wears a great motivator for me. There have been hosts a weekly “Sweating in the Spirit,” a mask to simulate high altitude while shaking quite a few times when I did not think my Bible study followed by a group workout battle ropes. business would survive. I was on the verge of session, a project partially inspired by the “That mask makes the exercises twice losing everything I have worked so hard for,” Championtone team. as hard,” the training client, pastor Amos Edwards stated. “My inner champ was the “It’s really helped some kids and families Howard of Living Truth Christian Center in motivator that pushed me not to give up, and fighting obesity,” Howard said of Sweating in Smyrna, said after the workout. remain steadfast.” the Spirit. He calls the decision to train at ChamHe advises his clients to first identify their Edwards later said that he knows everyone piontone “one of the best decisions I’ve own goals, then to systematically plan out the goes through their struggles but that Chamever made,” but, in a word, describes it as steps needed to achieve them. piontone is there to help people dig deep and “intense.” “So instead of discouraging yourself from find strength to improve. “Now I’m addicted to it,” Howard said. “I your final goal, you can now set smaller goals “My inner champion has always been a think more clear, it helps me hear from God,
Championtone: Murfreesboro entrepreneur wants to help clients unlock the champion within.
14 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
that are more attainable,” Edwards said. A couple of ladies walk into the Championtone facility, and Edwards welcomes them as he begins to ask about their lifestyles, diets and fitness goals, going on to explain his participation in, and results from, a raw food challenge. Championtone serves a wide variety of demographics, Edwards then told the Murfreesboro Pulse; “all fitness levels are welcome.” And when asked what his advice is for someone starting a small business, he replied, “Make sure they are doing it for the right reasons. Money should not be the main focus.” For more information on Championtone Fitness and how Edwards can help you achieve your personal fitness goals, visit facebook.com/championtonefitness or contact him at (615) 473-1952 or championtonefitness@gmail.com.
MIGHT AS WELL
Jump!
Indoor trampoline park sends guests sky high STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO | PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO
T
he former Old Navy building off of Old Fort Parkway (near Panera Bread and Home Depot) now houses an indoor trampoline park, Jump Street, which contains a large main jumping room with long stretches of trampolines, along with other high-flying activities. The large trampoline room boasts numerous runways of trampolines, each ramping up at an angle at its end, allowing jumpers to get even greater height for their aerial tricks. Young girls performed flips, cartwheels and other gymnastics maneuvers along this line of trampolines one December afternoon, while across the facility a fat old newspaper publisher finally gets a taste of a regulation height basketball rim. Yes, in another portion of Jump Street a 10-foot basketball goal sits next to a trampoline inviting all to fly up and dunk. Nearby, a mechanical bull, surrounded by a cushy-soft landing area, bucks off riders daring to try and hang onto it as a Jump Street employee controls the mechanized animal.
At another of the park’s features, a giant air bag allows participants to do some stunt dives off a platform into its puffy embrace. For the youngsters, there’s a separate kids’ area for children 7 years old and under with smaller bounce houses and trampolines, and without some of the wilder older children. The rest of the park is open to all ages; don’t be one of those parents just sitting on your laurels staring at the phone. Get an armband, unleash your inner child and jump. Just use a little caution and don’t get whiplash or break a leg or toe or anything, though. Kids seem to be made of rubber and their bodies can recover a little more quickly after taking a beating than the old folks’ do.
The various activities at Jump Street in Murfreesboro provide hours of high-flying, indoor fun for bouncers of all ages.
Jump Street is available for parties and events; for hours, rates and more information, visit gotjump.com/murfreesboro. BOROPULSE.COM
* JANUARY 2016 * 15
Living
T H G I N K K R A D ’S E L L I NASHV
D E K S A M UN “Dress for the job you want,” says Adam Prince. STORY BY TANNER DEDMON
M
urfreesboro resident Adam Prince may not view himself as a real-life superhero, but with his role as Nashville’s Dark Knight and his devotion to Middle Tennessee charities, it’s hard to see him as anything but. Since 1998, Prince, 31, has been dressing in one of five Batman suits—each costing from $500 to $2,000 apiece—to benefit children’s charity events. Through his position as lead painter at St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital, the list of charities he works with grew exponentially to include organizations such as March of Dimes, the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, Make-AWish Foundation and St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital-sanctioned events. “There’s so many people out there that can’t go to these comic book conventions who want to see superheroes, or they read about these characters as kids and wish they were real,” Prince said when asked about his motivation for working with children. “It brings a light to them when they can see their superhero coming through those hospital doors just to see and hang out with them.” Prince carved out his role as Nashville’s Dark Knight during a time when interest in cosplay was growing in Middle Tennessee, but he credits his initial interest in Batman to his grandmother, who frequently gifted him Batman toys and took him to see The 16 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
Caped Crusader in theaters. After being pulled out of school due to bullying issues, Prince looked to Batman comics and the virtues Batman stood for to keep him uplifted, a feeling he wished to pass on to others. “With everything life throws at me, it’s been the only thing that’s been consistent,” he said. Though Batman typically works alone, Prince collaborates with other Middle Tennessee superheroes in his efforts. His wife of almost three years, Shannon, attends comic
conventions and charity events dressed as Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy, Catwoman and other icons. The two also helped found The Rogues Gallery Cosplay, a group of more than a dozen Tennessee superheroes who work together in their community efforts. Prince is respected and admired by both the people he helps and the heroes he works with. Tim Rucker, also known as Captain America of Nashville and a member of The Rogues Gallery, said, “Adam is very giv-
Adam Prince, a.k.a. Nashville’s Dark Night, apprears at conventions and gatherings all over in his Batgear.
ing and generous in his time, knowledge, materials and even props and gear. He is a great representation of what it’s like to give of yourself from the heart to both his fellow Rogues and especially to the kids and kidsat-heart we meet at all of our events.” Rucker weighed in on The Rogue Gallery’s charity efforts, saying that even though the organization isn’t paid for the events, the warm feelings and gratitude they receive make it worthwhile.
Batman and other comic characters had a big impact on Prince’s youth as he was dealing with bullying issues; today, his impressive comic and costume collection verify that he still enjoys the characters and themes.
Being Batman is a significant investment of hours, but Prince still finds time to enjoy other hobbies such as hunting, hiking and fishing. Staying in shape is also critical to maintaining his alter ego; he credits both his physical activity and his five years as a volunteer fireman in Bell Buckle, Tenn., to keeping him in shape in order to wear his suits. “It’s like wearing a tire,” he said when asked about his suits. “It’s hot, it’s heavy and it’s tight. You might be in those suits for
three to six hours.” When he isn’t dressing as Batman, he says he never truly separates himself from the hero. Even at his hospital job, he finds himself being approached by coworkers and children who heard that Batman works at the hospital. The attention is something he’s grown used to, and his role as Batman has become intertwined with his day job. “My boss at the hospital told me, ‘There might be times when you won’t do work. You
might clock in and put on your Batman suit and go around to visit kids,’” Prince said. Despite the attention he receives when he’s not in his suit, he never grows tired of being Nashville’s Dark Knight. He says Batman is something that’s ingrained in him, and his personal life reflects it. Outfitted with a Batman sweatshirt and lanyard, he showed off his impressive collection of posters, movie props, action figures, outfits, a filing cabinet of comic books and homemade
Batarangs. Soon he plans to add Batman vehicles to his collection by retrofitting a Polaris Slingshot into a Batmobile. Prince, Nashville’s Dark Knight, says Batman is a part of him now, and that it’s a privilege to use his hero to help others. “You dress for the job you want,” Prince said. For more information on Nashville’s Dark Knight, visit facebook.com/dknbatman.
BOROPULSE.COM
* JANUARY 2016 * 17
Living
FROM THE GROUND UP STORY BY SARAH H. CLARK
The story of Experience Christian Community
A
t 22, Corey Trimble was in trouble— he was abusing drugs and alcohol, failing school and failing in relationships, with multiple suicide attempts behind him. He didn’t know what to do or how to turn his life around. Now, a little more than a decade later, he’s the pastor of a large and growing church that hosts hundreds of people every Sunday. So how did he get from one extreme to the other? In his newly published book, co-written with his executive pastor, Josh Brooker, Trimble tells his own story, as well as the story of the church he founded, Experience Christian Community. His reason for writing the book, he explains, is that when he set out to found Experience, all of the books he could find on church planting assumed that you had certain supports in place—dedicated donors, a sending congregation and so on. But Trimble had none of those things. That’s what informs the subtitle of Authentic Pursuit: Building a Church from Nothing. When Trimble was at his lowest point, he turned to a family friend who was a pastor. He was “the only person I could think of to talk with,” Trimble writes. “I remember telling him that I was tired. I was. I needed to change my life or I think I would have ended it that week.” It was that day, in the church office, that 18 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
Trimble turned his life over to God. He immediately started attending church and looking for chances to serve—including mopping the floors of the church. That was in 2002. Trimble continued to learn and grow, starting a Bible study at much-beloved coffeeshop the Red Rose. He was eager to share the Bible with the same kinds of people he’d always hung out with—people, he says, who would normally never darken the door of a church. In addition to that, he also began to volunteer with the youth group at his church, eventually being made the student pastor.
