July 2012 Murfreesboro Pulse

MURFREESBORO

>>> ART: Center displays work of W. Michael Bush.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE’S SOURCE FOR ART, ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS

Vol. 7, Issue 7 July 2012

FREE Take One!

Mike Snider

Awarded 2012 Uncle Dave Macon Days Heritage Award

Festival Schedule Inside!

ONLINE AT: BOROPULSE.COM

ININMUSIC: MUSIC: Stephen Gallagher Shows us his guitarmaking skills

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Wanda Jackson to play benefit show for rockin’ Southern Girls

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CONTENTS OPINIONS

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What Murfreesboro is Saying Pulse readers weigh in on the issues.

6

La Palabra Zombie Summer/El verano del zombie

7

Phil Valentine Government corruption in Honduras.

8

Gagflex Losing the Class War.

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Why David Lowery's Attitude is Dangerous for Artists

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR Lanes, Trains and Automobiles hosting blood drive.

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Living Green The rich rewards of growing your own food.

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Gardening 101 Let the harvest begin.

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 Farmer Jason show at Barfield Crescent Park

FOOD

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Cajun Cove Ahoy! New restaurant sighted at Four Corners.

SOUNDS

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Where the Music is Born Wartrace guitar shop builds beautiful handcrafted instruments for nearly half a century.

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Uncle Dave Macon Days Annual bluegrass, dance festival hits Cannonsburgh July 13–15.

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Bonnaroo A look at the 11th ’Roo.

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Wanda Jackson plays at MTSU Queen of Rockabilly plays show for Southern Girls Rock ’n’ Roll Camp supporters.

a s d

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CONCERT LISTINGS Music Notes Just Love hosts benefit for group in Uganda.

Album Reviews The Ace of Coins, Carolina Story

THEATER

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Love and Zombies Murfreesboro writer pens, releases Kill Town, USA.

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Read to Succeed Hot Summer Books

MOVIES

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Reviews Prometheus, Brave

SPORTS

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Z-Train Get ready for our boy Phelps in the Olympics.

Tri Fit Some quick exercises for your summer routine.

ART Exhibits The Art of W. Michael Bush Spearman’s Paintings at City Hall Scenic Photo Contest Winners on Display

CREW

PULSE

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MLT Presents She Loves Me in July Summer camps for area youth available.

BOOKS

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COVER STORY

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

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Sign up to receive our weekly digital newsletter at BoroPulse.com/Newsletter

Music Editor: Jessica Pace

Contributing Writers: Art Director: Sarah L. Mayo Spencer Blake, Terri DeLong, Ryan Egly, Bryce Harmon, Jason Johnson, Zach Maxfield, Lee Advertising Rep: Miller, Jessica Pace, Michelle Palmer, Cameron Don Clark Parrish, John T. Powers, Jay Spight, Andrea Copy Editor: Cindy Phiffer Stockard, Adam Valentine, Phil Valentine

To carry The Pulse at your business, or submit letters, stories and photography: bracken@boropulse.com 116-E North Walnut St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130 (615) 796-6248

Copyright © 2012, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 116-E N. Walnut St., 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

IT’S ALMOST LAUGHABLE when I hear about how Christians are persecuted, are discriminated against and have it so bad in the modern US. This evil, faceless, secular society is just out to get rid of every Christian belief and tradition at every turn, huh?

(Michael DelGiorno). Stop complaining!

If you want persecuted Christians, look at some particular times in the Roman Empire when Christians were thrown to the lions, set on fire, shot with arrows and crucified.

Look at China a few years ago to see how a society that is unfriendly towards Christianity looks like.

Visit Iran today!

Oh, the poor American Christians are being bullied by the Muslims!? The few are dictating to the many.

They will have every child in Murfreesboro kneeling and saying prayers to Allah five times a day, fasting during Ramadan, wearing headscarves and making the most politically correct baba ghanoush imaginable, this vile, evil infiltrating our blessed holy culture; and that’s if the homosexuals in Hollywood don’t get to our kids first.