But as time went on, says Trimble, “I began to notice some things about church culture in general that didn’t sit well with me.” He felt that the church was putting too much emphasis on serving its own members and people who were just like its members. “There were homeless people in our city, families struggling just to make ends meet in the neighborhoods around us, and yet we seemed to make meeting our own needs for socialization, fellowship and encouragement as a church more of a priority than meeting the needs of the community around us,”
Trimble has written of the Experience Community’s growth in the new book Authentic Pursuit.
he writes. He was also distressed that the church didn’t seem to really welcome people who weren’t exactly normal—people like his own friends, people like he and his wife themselves used to be. After a time, Trimble felt that he needed to start a new church. He wanted a place where people who had never gone to church before could feel comfortable and welcome. Excited, he wrote up a plan and gave it to his pastor, hoping that his church would help him to realize his vision and support the new church. But “it became apparent to me very quickly that that wasn’t going to happen,” he writes. Trimble resigned from his position at the church and found himself suddenly very much on his own. But “I still had a quiet and steady certainty in my calling from the Lord to start a church,” he writes. And so he did. After explaining how he came to start a church “from nothing,” Trimble uses the rest of Authentic Pursuit to weave together the story of Experience’s first few years with a primer on best practices for starting a church—including how to avoid his own mistakes! He details how the church grew from its initial membership of 41 people meeting in a basement, and the challenges that came along the way. At the end of each chapter, Trimble lays out a few key points of advice and caution for the potential church planner. For instance, he encourages churches to
Pastor Corey Trimble says his life transitioned from total despair to one filled with joy and the glory of God, and he wants to help others acheive the same.
seek out people who do not go to church, rather than simply shuffling members from one church to another. He also hands out practical advice, like not trying to add extra ministries other than a weekly worship service during a church’s first year—all backed with examples from his own experience planting his church. Experience’s vision is “To lead people to Christ through Authentic Worship, Authentic Community and Authentic Community Service.” By using simple spaces and services, Trimble has striven to keep the focus on the basics of the gospel, on outreach, and on really building up the people who come to his church—not just building their numbers. Over time and through several moves to bigger and bigger spaces, Experience has nevertheless grown to a weekly attendance of nearly 2,000 people. This, too, has been a challenge for Trimble, who has worked to keep the church focused on its vision, rather than on the church for its own sake. “Jesus never called us to build a fan base, but he did call us to build disciples
of Him by being servants and laying down our lives, and we can only do that when we get out of the way and let His name be the name that’s glorified in all our endeavors,” Trimble writes. He details his own church’s struggles in becoming organized without becoming rigid, and in providing a safe place for people to grow without sacrificing outreach towards those outside of the church. Experience’s new goal is to encourage the planting of new churches around it, rather than continuing to grow in one place. “We expect God to make dry bones come alive. The aim is to advance the Kingdom of God, not our kingdoms, but His,” he concludes, as well as encouraging anyone interested to get in touch with the church for help and advice. The Experience Christian Community is located at 521 Old Salem Rd., Suite B. Authentic Pursuit is a publication of The Experience Community and can be ordered by contacting the church at (615) 707-0384 or through experiencecc.com. BOROPULSE.COM
* JANUARY 2016 * 19
Living FARMERS’ MARKET EDUCATION SERIES by EDWINA SHANNON
Planning Time
Use winter to plan next season’s garden, or use a greenhouse to grow year-round I AM ENJOYING THIS DAY. It is in the 70s in December, and my New England blood is identifying the weather as that of a very comfortable summer day. It is hard to believe that it is winter in Tennessee. I know the colder weather is coming. I just love gardening in Tennessee. It is easily a three-season climate for growing vegetables. With a little effort, like a cold frame or a greenhouse, it could easily be year-round vegetable gardening. Before you raise an objection to this idea, let me share a personal experience: I once went on a press tour of the Eastern Townships area of Quebec, concentrated in the skiing areas of Magog and Sherbrooke. I stayed at an auberge, which I will define as a small hotel, independently owned. The owner hosted the press dinner, which was held in a combination of French and English, often changing languages in midsentence. Then, I understood French better than I spoke it, and now I confess to being very rusty as I have not left this country since 9/11. In those days, I needed only to show my license and maybe my birth certificate to cross borders. Once, at the airport, I had to pay a $10 fee, which I called my “Get out of Canada” pass. I still don’t know what that tariff was that I paid, but I digress. Now we need a passport to travel to Canada. The auberge presented the press tour with a sixcourse dinner, each course paired with a different local wine. My interest was piqued. This trip was in late January and early February. Fresh, locally grown produce was part of the meal. People are skiing outside; I am eating fresh, locally grown vegetables. Of course, if you live in a version of the Great North, I suppose there have been generations harnessing the environment and making the most of their situation. I also have a friend who lives in Alaska and he has shared some knowledge of the subterranean farming being done in his area. I love creative people. Cre20 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
ativity is often driven by need. Gardeners and farmers in this area may choose to create more year-round vegetable gardening. I do know of a few farmers that are raising fresh greens throughout the year in a greenhouse environment. For most of us, January is a great time to research and plan for the upcoming growing season. Subscribe to catalogs and read about others’ successes, ideas and new products. Visit centers and shows, and peruse books and magazines. Talk with other gardeners. There are many online groups as well as local people who are interested in gardening. If you are interested in attending a meeting of the Rutherford County Master Gardeners Association, they have monthly meetings from 6:30–8:30 p.m. on the third Monday of the month at the Lane Agri-Park Community Building. The meeting starts at 7; a potluck dinner is held prior. You could call the extension office to ask if there is a speaker scheduled that month. If you place your seed order in January, and want to collect seeds in the fall for the 2017 planting season, be sure to order heirloom varieties. Mark your calendars for some winter inspiration through local Garden Shows. The Nashville Garden Show is scheduled for March 3–6 at the The Fairgrounds Nashville. Murfreesboro is hosting the Garden Show and Party at the Lane Agri-Park on March 18 and 19. Free parking, speakers, vendors, flower arranging and an art show are scheduled throughout the two days. A family-friendly Garden Party with a band and entertainers will join the show on Friday night. This paper, the Murfreesboro Pulse, is one of the sponsors of the Garden Show. Come enjoy the knowledge and ideas that will be circulating. Have fun planning. Realize that everything you plan can take several seasons to implement.
BOROPULSE.COM
* JANUARY 2016 * 21
News
From left, Melinda Noblitt, Black Lab Katy, Denise O’Connell King, Boston Terrier Frank, Shelly Thorburn and Maltipoo Leah.
Businesses Collect Donations for Operation Education CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY FOR OPERATION EDUCATION ANIMAL RESCUE, when Stones River Mall and Doggie’s Day Out presented the group with cash donations and more than 60 bags of dog food. Donations were collected during Stones River Mall’s annual Paws & Claus, sponsored by Doggie’s Day Out. Shoppers were invited to bring dogs and cats to have professional photos taken with Santa, and those who donated a bag of dog food received a free print. “Our Paws & Claus is extremely popular, and we take that opportunity to support
our local pet community,” said Melinda Noblitt, marketing and events manager for Stones River Mall. “Our Breakfast with Santa event benefits Beesley Animal Foundation, so it’s fitting that pet night with Santa benefits a variety of local animal rescues.” Doggie’s Day Out selects a different local dog rescue each year to serve as the beneficiary of all the donations collected during Paws & Claus. Middle Tennessee Treasures and Large Breed Rescue have both received donations in the past. “It’s a pleasure to work with organizations like Operation Education and Stones River Mall, who really care about dogs,”
Murfreesboro Businesses Must Limit Window Signs to 25 Percent of Total Window Area STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO THE OVERHAUL OF THE MURFREESBORO SIGN ORDINANCE CONTINUES as the city council has recently settled on a revision to its ordinance limiting window signage to 25 percent of a business’ total window area, and discussed such details as whether the city should allow string lighting, white or colored, on vegetation or windows, and whether those light displays should be restricted to a certain time of year. After debating the issue at length in its Dec. 3 meeting, the council considered amending the revision to allow a business in the city limits to cover 50 percent of its window space with signs, but that version did not fly, as Murfreesboro City Councilmen Bill Shacklett and Eddie Smotherman were the only yes votes for that version. The original version of the amendment to the sign ordinance ended up passing, with Shacklett casting the lone dissenting vote to the ordinance revision. The only change to the measure presented to the council by the planning commission and the version they passed was the removal of regulation on string lighting. The measure originally limited colored string lighting on a property to the time period between Nov. 15 and Jan. 15. “I don’t really see why the lighting can only be shown 22 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
during the Christmas months,” said Laura Walsh, a Murfreesboro resident who spoke at the council meeting. She said she enjoys seeing businesses using creativity and colors in their displays. “I don’t see how it benefits anybody to restrict lighting to white,” she said. The council agreed with that, and struck the portions dealing with string lighting from the ordinance. After that, with the remainder of the wording intact, the council approved the changes to the local sign ordinance, limiting a business’s available window signage space to 25 percent of its total window surface. However, Shacklett said he just could not support such a restriction on “a business’s right to express itself.” “From a small businessman’s standpoint, this is not the kind of ordinance that says, ‘We support you, small business,’” Shacklett said at the council meeting, adding that, when pressed with the choice, he would “opt to stand for free enterprise and the right for the individual to do what they want. “I’m concerned this is another brick on the load of small business that is not appropriate right now,” said Shacklett, co-owner/operator of Shacklett’s Photography. Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland, a builder, points out there are plenty of codes that affect what a structure can or can’t do, outside and inside, from which way a door should or shouldn’t open to where caulking needs to be
said Denise O’Connell King, owner of Doggie’s Day Out. “I feel like we’re really making a difference in the lives of these dogs.” Operation Education Animal Rescue, also known as OpEd, is a nonprofit, allbreed, foster-based animal rescue group serving Middle Tennessee. Its mission is to educate the community on the importance of being a responsible pet owner; to provide a safe and healthy haven for abused, neglected, and unwanted animals; and to emphasize the availability and importance of spaying and neutering. “We are so thankful for the community’s support of our program, especially during the holidays,” said Shelly Thorburn, volunteer and foster mom. “We are overwhelmed with the response from this year’s Paws & Claus.” Thorburn explained how the dog food donations will be distributed to families fostering the more than 50 animals currently in Operation Education’s program. The organization has plans to open a facility in 2016, and Thorburn says that with the community’s support, that dream can become a reality. To learn more about Operation Education, visit opedanimalrescue.com.
placed, and sometimes a line needs to be drawn or a code set to give all structures in a municipality a common set of rules to work with. Repeatedly, city officials cite “safety” as the driving force behind limiting window signage, continuously bringing up the hypothetical situation of a crime going down or a fire breaking out inside a business, and law enforcement or firefighters being impeded from doing their job safely and effectively by window signage that covers more than 25 percent of a window’s total surface. “When we approve windows on the planning commission, we do that with the understanding that they will be used as windows, not extra signage space,” said Councilman Smotherman, also a member of the Murfreesboro Planning Commission. “Windows are being looked at as signage, and they’re not; windows are windows. “I’m all about simplicity in government,” Smotherman said in addition to his other comments, yet he still manages to include terrorism in the local sign ordinance discussion, insisting that excessive window signage is a public safety hazard. The council approved two readings of this section of the sign ordinance dealing with window signs—a third and final reading will come in January—but Murfreesboro Sign Administrator Amelia Kerr says local businesses can expect a “complete overhaul” of the local sign ordinance, with more changes coming this year. For more information on the City Council’s meeting times and agenda, and other Murfreesboro civic issues, visit murfreesborotn.gov.