The end times are near, and rather than trusting in our almighty savior, the rock of ages, to protect and bless us, to comfort us with a peace that passes understanding, we must wake up every morning with a spirit of worry and dread of the impending doom that is upon us (in hushed Michael DelGiorno fearmongering voice).

Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Presbyterians and Unitarian Universalists could have anything they want, if they decided they want the same thing. If Christians organized and united, they could decide on exactly who would be elected and exactly what laws were passed and exactly the policy of every local school board and planning commission in the country.

But they can’t, and they don’t, and they won’t, because “Christians” are not some unified group that moves in one direction. Many individuals with various ways of looking at the world claim the religion.

I imagine “Muslims” are the same way.

Anyway, I enjoyed discovering the art of Carolina Story, W. Michael Bush, Ace of Coins and others in this issue, experiencing Cajun Cove, and taking my boy to the Farmer Jason show (pictured at top).

Jr. seemed impressed by the show (“Up, up, up on a twailer”), but unfortunately, the second half fell right during naptime. Come back and perform sometime at 10 p.m., Farmer Jason, and I would be willing to bet the little guy will be wide awake. Ha! Thanks for picking up the latest Murfreesboro Pulse.

Please support our fine sponsors, and keep checking your Pulse.

Peace, Bracken Mayo Editor in Chief BOROPULSE.COM

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OPINIONS WHAT MURFREESBORO IS SAYING: JOIN THE CONVERSATION FACEBOOK.COM/BOROPULSE

the draw of a BLUE county next door to make people live, shop and play in your stupid little sandbox. GROW UP. — Lucas Leverett

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In response to “Holy War”, last edition’s piece on the construction and legal battle of a local mosque I think it would be a good idea to get to know our neighbors. Read the Koran/Quran for yourselves. Also read the Bible. Remember that both books have old ideas in them (Check out Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy-yikes!) that people don’t necessarily follow. Both books have the general theme of loving each other! I don’t believe that anyone who calls themselves a Christian would REALLY stone someone to death for gathering sticks on the Sabbath! Think about it - if someone from another religion read the Bible, would they think that ALL Christians do those kinds of things?

— Suzanne LeBeau Good article on the BULLSH*T in Murfreesboro. This is a great reason why I won’t spend time working for anyone down there. I just don’t have the energy to try to change their tiny little minds.

I am glad for my rabble-rousing past there, opposing unconstitutional religious promotion in my high school, and protesting against the 10 Commandments in the courthouse. But the ignorance just prevails.

This continues to be disgusting, and embarrass people who happen to claim that "city" as their home town. I am shocked that a person of color is behind the lawsuit, since they should know a thing or two about persecution over meaningless and harmless differences. This judge is a fool. A racist and xenophobic fool, making flimsy (and poorly worded) rulings on behalf of other fools, in a tiny little town that needs to suck it up and realize that society has outpaced the average mind it seems to cater to. Murfreesboro, you are part of the suburban feed to Nashville, and in case you missed it, ALL of your existence and growth is because of PROGRESS and ACCEPTANCE of the melting pot of this nation. Your puny little fiefdom would be NOTHING if not for the higher thought processes of a college putting you on the map and

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Unfortunately, it’s the authentic frontier gibberish crowd that seems to catch the attention of the media.

— Matt Lane Are you trying to suggest that the bigots in Murfreesboro are a vocal minority? Because there seem to be a lot of them. Controlling the local government. Just saying.

— Brian Wowak It is not so much the government. They approved the site plan for the new mosque. The local citizenry that complained claimed there was not adequate enough public notification of the site plan, which was a thinly veiled attempt to show their ignorance and misguided fear into thinking anything associated with Islam is related terrorism. It was claimed that the paper of publication, the Murfreesboro Post, did not provide adequate enough notice, yadda blah blah... What I find amusing is that the county recently approved a site plan for the construction of a Buddhist temple south of Murfreesboro and no one complained about that.

— Matt Lane Let me paint the picture . . . imagine a town that never would have existed beyond its farmland if not for a huge university growing in one of those fields, where until five years ago a single train on the tracks would shut down 90 percent of the arteries into the city. Imagine a place that actively killed every successful night spot I can recall, and only fully engaged economic functionality when the students were there to do so.