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Food
Read more about local restaurants at
BoroPulse.com/Category/Food
Quick Trip to Japan Get fast, affordable, tasty hibachi with plenty of sauce at Koji Express. STORY AND PHOTOS BY CHRISTY SIMMONS
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hen my editor told me that he wanted me to go eat at a hibachi restaurant with a drive-through, I was skeptical to say the least. In my mind, nothing good could ever come out of a hibachi joint with a drive-through; drive-through is equated with fast food in my mind, and all of the bad connotations that accompany those words. Eventually, though, I knew I was going to have to go to Koji Express. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. This happens to be one of those exceptions. Koji Express is in the old Mrs. Winner’s building, next to O’Charley’s on Memorial Boulevard. NAME: Koji Express The interior is nothing special, and mostly clean. Japanese Grill The bathrooms, however, are atrocious and the LOCATION: men’s bathroom door doesn’t even close all the 1010 Memorial Blvd. way; at least it didn’t when we were there. But PHONE: (615) 907-9900 that’s really the only downside to the entire visit. HOURS: 11 a.m.–9 p.m., As most of you know, if you go to a traditional Monday–Saturday hibachi restaurant, even for just two people, you COST: Teriyaki chicken with are looking at spending $50–60, depending on broccoli: $7.49; Hibachi steak the type of meat you choose. Not only that, but as with mushrooms: $7.99; Steak much as I love hibachi food, I really hate smelling and shrimp with mushrooms and like it when I leave the restaurant. I also don’t like broccoli: $11.39 when the chefs start pitching pieces of shrimp at ONLINE: kojiexpress.com the people around the table. That’s way too much performance pressure just to eat dinner. At Koji, you experience none of this. They have all your normal hibachi entrées, but they cook them fresh and fast in the kitchen and it’s dirt cheap! We got a hibachi chicken with zucchini and mushrooms and a teriyaki steak with their signature sweet carrots with two drinks for under $25. Both entrees came with fresh fried rice and a vat of that pink seafood sauce that I love so much at other hibachi restaurants. No more asking for more sauce! The food came to our table and the plates were piled high. It was a ton of food for the price. And it was delicious. Seriously. It was really very good. If you are a college student on a budget, or have a large family, and you aren’t eating at Koji Express on a regular basis, I don’t know what you’re doing with your life. It will now be in the rotation for casual date nights with my husband. There’s not a dedicated kids menu, but don’t let that deter you. They can cater to the pickiest child, and there’s so much food, you can easily split one entree between two kids. Maybe even three, depending on how old your kids are and how much they eat. Don’t feel like getting out of your car, but don’t feel like cooking, either? Try Koji and their drive-through. It seemed to move fast, which was amazing since all the food is cooked fresh to order. Now all they need to do is get that bathroom situation in order, and there will be no complaints whatsoever.
THE DISH
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Mix and match steak, shrimp and chicken with carrots, broccoli, onions, mushrooms zucchini and more to create your favorite custom hibatchi plate at Koji Express.
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Arts
AREA ART TEACHERS TO DISPLAY THEIR WORK AT CITY HALL
JANUARY ART EVENTS
Allyson in the Mirror by Frank Baugh
By Dennis Greenwell
MURFREESBORO DRAMA STUDENTS TO ATTEND 2016 JUNIOR THEATER FESTIVAL BRADLEY ACADEMY Musical Theatre from Murfreesboro and Roy Waldron Elementary Drama from LaVergne have been accepted into the national 2016 Junior Theater Festival (#JTF16) taking place Jan. 15–17 in Atlanta. Furthermore, both of the groups, along with University School of Nashville, have been selected to perform selections from Disney’s Peter Pan Jr. for all 5,000 festival attendees at the New Works Showcase, which previews new musicals available for licensing. Created by New York’s iTheatrics and produced by the Junior Theater group, the Junior Theater Festival is the world’s largest musical theater festival celebrating young people and the transformative power of musical theater. Featuring 115 groups representing 28 states, the District of Columbia, South Korea and Australia, the 2016 festival will bring together more than 5,000 students, 26 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
teachers, and Broadway professionals to raise their voices in celebration of onstage and backstage excellence in musical theater. Each group attending the Junior Theater Festival performs a 15-minute segment of a musical for a panel of distinguished theater professionals. The 29 students representing Bradley Academy Musical Theatre will present an interpretation of Disney’s The Lion King Jr. for adjudication; the cast of 39 students from Roy Waldron Elementary Drama Bradley Academy Musical Theater
will perform Disney’s Cinderella Kids. The 2016 Junior Theater Festival offers an enthusiastic environment for students and teachers to interact with thousands of others who share their passion for musical theater. In addition to presenting a 15-minute segment from their respective musicals, both students and teachers participate in interactive workshops led by Broadway and West End professionals, gain from professional development, enjoy theatrical
MURFREESBORO ART COMMITTEE is proud to present its January show, Significant and Superb, featuring the best of Murfreesboro City School and Rutherford County art teachers. Area art teachers including Frank Baugh, Elizabeth Hedgepath, Dennis Greenwell, Mary Cunningham, Jessica Galligani, Rebecca Phelps, Donna Neals, Melanie Proctor, Ken Vanek and DeeDee Potter will take their talents outside their classroom and into the Rotunda for a special show to highlight art teachers as artists. A reception for these artists will be held Tuesday, Jan. 12, from 4:30–6 p.m. The show will remain on display through Feb. 19. This show will house an eclectic blend of distinctive works using many different mediums. There will be several artists who are showing for the first time in combination with established local artists, and the works hanging in the Murfreesboro City Hall Art Rotunda will be representing more than 10 public schools. Murfreesboro City Hall is located at 111 W. Vine St.
fellowship and take part in performances by professionals. In true Junior Theater Festival form, student techies work side-by-side with festival staff in running all aspects of the festival experience. The first Junior Theater Festival was held in January of 2003. Starting in 2010, the festival became an annual event. At the 2015 Junior Theater Festival, Bradley Academy Musical Theatre student Kamyah Collins earned a Freddie G Excellent Individual Performance by a Female; Bradley Academy Musical Theatre student Uriel Vazquez received the Freddie G Inspiration Award, given to a student who touched the hearts of the adjudicators in a special way; Roy Waldron Drama student Jorge Rivero received a Freddie G Award for Excellent Individual Performance by a Male. Additionally at the 2015 festival, Bradley Academy Musical Theatre’s Allison Isom was one of seven teachers selected for the Freddie G Fellowship, which awarded teachers an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City this past summer to collaborate with each other and work one on one with Broadway greats. The event is sponsored by MTI’s Freddie (“G”) Gershon and his wife, Myrna Gershon, and is a thank-you for all that teachers do to introduce the next generation to Broadway and musical theater.
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Reviews
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS DIRECTED BY
J.J. Abrams
STARRING
Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, BB-8 RATED PG-13
MOVIE
Star Wars: The Force Awakens did not have the luxury, unlike A New Hope, of being born in a vacuum. The Force Awakens does not ask you to ignore the past (at least not episodes 4–6), but begs you to remember, and relive it. A New Hope in particular seems to have served as its wellspring of influence, to which it returns time and time again. Without going into synopsis mode, there is The First Order (the Empire), the Republic Resistance (rebel
scum), the desert planet Jakku (Tatooine), the escaped BB-8 droid with a map to the mythical hermit Jedi Luke Skywalker (R2 with the Death Star plans), the Starkiller (Death Star), Kilo Ren (Darth Vader), Han and Chewie (Han and Chewie), etc. In the context of what we, the audience, casual and hardcore alike, wanted, it’s hard to blame the film for such a reliance on retread. We’ve been burned before. There are, however, some new elements here, some things we’ve never seen. A minor force trick by the villainous Kilo Ren in the first act is of special note. The defected Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) has potential to present a new character type—a bad-guy-turned-good for once, rather than the other way around. But on the whole, The Force Awakens feels like a do-over for the prequels; a chance to start over. And J.J. Abrams was the perfect choice for director. His liberal borrowing from Episode IV in plot, look, and feel is coupled with his grasp of storytelling and
GAME
rhythm, especially in the balance between levity and drama. If Episode IV was a template for what to do, equally were the prequels for what not to do. Gone are the green-screened CGI backgrounds (or at least now they’re seamless); real sets, costumes, makeup, animatronics and props add an immeasurable level of depth and immersion. If you groan at the suspiciously familiar cantina on Takodana, or the monstrous Rathtars (even sounds like Rancor), just remember that there is a welcome lack of flipping and spinning in the lightsaber duels. And though there is an impossibly apt emo Kilo Ren Twitter account, it doesn’t contradict that he’s the Anakin we wanted all along, and the emotional arc of his story still hits hard where Anakin’s devolves into histrionics. The Force Awakens isn’t the perfect Star Wars movie— that one has already been made—but in the context of what Star Wars has come to be in the 21st century, it is the best that it could be. — JAY SPIGHT
was going on; I would often find myself being confused during the cut scenes, only to have my confusion cleared up when I took the time to listen to the post-mission recordings.
METAL GEAR SOLID 5: THE PHANTOM PAIN
Metal Gear Online
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, a much anticipated title, was exactly what the Metal Gear Solid franchise needed after the disappointment caused by its predecessor’s scant length. The Phantom Pain’s plot details the aftermath of the events in Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes. At the beginning of Phantom Pain, Big Boss, the game’s protagonist, has awoken from a 9-year coma and is immediately thrust into a combat situation between himself and a would-be assassin. The prologue is very dramatic, with its adrenaline-pumping action sequences. It certainly does a great job of setting the theme for the rest of the game. Though the prologue was set on a linear path as in every other Metal Gear game before it, the rest of the game is very open-ended, and there seems to be an endless number of things to do. It is a scope that rivals that of games like
Fallout 3 or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Every main story mission took me to a new area to be explored, and the more missions I completed, the more other activities became available. For instance, after completing the second story mission, Big Boss’s base is unlocked for customization. Customization takes many forms, and was highly influential on how I chose to play the game. I could have eliminated every enemy that crossed my path, but most of the time I chose to capitalize on skilled enemy combatants because of the benefit that came with capturing them alive. Every enemy that I captured alive became
A CLASSIC
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OUTSTANDING
an essential addition to the Diamond Dogs. I found myself spending just as much time completing the side missions and FOB mission as I did the story missions. All of the extra items and companion characters I gained from being dogged in fully exploring the game gave me more play-style options. This gave the game great replay value, as I found myself replaying many missions with different weapon loadouts and companions. The only real disappointment I had with the game was the lack of an easily understandable story. The game provided just enough cut scenes to give me a general idea of what AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE
Metal Gear Online is relatively small in scope compared to many of its other online firstperson and third-person shooter counterparts, but even so, the online component of the latest Metal Gear game is done tastefully and adds to the overall experience. The player can choose from three-player classes (Scout, Enforcer and Infiltrator) as well as three online modes (Bounty Hunter, Cloak and Dagger and Comm Control). The maps could also be separated into regular or “rush” maps, which reduce the size of the maps, forcing players to encounter each other more often. Bounty Hunter mode is where I personally had the most fun. It encourages players to try different tactics, and rewards those who chose stealth over the standard “run and gun” playstyle. Adding the function to recover lost tickets by “fultoning” out enemy combatants instead of killing them and placing bounties on players who rely on lethality adds a new dynamic to what might have been another team death match replica. — MACKENZIE MEINS AVOID AT ALL COSTS
DEAD
LIVING ROOM CINEMA column by NORBERT THIEMANN
facebook.com/livingroomcinema
Hollywood Is a Character
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here a movie is set often plays a significant role in its story. In this instance, it’s Hollywood, California! Other honorable mentions that have previously been recommended are the films The Big Lebowski, The Big Sleep and Drive. Tangerine (2015) is written and directed by Sean Baker. Well contemplated is a day in Hollywood at Christmastime, as experienced by an impassioned transgender prostitute. Aside from feeling truly authentic,Tangerine is also impressive, because the footage is shot with iPhones. It’s a well-told gem.
Magnolia (1999) is written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson spins intertwining tales with great maturity and mastery. Fantastic performances are given by an allstar ensemble cast. Magnolia is a Hollywood-based must-see.
Mulholland Drive (2001) is written and directed by David Lynch. A young woman weathers her inner struggles after moving to Hollywood to become an actress. Being a David Lynch film, Mulholland Drive is brilliantly surreal. An abundance has been written and contemplated about this one. Boogie Nights (1997) is also written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson’s second feature film is an absolute marvel, depicting the 1970s porn industry. Aside from Deliverance, it is certainly Burt Reynolds’ best performance. If you are up to the subject matter, Boogie Nights is top-notch. Chinatown (1974) is directed by Roman Polanski. Jack Nicholson stars as a detective in this fine film noir in which he must follow a family and find the source of local corruption. Chinatown is revered as one of the finest films of its era, and Southern California is certainly a star.
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ALBUMS
LUKE CACCETTA
TONY B
Based in Middle Tennessee by way of Virginia, Luke Caccetta is a rising country artist and songwriter whose debut five-track EP, Cheers, was put out by Match Records, MTSU’s student record label. Cheers is a quick listen at only 19 minutes but manages to touch on a variety of Southern sensibilities for any type of country listener, whether you prefer your twang with a rock edge, romantic lyricism or something in between. The EP kicks off with its fastest (and arguably best) moment with the track “Smokin’.” Caccetta rips into a car-focused anthem for fast-driving outlaws that could soundtrack a montage of Dukes of Hazzard and Smokey and the Bandit clips. In fact he actually references the 1979 Burt Reynolds film in the opening verse: I got my ’81 Trans Am, hot damn / East bound and down like Smokey and the Bandit. “Smokin’” is as heavy as Caccetta gets on Cheers, as the following two tracks take a lighter approach. The title track is a bit cheesy thanks to its focus on drinking to fond memories, but is nonetheless a catchy ode to raising ’em up and raising ’em high. The other ballad, “When Do You Want Me,” is a bit better, as it focuses on the go-to pop-country topic of love. While country ballads often get flak for being “she done me wrong” tales of heartbreak, Caccetta does the approach justice with strong melody and production. The next track, “Jeans and Boots,” brings the tempo back up a bit, while bringing some piano into the mix. It focuses on an infatuation with a real Daisy Duke who looks good in, as the title suggests, jeans and cowboy boots, much like cousin Daisy. While that may seem cringeworthy to some, it’s a lot of fun, just as this kind of country is supposed to be. Following this slightly low-brow moment comes Cheers’ most lyrically poignant track, “Into the Sunset.” The uptempo ballad finds Caccetta jumping into the shoes of a cowboy wanting to drop everything and ride off into the desert with someone special. It’s a strong balance of heartfelt balladry with upbeat instrumentation that ends Cheers on a strong note. Luke Caccetta’s Cheers is available on Amazon, CD Baby, iTunes and Spotify. — JOHN CONNOR COULSTON
MTSU student Tony B has one of the larger digital imprints of any Murfreesboro artist. This comes largely in part to his YouTube channel, which has amassed more than 415,000 views and 5,000 subscribers. His most popular video, a cover of Adele’s recent smash, “Hello,” has been watched almost 300,000 times between YouTube and Facebook. Other covers of artists including Justin Bieber, Sam Smith, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars are racking up big numbers, as well. But he releases more than just covers, as is evident with EP Highways and his latest project, 22 Days. Its seven tracks stick to a consistent modern R&B sound, with Tony’s voice—soulful, with an attractively subdued delivery—the obvious focal point of the release. Think John Legend with a vibe similar to The Weeknd or Frank Ocean. His voice is phenomenal, but it’s not in your face. This paired with the atmospheric sonics and simple production contributes to the darker tone. The standout of 22 Days is the lead single, “24.” It has the most memorable melodies of the project throughout and a love-tinged chorus of You know you were a natural, and I won’t forget it / I wish I had you in my arms. Another highlight arrives with “Know Yourself ” (not to be confused with the recent Drake song of the same name). It shakes up the sonic feel of the album by adding electric guitar into the mix, which helps accent the simple chorus. Another sonic standout comes on “Only One for Now,” an upbeat, danceable number that features funky bass grooves and other instrumentation. While the subdued nature of 22 Days is a primary factor behind its appeal, it also limits it to a degree. The voice is there, the lyrics are there, the production is there, but the disc’s low-key feel keeps some of the tracks from jumping out and sticking with you. The memorable production on “Know Yourself ” and “Only One for Now” helps those tracks out, but without the strong, prominent melodies like the one on “24,” it may take several listens for songs to truly resonate. For more on Tony B, visit reverbnation.com/ tonybonline or facebook.com/tonybonline. — JOHN CONNOR COULSTON
Cheers
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22 Days
RED HORNET
MICHAEL TOMAN
Nashville’s Red Hornet is Stephen Pinson (vocals, guitar), James Hubble (bass), Michael McDonald (guitar) and William Carlisle (drums), and their sixtrack sicksongs EP makes for a melody-rich melting pot of rock and soaring vocals. After a couple songs, it becomes clear that the group’s main objective was to blend classic, garage, hard and glam rock styles while still retaining a modern edge and relevant sound with catchy hooks and choruses. A handful of years ago Pinson and Hubble crafted their musical abilities while growing up in a small town. After spending their teenage years trying out different bands in places like Memphis and Jackson, Tenn., the two musicians decided to leave their mark in Music City, which is where the they met McDonald and Carlisle. After a year and a half of fine-tuning their musical chemistry, we now have the rock quartet Red Hornet. The sicksongs EP starts off with “Mail-Ordered Bridesmaid,” a roughly three-minute song packed with a glam rock punch before it transitions into gritty hard rock. Fast-forward to the fourth track, “Deepthroat,” which takes on a heavy grunge rock vibe (and, for the record, is about exactly what you think it’s about), while the next track, “October Is Everywhere,” is reminiscent of a campy ’90s rock anthem. It really is a roller coaster of rock. Most of the tracks don’t overstay their welcome, with only the last cut clocking in close to the sixminute mark. This helps the songs keep their memorable qualities, even if the last track, which sounds like one big jam session, does drag on a little bit. And, if you like what you’re hearing, let the silence after the last track play out, because the band seems to have left a hidden gem at the very end. Overall, if you’re a fan of hard rock or glam rock or anything in between, there’s something for you to enjoy on this EP. For more information, follow the band on their Facebook page and on ReverbNation. — DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK
Nashville drummer Michael Toman’s debut album, In Motion, strikes an interesting chord for a variety of reasons. Not only did Toman, a recent MTSU alum, compile his six-track effort with all self-composed material, most examples of which extend to eight or nine minutes in length, the 23-year-old musician received a grant from MTSU last spring to record the project. The songs, with titles like “Something in the Way of Things,” “In the Wind,” “Sun Through the Trees” and others, reflect Toman’s performing and writing as an undergraduate music student. While obtaining his bachelor’s degree in jazz studies and performance, Michael studied under saxophonist Don Aliquo, an MTSU professor of saxophone and jazz studies who also appears on several of the selections. Other musicians who appear on the album include Matt Endahl, a pianist, composer and adjunct instructor at Belmont University, and Jonathan Wires, an adjunct professor at MTSU and member of Nashville Jazz Composers Collective. The album’s quality is crisp and clear and holds up to professional standards. In true improvised-jazz fashion, Toman and company are just as strong alone as they are when joining forces. Although there’s a lot going on during any given track, none of the songs feel rushed; each player highlights the melody while others lay low in support. The album’s cinematic, opening title track, for example, is a pensive conversation between performers, with Toman’s subdued drumming complementing Endahl’s emphatic piano work. The opener’s introspective mood spills over to the haunting number “In the Wind,” a quieter track with a rhythm that is just as complex as its predecessor. Collectively, In Motion is an impressive first addition to Toman’s repertoire; to stay up-to-date on live performances and future releases, visit facebook.com/michaeltomanmusicgroup. Toman will hold a CD release show on Jan. 25 at The Family Wash in Nashville, 626-A Main St. In Motion is available on iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud and ReverbNation. — DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK
sicksongs
In Motion
A CLASSIC OUTSTANDING
AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE
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Opinion Judges Order Release of Inmates Jailed for Failure to Pay Fines THINGS AREN’T LOOKING GOOD for the relationship between Rutherford County and Pathways Community Corrections, the private company under contract here to provide misdemeanor services. A split-up could be in the offing. So far, the county and PCC (formerly Providence Community Corrections) haven’t won an argument in U.S. District Court in the class action lawsuit filed on behalf of probationers by Washington, D.C.-based Equal Justice Under Law. The defendants’ case began to look bleak after federal Judge Kevin Sharp determined PCC and the county are stepping on probationers’ constitutional rights by issuing warrants for their arrest and having them jailed in some cases over their inability to pay fines, fees and bonds, especially in cases involving indigent probationers. Sharp granted an injunction spurring General Sessions Court Judges Ben Hall McFarlin and Barry Tidwell to order the release of 13 people being held in Rutherford County jail because they’d been violated for failing to pay court costs, fines and fees. “A preliminary injunction is an extraordinary remedy never awarded as a right. But the injustice perpetrated here is that: extraordinary,” Sharp wrote in his ruling. Sharp also used the word “scheme” to refer to the probation situation here. And, he found Rutherford County’s jailhouse guilty pleas “troubling,” cases in which probationers meet with judges and prosecutors and are given a option to plead guilty immediately to an alleged probation violation and receive a sentence or seek representation and wait for a formal revocation hearing, which can mean sitting in jail for weeks. PCC, a large publicly-traded company, denies wrongdoing and contends it is following state laws in handling cases. During a recent county government meeting, Mayor Ernest Burgess spoke publicly on the matter for the first time, saying the county is simply following state laws. But considering the county is on the losing side before the case is even argued, the likelihood of change in the probation system here is strong. Rutherford County started contracting for probation services more than a decade ago because the Circuit Court Clerk’s office couldn’t keep up with the demand and was losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. People just weren’t paying. Well, they’re certainly paying now, some 32 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
The
STOCKARD REPORT BY SAM STOCKARD sstockard44@gmail.com
getting caught up in the system for three to four years and paying thousands of dollars over and above their initial fines and fees. Parents and grandparents usually wind up paying because young people simply can’t come up with the money. A couple of tick-tack charges and you can be down $4,000 real quick. While Rutherford County depends on PCC to bring in the money, budgeting about $1.5 million in revenue this year from fines and fees, PCC is making a pretty nice chunk of change, though nobody knows how much because it’s a private company. To this point, Rutherford County isn’t asking many questions, at least not publicly. Here’s the solution: Even though costs could increase, Rutherford County needs to set up its own probation service, using county employees to oversee the program. Its goal should be to make sure people pay their court costs, attend their required courses and—primarily— get off probation as soon as possible. Keeping probationers in the system and shuffling them in and out of jail affects people’s lives—especially those at the bottom of the pay charts—and hurts the community as a whole. In our zeal to push violators away from us into a black hole somewhere, we’ve created a segment of society whose lives revolve around their next court date. We need to stop the cycle.
ABORTION RIGHTS BATTLE BREWING
People typically don’t hop in the car and drive across the country for a court arraignment. But that’s what happened after Murfreesboro resident Anna Yocca was indicted on a charge of attempted first-degree murder for allegedly trying to abort her unborn child some 24 weeks into her pregnancy. Members of the group Stop Patriarchy traveled here from New York, Atlanta and other cities to support 31-year-old Yocca, who was arraigned via video recently from the Rutherford County jail where she’s being held on a $200,000 bond. Wearing T-shirts with the words “abortion on demand and without apology,” more than a dozen members of Stop Patriarchy contended she shouldn’t be charged at all. They stood and raised their fists as they left Judge Royce Taylor’s courtroom chanting, “Free Anna Yocca! Free Anna Yocca!”
Outside the Judicial Building, they shouted, “Fetuses are not babies! Women are not incubators! Abortion is not murder!” “When a woman attempts a coat-hanger abortion, it’s the patriarchal system that’s guilty of murder against her,” said Adreinne Luendo, a member of the group from New York Center. The group also referenced comments from Bob Avakian, chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, stating attacks on abortion are “a way of enslaving women to the dictates of an oppressive male supremacist, patriarchal system; and that is what the cruel fanatics who are determined to deny women the right to abortion are really all about.” Tennessee is fresh off passing a constitutional amendment giving the Legislature more authority to restrict abortions. The General Assembly did so last session, passing laws requiring a waiting period for women and more restrictions for clinics. According to a Murfreesboro Police report, Detective Tommy Roberts began investigating the Yocca case in September when evidence showed she went to her upstairs bathroom, filled the tub with water, got in and tried to “self-abort” her pregnancy with a coat hanger. She became “alarmed and concerned for her safety” when she saw a lot of blood in the tub, and her boyfriend took her to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital emergency room. From there, she was transported to St. Thomas Mid-Town in Nashville where staff members saved “Baby Yocca,” according to police. Roberts reported the nurses and doctors he interviewed indicated Anna Yocca made “disturbing statements” about the baby and wanting to terminate her pregnancy with the coat hanger. Even though the baby survived the trauma, the boy weighed only 1.5 pounds at birth, and physicians said the child’s quality of life “will be forever harmed.” This case isn’t likely to create a debate over the right to an abortion, but it does raise questions about the timing, in this case about 24 weeks, possibly 26 weeks. The viability of the baby, or its ability to live outside the womb, is the question. And “Baby Yocca” is still alive, though in seriously poor health, according to the police report. Members of Stop Patriarchy, whose position would have to be considered somewhat extreme, said they drove all the way from New York because they felt it was “that important.” Some people also raised a ruckus about a news report with Yocca’s street address, claiming people would go to her home and harm her. Since Yocca’s arrest, people have been will-
ing to come to her aid. And that’s fine. But nobody has said one word to me about the plight of the child.
NOT-SO-CIVIL COMMENT
As most people know, America’s Civil War didn’t end in April 1865. We’re still fighting it to some degree. The Confederate battle flag wasn’t removed from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds until this summer after a young man opened fire and killed numerous people at a historically black church. When people started checking into his background, they found pictures of him wrapped in a Confederate flag. That flap led a lot of young people to put gigantic rebel flags in the back of their pickup trucks and drive around our Middle Tennessee towns. In Rutherford County, we’re having our own debate over the name of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest on MTSU’s ROTC building, Forrest Hall. Is it appropriate to have the name of a former slave owner and first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan on a state university building, regardless of his military prowess? MTSU President Sidney McPhee appointed a task force to review the building’s name and public comment meetings are being held with views coming from all sides. While many people born in the South have ancestors who fought in the Civil War and many Southerners tend to romanticize those long-ago battles in which thousands of people were killed in only one or two days of fighting, the question must be asked: How many nations allow the flag of a conquered army to be flown? And how many silly statements must be made in the quest for states’ rights, one of the driving arguments for slavery in the time leading up to the South’s secession? In a recent meeting between Rutherford County’s legislative delegation and the Rutherford County Commission’s steering committee, the discussion turned to a proposed states’ rights lawsuit being brought over the federal government’s refugee resettlement program. Some people are afraid terrorists will embed themselves in some 10,000 Syrian refugees expected to come to America from that war-torn country. Legislators have been trying to pressure Gov. Bill Haslam to sign on to a lawsuit to extract Tennessee from refugee resettlement. “It’s going to take somebody that’s got some guts that’s willing to step up and say, ‘Yes, we’ll be the plaintiff in the lawsuit,’” said state Sen. Bill Ketron, a Murfreesboro Republican. To which County Commissioner Trey Gooch responded, “Hopefully, we’ll get some Yankee states, too, to participate.”