Now, picture that place once people got sick of Franklin’s bullsh*t and expenses and made it the faster-growing suburb. To support its newfound relevance to modern life, it now keeps those students year-round because they can work in the establishments that serve these small-minded yokels till they finally shuffle off the coil.

But it is my home town. And in an abusive and resentful way, I luffs it.

— Lucas Leverett Well, I sorta don’t appreciate the summary judgment that everyone in the ’Boro has this backwoods mentality. The frontier gibberish storm front will force their feet so deep in their mouth, the court of public opinion will ignore them.

Most folks here have common sense, it is just the do-as I-say-and-not-as-I-do crowd seem to make us look like people of the land . . . you know . . . morons!

— Matt Lane But Matt, me, you, many of us "natives", are exceptions. Bubbas are the rule. This kind of thing only furthers that tradition. I used to believe it was on the upswing, but something I have learned from observing the nation’s first black President is that just when you THINK some event marks the end of an era of shame, people will prove otherwise. I have discovered so many new racists since 2008 it is not even funny. So while The ’Boro puts on lipstick, I still smell pork.

— Lucas Leverett Yeah, I know what ya mean. It is like they were waiting for an opportunity to come out woodwork.

— Matt Lane In response to “Gagflex: The Fear of Islam” So if you stand up for what you believe in and speak out against what you feel is an impending issue you are a coward? This is a land built on strident debate but with the polarizing anonymity of the internet and the constant approval of the lowest common denominator we have turned constructive debate into basic sophomoric name calling. To me the argument is not if they ARE allowed to build their new mosque and expand within our community but rather they SHOULD BE allowed. If you study this issue in depth and relate it to the numerous examples both within the US (i.e Dearborn, MI ) and outside our borders ( i.e. Spain ) any rational human being cannot help but come to a large number of negative conclusions without any stretch of imagination.

Read the Quran in its own context and study the people that you are defending before beating your drums.

— Mike Sutter There are MILLIONS of Muslims in the world. They already have a Mosque. It’s just too small because more and more people practice the Muslim religion here. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to build bigger facilities, Mike? Do you know where the Mosque is now?

Wouldn’t you? Extremists don’t want you to know where they are, who they are. These people just want to practice their religion in a nice, new, OPEN environment.

— Stephen Smalls I did not say that they are not allowed to expand—legally I do believe there is little basis

for that argument. What I said was that this is an unfortunate situation in that they SHOULD not be allowed further expansion. The argument that there is a large number of Muslims does not validate their claim to a peaceful nature nor does it validate the correctness of their beliefs.

Many would argue that Christians are wrong in the beliefs that they hold yet there are a very large number of Christians as well. Keep in mind that there were about 9 million members of the Nazi party at one point and approximately 16 million in the service of their army. And NO I am not directly comparing Muslims to Nazis, I am using this as an illustrative tool since even though there were Millions of Nazis it is hard to argue that their end goal was all that amiable to those around them and not all of them were violent by any means—just the ones that mattered.

My argument is that you should do some actual research and study on the situation in its entirety. Take a look at the big picture and were this situation is likely to lead to. This does not require any great stretches of the imagination since there are many historical and current examples to choose from. Take a look at the current political and social environment of Australia for example were Muslims are denying the authority of the Australian government and are self enforcing Sharia law in an ever expansive way. This same thing is also happening in the UK, France, Spain, Parts of Canada, significant regions of Russia, and many of the smaller countries of the EU. And in every single one of these cases the initial influx of Muslims argued that they were strictly peaceful and had no political desires.

The inherent problem is that the Muslim faith is not just simply a religious belief structure but is intertwined with an extensive legal, military and social structure as well. When it comes down to it the core of their beliefs does not involve a peaceful nature toward the non believer. Here are a few direct quotes from the English Qu’ran and I have included as much context as reasonable but feel free to look the up yourself for the full context and I think you will find that their meaning is in no way ambiguous nor different than what is implied here Surat Al-Ma’idah 5:51 – You who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another.