BOROPULSE.COM
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Opinion What’s So Essential About Oils? Live Exceptionally. . . Well! BY JENNIFER DURAND
WHEN YOU ENTER THE WORLD of natural fragrance and aromas, the possibilities are endless. You will find nature in one of its most powerful forms: aromatic liquid substances known as “essential oils,” which are extracted from flowers, grasses, fruits, leaves, roots and trees. These concentrated liquids are indispensable to medicine and to the food and cosmetic industries. There are approximately 300 varieties of essential oils, which collectively constitute an extremely effective “medical” system. Many of these are the active ingredient in drugs prescribed by the orthodox Western system of medicine, or the inspiration for chemical copies. In food and drink, essential oils are used to give natural flavor and aroma as well as preservatives. Manufacturers of cosmetics appreciate their cell-rejuvenating and beautifying properties, while the fragrance industry is more concerned with their delightful aroma and their mood and emotion-enhancing capacities. Each single oil is used for many purposes. For example, peppermint oil is an anti-inflammatory used to treat rheumatism and arthritis; it is prescribed by doctors for the relief of discomfort in the digestive system under the trade name Colperin. It is well known that the peppermint is used by confectioners; less well known is that it is an ingredient in aftershave lotions. Peppermint can also be used to cure a headache, or as a method to clear an ant’s nest or mice. These natural plant oils can be used to treat illnesses, or create a delicious and exciting new dish. They will get rid of the fleas from your dog’s coat as easily as the aphids from your garden plants. While the medicinal qualities of essential oils are impressive, it is inadequate to merely look up an illness and find the appropriate treatment. With essential oils you can take control of your life and environment, secure in the knowledge that your wellbeing will be improved. The extraordinary versatility of nature’s essential oils is made possible by the fact that they come in a most convenient form. A few drops of pure lavender oil wiped on a burn affects the most remarkable cure as the skin returns to normal within days, with no blistering or scarring. You can return to the same little bottle when you have a headache—just one drop rubbed on 34 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
the temples will bring relief. Because lavender is a natural deterrent of mosquitoes and moths, among other insects, it can as easily be dabbed on a ribbon and hung at the window to deter the former, or put on a cotton-wool ball and placed in the wardrobe to deter the latter. The natural antibiotic and antiseptic qualities of lavender oil make it not only a highly effective wash for cuts and grazes—on you or your pet—but also for tables, tiles and fridges. The fact that it smells divine means that it’s a delight to use anywhere. Effective awareness of essential oils and their uses is a growing trend thanks to several “in-home” or multilevel marketing companies of late. While the oils have been around for as long as the earth itself, most people have not been aware of them or their benefits. People are yearning for more natural, less medical, approaches to taking care of themselves and their families. The most effective use of oils is not orally, as one might think, but by external application or inhalation. The methods used include body oils, compresses, cosmetic lotions, baths, inhalation, room sprays or diffusers. Oils are less effective if ingested, leaving them to pass through the digestive system, where interference can occur. All who know the pure product and use it with understanding come to respect the essential oils and their ability to operate effectively not only on the cellular, physical level, but in the emotional, intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic areas of our lives also. If anything in this world is holistic, it is essential oils. The average household could easily fulfill all of its likely needs with about 10 essential oils. Your basic care kit should include: Lavender, Tea Tree, Peppermint, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Geranium, Rosemary, Thyme, Lemon and Clove. For natural, non-toxic and fragrant recipes to create healthy living, beauty and a safe home environment, get a copy of The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood. (Thanks to her book for much of the information in this article.) Jennifer Durand is the owner and operator of The Nurture Nook Day Spa & Gift Shoppe; let her help you find your personal “ahh . . .” factor by visiting nurturenook.com or by calling (615) 896-7110.
Saudi Arabia and OPEC Push Oil Prices Down to Harm American Fracking Businesses
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t’s becoming a war of wills between the OPEC nations and the frackers. I’ve been saying that the reason oil prices are so low is because OPEC is trying to put the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, business out of business. This innovative way of getting at oil that was heretofore unattainable caused an oil boom in North Dakota like we hadn’t seen since the early days of the Texas oil rush. That boom is now slowing down, and that’s because oil is now trading for under $40 a barrel. In March of 2012, oil was trading at $125 a barrel.
The question is, how long can OPEC hold out? Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s largest member, derives 77 percent of its revenue from oil. Those revenues are down 23 percent over the last year. The Saudis have VIEWS OF A resorted to spending cuts and tax increases to make up the difference. The move only solidifies the theory column by that they’re trying to keep the oil prices artificially low. PHIL VALENTINE philvalentine.com They could easily pull back on production and watch prices double in the next year but they won’t. I reported to you some time back that a Saudi prince remarked that we’d never see $100-abarrel oil again. The incurious media didn’t bother to ask why. The answer is now obvious. At $100 per barrel, fracking is feasible. The lower the price goes the greater likelihood there is of frackers going bust. An article on the website Investopedia.com says the most expensive oil in the U.S. comes from older wells known as “stripper wells.” These wells only produce a few barrels a day. They become unprofitable at around $40 a barrel. In other words, at the current oil price, these wells will soon be abandoned. Canadian tar sands oil, the primary reason for building the Keystone XL Pipeline, becomes unprofitable at about $30 per barrel. Although fracking is expensive, it’s not as expensive as, say, the Canadian tar sands. The break-even point for fracking is believed to be around $25 per barrel. So, why is fracking slowing down with prices still hovering around $37 a barrel? The experts say that fracking exploration gets riskier below $60 a barrel. In other words, when oil drops below $60 it becomes less likely that oil companies will explore for new oil through fracking. Also, the more expensive wells have to be shut down. The oil rig count in North Dakota has dropped from a high of 203 in 2013 to around 130 today. What that means is the oil business is still doing fairly well but the construction business is not. Houses in the boom towns of North Dakota were being gobbled up as fast as they could be built. Now many sit empty. Saudi Arabia, the main driver of OPEC, can afford to bide its time while the prices plunge nearer that magic number of $25, when fracking becomes unprofitable. Other OPEC nations cannot. Oil revenues have dropped in Venezuela and that socialist OPEC nation has seen numerous food riots. Angola has seen high inflation and a depreciating currency as a result of the dropping oil prices. While the Saudis are still flush with cash, these poorer OPEC nations are on the brink of collapse. We’re far from collapsing here in the U.S., and most of us are loving the low gas prices. However, we are not in control of our own destiny. As soon as OPEC has killed off the frackers, the prices will rise once again. We need to take this opportunity to become energy independent once and for all.
CONSERVATIVE
“Saudi Arabia, the main driver of OPEC, can afford to bide its time while the prices plunge nearer that magic number of $25, when fracking becomes unprofitable. Other OPEC nations cannot.”
Phil Valentine is an author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host with Westwood One. For more of his commentary and articles, visit philvalentine.com. BOROPULSE.COM
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Opinion How to Manage Time to Make More Money BUSINESS BUILDER
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BY ROBERT RITCH
ime is more precious than money. There are a finite number of days that you will spend on this earth, while money is something you can usually get more of. If you are 35 years old with a life expectancy of 75, you have already spent 12,775 days on Earth and have 480 months left to fulfill your life destiny. If you plan to retire at the age of 50 you have 180 months to make enough money to retire (a million dollars doesn’t put a dent in retirement nowadays . . .) and in those months 1,440 days are weekends, so you have 3,600 workdays to make it all happen. It’s time to stop confusing being busy with being successful! The fact is that many business owners actually manage their money as though it is more precious than their time. They started the business to choose their own hours, spend more time with their family and be their own boss. But, somewhere along the way the only goals that mattered became the financial ones. Or, the only item worth measuring and managing was money. Your time will never be managed for you; you have to make a decision to spend your time wisely. I’ll show you a bunch of tools to get you started, but first let’s take a look at what your time is worth first, to attach time to money. Your time has a price tag, and sometimes it’s much lower than you think. Here’s a simple exercise to determine what your time is worth based on your annual income and the number of working hours in a year. Target annual income = A Working days in a year = B: 235 Working hours in a day = C: 7.5 Working hours in a year = B x C = D: 1,645 A / D = Your hourly worth (Now, this calculation doesn’t factor in overtime hours, taxes or business expenses.) It’s also unrealistic to assume that each of the 1,645 hours in a year is a productive one. Various studies have put actual productivity at anywhere between 25 minutes and four hours per day. That’s a lot of room for improvement! When you start thinking about time management, the goal is to get more done in less time. There are five major things that drain your time. But don’t worry, it’s easy to fix the leaks. 36 * JANUARY 2016 * BOROPULSE.COM
Your email is a consistent distraction. With the mail program running all the time, emails can distract you as they arrive. Or, you’ll find yourself checking for new messages every 10 or 15 minutes. Writing, reading and responding to emails can easily monopolize your time. CELLPHONE
Your cellphone has likely given you increased freedom from your workplace, but it seems to have also taken away your freedom to choose when you work. You can work outside of the office, but this often means you also work evenings and weekends when spending time with your family and friends. OPEN-DOOR POLICIES
While you want to be accessible, sometimes you can make yourself too accessible. Opendoor policies have the potential to create a daily mass of employees or clients seeking immediate answers for non-emergency issues. MEETINGS
Unstructured, unnecessary run-on meetings can gobble up hours for no reason at all. Especially as a business owner, your presence may be requested at a variety of meetings, but it’s not always required. Days spent in back-to-back meetings often mean that your workday starts at 5 p.m. instead of 9 a.m. YOU
Everyone is guilty of letting themselves sabotage their ability to work productively and efficiently at all times. It’s easy for business owners to avoid separating business hours from leisure time and let the two run together. “It takes the human mind 15 minutes to properly focus . . . if you get interrupted every 7 minutes, you have a huge problem!” – Karl Bryan, CEO, author, speaker Now you need to take some time to figure out where your time actually goes, so you can see what leaks need to be repaired. Once you understand your own personal habits and patterns, you can start making changes that will have the greatest impact on your own schedule. 1. Complete a Time Audit for at least three working days in a row. Record how you spend your time in detail for three working days. Be honest, and be as specific as possible. If you notice which distractions have the greatest negative impact, log these notes as well. The more information you can record, the better. 2. Take a look at your records, and cat-
egorize the ways you spend your time. Create your own categories, or use these: Travel Eating (including preparation) Personal errands Exercise Watching TV Sleeping Personal computer use Being with family / friends Internal meetings Emailing (checking, reading, writing) External meetings Telephone (talking, returning messages) Administrative work Client work Non-client, non-administrative work 3. Based on the categories you created, decide if you have spent enough, too much, or too little time on each main task. What patterns do you notice about how you spend your time during the day? When are you most productive? Least productive? Most or least interrupted? Write down the four highest priorities in your life right now. Does your time sheet reflect these priorities? (Show me your schedule and I will show you your priorities!) If you have more time, what would you do? If you had less time, what wouldn’t you do? Could you remove the items in question four and add the items in question three? Why? Is procrastination a problem for you? Here are a series of effective strategies for improving your time management skills, and for doing more in less time. PRIORITIZE YOUR TASKS
> You can’t do everything, decide what is most deserving of your time investment. > Choose which tasks need to be completed now, which can be completed later and which can be delegated to someone else. > Focus on your top three priorities at any one time, and consistently revise your list so that the highest-priority items are on the top and the lowest priority items are at the bottom. DELEGATE
> You can’t do everything, so you need to decide what you absolutely need to do, and what others can finish. > While it may seem “faster” for you to complete a task initially, spending the time to teach someone will save you hours later on. > Delegation is a vital skill that you need to refine, practice and master as a manager. FOCUS ON YOUR SKILLS
> Have a good understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses. > Only do the things that you know you are good at, or required for, and delegate or out-
source the areas where you are not as strong. SAY NO
> Learn how to say no, and you will reclaim dozens of hours every week. > It’s so easy to say yes to something in the moment, and later feel overwhelmed when that task is added to your to-do list. You may feel pressure to say yes to everything as a business owner, but you do have a choice. KEEP A STRICT SCHEDULE
> Create and keep a strict schedule for yourself that minimizes distractions. > Include personal and work time in your schedule > Schedule time for things like closed-door work, work planning, email and phone responses, internal and external meetings, “me time,” family and exercise. MAKE DECISIONS
> As a successful business owner, you will need to make good decisions quickly and efficiently, without wasting time with deliberations. > You can only make the best decision with the information you have, in the time frame you have to make it. No one expects you to be able to see the future—be decisive, make some mistakes, and learn from them. MANAGE INTERRUPTIONS
> Establish which hours of the day you are most productive, and set those hours aside for yourself to finish important tasks, uninterrupted. > Schedule open-door hours, and closeddoor hours. > Set windows of time for reading and replying to emails, and for returning phone calls. AVOID DUPLICATING EFFORTS
> Note how many tasks are completed more than once, or by more people than necessary. > Establish clear communication systems and procedures to minimize this, and make sure all your employees have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. > Use tools like checklists, meeting minutes and individual task assignments to minimize miscommunication and duplication. STOP PROCRASTINATING
> If you are a seasoned procrastinator, the idea of “just stopping” is usually much easier in principle than in practice. > Try working in blocks of focused time, with breaks or rewards at the end, and break down big tasks into small ones. Effective time management is making good choices and setting up a structure that enables you to succeed. Remember that time management will look different for everyone. Some people can work in the middle of a loud, crowded room, and others need absolute silence to function at a high level. Respect your own needs.
Music Across America BY GLORIA CHRISTY
Pikes Peak
“HURRY, MISS BATES, we’re leaving in about an hour,” declared a soft female voice apparently coming from the opened window below. Frantically, “Katie” Bates tried to awaken herself by quickly rubbing her sleepy eyes, stretching her arms in the cool morning air. Pulling back the curtain to glance out the window revealed only a portion of the azure Western sky. Outside her mountain villa she could hear more chatter and the rustling of the horses harnessed to the prairie wagon that was to scale the mountain slope. For about three weeks in the summer of 1893, Colorado College had been home for Katharine Lee Bates, prolific poet and college professor. Katharine, a teacher of English literature, had been contracted as a traveling lecturer from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Now she and some of her teacher friends had planned an adventure. They were about to ascend 14,000 feet to one of the highest points in the Rockies, Pikes Peak. Katharine’s keen mental powers and intellectual agility had set her apart even as a young child. Her mother found great comfort in her poems and encouraged her gifted daughter to write as early as age 9. Later, her mother insisted that she be properly educated. Accordingly, she had become one of the first to graduate from Wellesley College, where she began teaching in 1891. Katharine’s journey to the West had been an extraordinary experience, with a brief stop at the Chicago World’s Exposition, a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America. She, too, was discovering America, its astounding beauty and expanse. After spending a couple of weeks below Pikes Peak, she and her friends had hired a prairie wagon and were about to ascend the mountain for the first time. Near the top of the mountain, they had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. By the time they had reached the top, Katharine was exhausted. As she wiped her brow with her handkerchief, all of her senses were reawakened by the beauty of the vision she beheld. Katharine was electrified by the splendor of the country she loved. She later wrote about her experience: “. . . [W]hen I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there with the sea-like expanse. It opened the lines of a hymn that floated into my mind.” Katharine grabbed her notebook and scribbled the lines—four stanzas—which became the words to
Making America Beautiful Again “America the Beautiful.” She had no idea that her hastily written words would attain such fame. In writing these words, Katharine Lee Bates passed on her intense love for this country, inspiring millions of Americans. AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL O beautiful for spacious skies For amber waves of grain For purple mountain majesty above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea As 2016 is here, pessimism looms in our nation. It seems that dark forces have stripped away what is good and decent about our American story. Perhaps we are more scattered and contentious than we have been in decades. Civility and decency have been replaced with distorted half-truths and innuendoes. Our greatest challenge may not be the economy, our loss of freedom through larger government, or any campaign promises in the election ahead, it may be the challenge of moving forward positively in such a bitter, hostile environment. The challenge may be overwhelming, but the answer is so simple. We must choose to forgive! Nelson Mandella was asked how he emerged from all those years in prison without being bitter. His reply was simple: “Bitterness only hurts oneself. If you hate, you will only give them your heart and mind.” Perhaps, it is time to view America’s story from a higher altitude. From the mountaintop experience, we can see a view of the beauty of this nation and get an honest perspective in order to realign ourselves with God’s plan and purpose for our lives. Naturally, we are mesmerized by the magnificence and want to stay in the splendor of the mountaintop experience. But the vision is brief. We must come down from the mountain, take the gift of the experience and be ready to serve; otherwise we will stagger and become spiritually stagnant. We simply cannot find our purpose while we hold on to grudges. God encourages us to forgive each other because the consequence of not forgiving is so destructive. Only when we shift the focus from ourselves to others will we grasp the vision God has for America. So in 2016, with courage and perseverance, come down from the mountain and make a pathway to God and each other. United, we will make America beautiful again! BOROPULSE.COM
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Sports
SPORTS
TALK
COLUMN BY ZACH “Z-TRAIN” MAXFIELD
SOURCE WHO SAID PEYTON TOOK HGH NOW SAYS HE MADE IT UP
League Baseball sure learned its lesson—it’s about integrity, folks! Peyton is a hero of mine, but if these allegations come to bear fruit he may very well put the very first taint ever on the Manning brand.
titanman1984yahoo.com
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he Train Daddy is back and it’s a new year! Hakuna matata, 2016—it means no worries! Nothing new here, though; as always, I bring the same genius level of sports news entwined with life lessons and today’s social issues. Yippie! I love writing for the Pulse. Every issue is a new story and it’s only for my personal enjoyment that I do this. It’s not my job, but it is my passion and hobby. So what was your New Year’s resolution? Maybe turning your jelly rolls into muscle? Maybe you’re a lazy slob and are vowing to work harder? Maybe you’re an addict and desperately wish for sobriety? Maybe you’re a bad parent and you vow to be a good one? Maybe your marriage is in the dumps and you vow to sexy it up? Maybe you treat your dog bad? . . . Well, you suck then! I don’t know what your resolution is; I do know that life is too short to not enjoy the beauty of living, so better yourself, eat healthy, sleep well, spend time with loved ones and watch football. So what’s in store for the first article of 2016? We have Peyton Manning, Black Lives Matter, Al Jazeera, LeBron James, the funky Titans, and The NBA vs. the NRA. All aboard, the Train is rolling out the station. Choo-choo!
AL JAZEERA ATTACKING PEYTON
So, the Islamic extremists are even after Peyton Manning. That’s a joke, ha-ha. OK . . . not funny. Al Jazeera isn’t ISIS, it is a worldwide Arabic news outlet and one of the largest news organizations around the world. The network holds to Islamist perspectives and is stationed around the world. So what do we know about Peyton Manning and allegations Al Jazeera seemed to imply? In 2011, when Peyton was being treated at the Guyer Institute in Indianapolis, a so-called intern named Charles Sly stated that packages of HGH were being shipped out all over the place with Ashley Manning’s name attached to the shipping label. Peyton, Peyton Manning
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a patient of Dr. Leonard Guyer in 2011, was recovering from four neck surgeries. Manning said he only received holistic treatments, adding that any treatment his wife received is her business. Come on Peyton, sounds fishy! This isn’t Dr. Guyer’s first rodeo—in 2010 he was found guilty for illegally importing HGH from China, and also had problems with not paying his taxes for more than five years. Charles Sly, the supposed intern, is a mystery in himself, and Al Jazeera’s primary source for the story has recanted all his statements saying they were untrue and basically that he lied. What-what chicken butt? Peyton stated, “The report wasn’t true Sunday, it’s not true today. It won’t ever be true.” Peyton is furious over the allegations and even his homies at NFL Countdown came to his rescue. Keyshawn Johnson stated, “If he said he didn’t do it, it didn’t happen.” Tom Jackson stated that it was a fabricated story and the lowest shot possible for Al Jazeera to attack Manning’s family. Mike Ditka even said, “Al Jazeera is not a credible news organization. They’re garbage, LeBron that’s what they are” James For an alleged HGH user, Peyton has many people backing him up and crying foul. Compare this to any of Tom Brady’s supposed allegations against him—everyone was comfortable agreeing that Brady was full of crap before any evidence was released that could frame him. They love Peyton and hate old Tommy boy! For decades now, this country has been obsessed with performance-enhancing drugs inside the world of sports. Roger Clemens spent a lot of time fighting an uphill battle, even going to Congress to fight for his reputation. Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and Barry Bonds were all jacked up beyond reasoning with steroid-infused muscle towards the end of their careers. Lance Armstrong was a hero and an inspiration to millions with his Live Strong brand and then, overnight, became a total fraud. Marion Jones had to give back her Olympic medals. I truly hope Peyton can ride this out and prove this is all a load of crap. It does smell and look fishy, though. The NFL needs to step up their HGH testing, Major
#NOJUSTICENOLEBRON
Enough Peyton talk; so, if you watch the news, well, you know about Tamir Rice, the 12-yearold boy who was tragically shot and killed by a police officer in Cleveland after pointing a toy gun at the cop. If you know anything about sports then you know that LeBron James is kind of a big deal in Cleveland, and if you have followed the Black Lives Matter movement over the past year then you know they’re loud (and, in my opinion, do more harm than good). After no charges were brought down on the officers involved in the shooting death of Rice, activists called for LeBron to take a stand and boycott future games. No doubt this shooting was a tragedy, but it appears to have been an accident. I once heard someone say if you can’t trust a jury’s decision then you don’t trust your neighbors. The movement “NoJusticeNoLebron” hashtag on Twitter expected compliance from the superstar, and since they didn’t get it some people were upset. James was asked in a press conference about it and stated he wasn’t knowledgeable enough on the situation to even talk about the incident involving Tamir Rice. The worst reaction was from this fool Shaun King, a loud, outspoken activist and columnist for the New York Daily News. King stated, “I don’t know why, but I was floored at the astounding ignorance of LeBron on Tamir Rice.” But what would you expect from a man who recently did a story stating that Christmas and Easter were used as tools of white supremacy—what a moron! LeBron James doesn’t have to answer to anyone but the basketball court. They pay, he plays. These activists want to cry that James isn’t using his platform to elevate their agenda; they might as well call him an Uncle Tom. It’s 2016 now, chill out folks. Listen, pray, talk it out. America holds opportunity for all. We fix problems if we unite, not divide and protest. Just remember this, people: There are many good cops out there who deserve praise for what they do. The existence of a few bad apples doesn’t mean you cut down the tree!