And whoever is an ally to them among you – then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrong doing people.

Surat Al-Bayyinah 98 : 6 – Indeed, they who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein. Those are the worst of creatures.

Surat Ali Imran 3 : 32 – Say, “Obey Allah and the Messenger.” But if they turn away – then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers.

Surat At-Tawbah 9: 29 – Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture – [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled.

Surat At-Tawbah 9: 123 – O you who have believed, fight those adjacent to you of the disbelievers and let them find in you harshness.

And know that Allah is with the righteous.

I do also appreciate the opportunity for a civil discussion of this issue.

— Mike Sutter

In response to “La Palabra, Segovia: ciudad de cultura y misterio”

Joe Brandon was quoted as stating, “This is the Lord’s battle, and that’s God, not Allah.”

Please Note that ’Allah’ is Arabic for ’God’.

Sorry Joe, yet you are making yourself look illiterate.

— Kimberly Bean

That looks like an amazing place! It even looks more interesting than Madrid.

— Adam Bullion

Not the same God dipsh*t.

— William Edward Harris

Great job Cameron Parrish. Excelente!

— Yuri Cunza I loved Segovia. I bought an ancient key there which I am convinced once was the home key of someone who had to refugee away from his birthplace in 1492 . . . I understand that the "Sefarditas" have passed down the keys to their left-behind ancestral homes to descendants today.

— Elin Quicksall Fowler Mullins

Esta ciudad es unba pasada, para disfrutarla día y noche, no os lo perdais lo que no la conozcais.

— Miguel Ángel Gómez Pinilla Beautiful! Hope to visit someday myself.

— Jon Snow

How Christian of you — Eric Forrest I didn’t say I was a Christian now did I? Look at the problems Europe has now on a weekly basis because of this. And I don’t see Christians running around blowing shit up every time I turn on the news. This country has forgotten where it came from and it won’t be long before "you people" (that’s right I said it) end up taking IN GOD WE TRUST off of our currency because "it offends" someone. This country is quickly becoming exactly what it FLED from years ago! I bet if your ass traveled extensively to the Middle East AS I HAVE and seen some of the countries that hate us simply because we were born here then you would change your attitude.

— William Edward Harris People who oppose the mosque are just a bunch of cowards.

— Jason Scot Burks Tell that to the Iranian civilians that were slaughtered just because they built a Christian church in Iran. What harm were they doing?

— William Edward Harris So what’s your point? That we should be MORE like the people who slaughtered the Christians?

— Jason Scot Burks If I punched you out of the blue square in the face for no reason and told you I hated you and then I came to your home and knocked on your front door and then you opened the door . . . then you my friend are stupid!

— William Edward Harris And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.

— Luke 6:29

I hope that in some way this article encourages others to visit Spain. Tourism is crucial to the Spanish economy and in times like these those of us who love Spain should be doing what we can to promote growth in this sector.

The country also exports a great deal of quality products like olive oil and an awesome selection of high quality vino. Check out tienda.com to see what I’m talking about.

— Cameron Parrish In response to last edition’s conversation with Tetsuo It’s about time these guys got an interview.

They’re all great guys, and the music they make is love to my ears. You can feel the emotion in each song; you can really feel the meaning behind every song. Redford’s way with the vocals is raw and authentic. Blake and Austin also backup the vocals and are themselves awesome musicians. I have really big hopes for them as a band. More people should check them out.

I think when they do get big eventually they’re going to get big real quick.

It’s true though that they are a prolific band, and no one’s really heard of them. I’ve been to a few of their live shows, and while not a lot of people go to them, everyone who is there loves them. They’re like when you go to a show to hear one of your favorite bands from out of state play and you see Tetsuo is on the bill; you’re asking yourself "Who the hell is Tetsuo?" and when you hear them you’re blown away. Their stage presence is in your face, their vocals are of a depth where you could take them at face value, but if you really think about them you realize there’s an actual level of thoughtfulness going on, and the music is great. Even if they have a shitty sound guy.