NBA VS. NRA
It’s time for a shootout—one side uses balls, the other uses firearms. Who shall win? The NBA is taking sides on the gun debate, partnering with Everytown for Gun Safety, former New York Mayor Bloomberg’s counter to the NRA. Typically, professional sports leagues promote causes that don’t cause backlash, such as fighting breast cancer or supporting Habitat for Humanity. Director and Knicks superfan Spike Lee directed some ads featuring Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Joakim Noah and Carmelo Anthony, discussing how guns have affected them personally. Considering these athletes are admired by many children, they can have an impact with their words. I want my kid learning that guns are dangerous, that guns are to be respected at all times, and that there is a difference between a criminal with a gun and a law-abiding citizen with a gun. The NBA wants to teach people that guns are all bad, that guns do nothing but kill and that guns have no place in the hands of a normal citizen. The NRA wants to teach you that guns are a constitutional right that lawabiding citizens deserve, how to handle them safely and how to use them when deemed necessary. I always loved this statement: “Outlaw guns, and outlaws will have them all.” My family and I all have guns and we respect them, but we look down on any who abuse them. I support gun safety, not gun regulation.
KELLY TO THE TITANS?
Let’s wrap this thing up with some pure speculation, shall we? So, the Titans don’t have a head coach, and guess who just got fired? Good old Chip Kelly did. The former Eagle/ Oregon head coach is jobless, and his protégé Marcus Mariota is in need of a man with a plan. The rumors say Kelly was a control freak and jackass in Philly. Marcus Mariota and Chip Kelly have chemistry after winning a National Championship at Oregon. Chip Kelly was even willing to do whatever it took to trade up for Marcus in last season’s draft so he could become an Eagle (but failed). It was even well known that Marcus’s father was adamant that his son would thrive under a Chip Kelly-run offense in the NFL. Marcus became a Titan, and now Chip may be able to get what he wanted: Marcus! The Titans are one of the few teams in the NFL desperate enough to give Kelly full control and let him run his quick-tempo offense. The Titans need some kind of drastic change. Maybe, just maybe, with Chip and Marcus together they can duplicate that magic they created when they were both Oregon Ducks.
Brent Stockstill finished his freshman season with over 4,000 passing yards.
BLUE RAIDER SPORTS
BIG WINS AGAINST AUBURN, BELMONT
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fter a convincing win against South Alabama on Dec. 5, the Blue Raiders’ next opponent BY was Auburn, at Bridgestone GREG CRITTENDEN Arena, and it will be a game to remember and a reference point when the NCAA Tournament selection committee meets in March. Coach Kermit Davis referred to it as “one of the best college games I’ve been a part of.” And he did not exaggerate. From the tip, it was a high-energy game in which both teams played with great tenacity and physicality. Giddy Potts provided a great spark for MTSU, scoring 11 points in a second half that saw seven lead changes and seven tied scores. Auburn guard Kareem Canty drained four The impact of departure will certainly be felt three-point baskets in the final in the fall of 2016. Among the 22 seniors two minutes of regulation, most are six defensive starters and three offenof which were created on his sive starters. own, and then hit a circus shot Austin Grammer will also no longer be a to send the game to overtime. part of the formula for MT. Grammer started But MT outlasted the Tigers at quarterback for the Blue Raiders in 2014, and earned the win. Reggie Upbut lost his starting job with the emergence shaw finished with 21 points, 13 of Brent Stockstill during fall camp. The coaching staff experimented with Grammer at wide receiver, and he likely would have seen an expansion in that role given a full offseason of training at that position. However, and not surprisingly, Grammer wanted to play quarterback and knew that his opportunity to do that would be back in his home state. The Tuscaloosa native will take the snaps for West Alabama next season. No departure will be as impactful as the ust four days after hosting Kentucky, and departures of Darius Johnson, T.T. Barber a loss to the No. 7 Wildcats, Missouri and Kevin Byard. Each will soon embark on State came to town for a midday game their dreams of playing on Sunday. against the the Lady Raiders on EducaA couple of players who had to redshirt tion Day. Brea Edwards stood out amongst due to transferring from another FBS school all others. She compiled 29 points on will look to make an impact. Former Black11-for-21 shooting, including four threeman product I’Tavious Mathers has returned pointers. Edwards’ big day hit a crescendo home after two years at Ole Miss. Shane late in the fourth quarter. With MT holding a Tucker will likely get the bulk of the snaps, slight 56–52 advantage, Edwards went on but if he struggles with injury again, Mathers a single-handed 10–0 run. Brea also added will be ready. Kamani Thomas and Desmond three steals and five rebounds to her totals Anderson will likely see playing time as well. while playing all 40 minutes of action. Richie James will no doubt be the top Brea Edwards wide receiver target again, but Tennessee transfer Jocquez Bruce will help to shore up those depth issues. Of course, Blue Raiders fans can look forward to the second act of the StockstillJames show. Each had the best statistical single season at their respective positions, and it’s hard to believe another year together won’t be just as great, if not better. The Pulse will keep you posted on further developments involving the 2016 season, and on those Blue Raiders who will look to have their names called in the NFL Draft in April.
MTSU GAVE UP TOO MANY BIG PLAYS IN THE BAHAMAS, FANS EAGER FOR ANOTHER YEAR OF STOCKSTILL AND JAMES
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hristmas Eve was a day of firsts and broken records for the Blue Raiders. For the first time in MT football history, the Blue Raiders finished the season with two 1,000-yard receivers. While Richie James passed the 1,000yard mark several weeks ago, Ed Batties topped the milestone against Western Michigan in the Bahamas Bowl while going for 88 yards on five receptions in the game. James, however, caught for 126 yards in the game, and ended the season with 1,346 yards, the most in a single-season in Blue Raiders history. Brent Stockstill’s 26 completions on the day landed him at 327 on the year, topping former Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen’s freshman record by six. Stockstill fell just 55 yards shy of surpassing Jameis Winston’s freshman passing yardage mark, but he did break the 4,000-yard barrier, ending his season with 4,005 passing yards. Yet, as Coach Stockstill will remind you, it’s a team game. Although the Christmas Eve game was a tightly contested, back-and-forth affair, Western Michigan outlasted MT, and the Broncos came away with the win 45–31. MT’s absences on defense, especially T.T. Barber’s, were definitely felt. Western Michigan running back Jamauri Bogan broke three runs for more than 40 yards, and two of those were for more than 60 yards. Bogan finished the day with 215 yards on just 19 carries. The Broncos’ whole stable of running backs contributed to exploit the depleted MT defense. Although the Blue Raiders allowed 154 rushing yards per game on the season, WMU went for 282 in the Bahamas. Broncos quarterback Zach Terrell threw for 297 yards, and receivers Corey Davis and Daniel Braverman each received for more than 100 yards. Again, it was the big plays that stood out, as Braverman caught a 68-yard touchdown pass and Davis caught one for 80 yards. “The explosive plays just killed us,” stated Coach Stockstill.
A LOOK AHEAD
CONFERENCE PLAY CRANKS UP IN JANUARY FOR BREA EDWARDS AND THE LADY RAIDERS
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rebounds and no turnovers in a tough battle. The Blue Raiders returned to Murphy Center five days later for what was expected to be another big test, as Belmont came to visit. However, Middle Tennessee was on another plane that night. With just under six minutes remaining in the game, MT led by 25 points. While they easily could have won by 30 or more, Coach Davis took his foot off the pedal. MT closed out the win 83-62. Perrin Buford was dominant near the basket, and also drained two three-pointers. The Blue Raiders lost two very tight games on the road when they traveled to Atlanta to play last March’s Cinderella story, Georgia State, where the Blue Raiders had a chance to win at the buzzer, and then at South Dakota State, a top 50 team. The Blue Raiders ended the month with a big win against Trevecca.
Reggie Upshaw
Home games in January include contests against UTEP on Jan. 7, UTSA on Jan. 9, North Texas on Jan. 21 and Rice on Jan. 23.
Edwards trimmed 20 pounds off her frame in the off-season, and her newfound physique is paying off dividends. “Last year, it would have taken a toll on me,” Edwards said. “But I made a conscious effort to come back in shape this season. I came in determined that I was going to play 40 minutes, so coming back in shape was definitely helpful for me.” Edwards’ success carried over when rival Tennessee Tech showed up to the Murphy Center. Brea recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds while sinking four more three-pointers and picking the opposition’s pocket three times. The Lady Raiders carried a 27-point lead into the fourth quarter, and while Tech closed the gap in the fourth quarter, MT came away with the 69–53 win. The Lady Raiders would have to close out their non-conference schedule on the road against Ohio. Though the Lady Raiders got off to a hot start offensively, MT barely surpassed their 23 first-quarter points in the next three quarters combined. Ohio ran away with this one 72–49. Edwards remains the clear-cut MVP of the team, averaging 20.5 points per game. The Lady Raiders’ home schedule in January includes games against Charlotte on Jan. 14, Old Dominion on Jan. 16, Marshall on Jan. 28 and Western Kentucky on Jan. 30. For tickets and more information, visit goblueraiders.com. BOROPULSE.COM
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