Keep rocking Tetsuo!

— Zachary Cruz Di Novo BOROPULSE.COM

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OPINIONS

Zombie Summer!

El Verano del Zombie!

IN ENGLISH: IF YOU’VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION to recent headlines, then you are aware of the rash of bizarre violence perpetrated by individuals, some of them because of drugs and others as a result of good old-fashioned psychosis. We were all especially horrified by the case where a man in Florida attacked a homeless man and managed to eat most of his face before he was killed by police.

Strangely enough the toxology report released in late June states that the perpetrator was not taking bath salts when he attacked his victim!

Regardless of the cause, the web is buzzing with people calling these violent acts “zombie attacks.” This is much closer to the truth than you probably know. I’m sure some of you are saying, “Stop being a sensationalist. Zombies aren’t real, Cameron.” You may be surprised to know just how wrong you are.

The idea that zombies have to be reanimated dead people with an unquenchable hunger for flesh has been popularized by movies and television through the hit television Police shot and killed Rudy Eugene (left) series The Walking Dead and such movies as as he was eating the face of Ron Poppo.

George Romero’s 1968 film Night of the Living Dead. However, if you investigate the origins of Becoming a zombie these days isn’t typically the zombies and learn the real definition, you will result of an attack. There are also other differences see that zombies are everywhere this summer! between real and fictional zombies. The good ‘Zonbi’ is the Haitian Creole word from which news is that real zombies only eat people some of we derive our word zombie. In Voodoo tradition the time. The bad news is they tend to strip naked a dead person can be revived by a witch doctor before they attack and might rape you. Yep, that’s and remain under their control right. Many reports we are in order to do their bidding. seeing involve the zombie However, a closer investigation disrobing and or sexually of this phenomenon reveals assaulting their victims.

Una columna del idioma español por CAMERON PARRISH that in cases where this has It’s a zombie summer! been reported, psychoactive Every day a new story drugs were used by the witch doctor to induce a emerges where someone goes on a rampage coma-like state in an unfortunate victim. Once the after taking these drugs or from other mysterivictim was buried, the priest or other individual ous causes. Everyone stay vigilant, and by all would later exhume the individual and continue means, stay away from drugs. By now those to drug them in order to keep them under their addicts who are engaging in this type of drug control or turning them loose to wreak havoc. abuse know the risk and are still choosing to The truth is that anyone acting violently gamble. Consider this a warning on behalf of from a drug-induced or psychosis is, in fact, a everyone who prepares for zombie scenarios zombie. Historically, the practice of manufacas a hobby or simply practices self-defense. If turing potions with hallucinogenic and psychoyou become a zombie and endanger others, you active properties has been viewed as a form of should expect to be treated as a zombie and sufsorcery or witchcraft. In fact, one of the Greek fer the same fate. words for sorcery that is used in some bibliIN SPANISH: cal translations is the word ‘pharmakeia’ from which we derive our word pharmacy. The evil SI VOSOTROS HABÉIS PRESTADO people who are making these drugs for money ATENCIÓN a titulares recientes sois consciknow the dangers associated with the chemicals entes de la erupción de violencia extraña perpemephadrone, methylendioxpyrovalerone, etc., trada por individuos algunos después de usar and they are no better than their counterparts una droga de la calle llamada “sales de baño” y making zombies in Haiti. otros por puro sicosis. Además quedamos todos On a more positive note, if one of these zombies impactados por el caso en cual un hombre bites you it’s unlikely that you will become one.

La PALABRA

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en Florida atacó a un señor sin hogar y logró comer la mayor parte de su cara antes de que él fuera abatido por la policía. Curiosamente, el informe de toxicología publicado a finales de junio de estados que el autor no estaba tomando las sales de baño cuando atacó su víctima!

A pesar de todo, mucha gente en la red comenta que estas acciones violentas son “ataques de zombi”. Esto es mucho más cercano a la verdad de lo que usted probablemente sepa. Estoy seguro que algunos de vosotros diréis, “Deje de ser tan sensacionalista. Los zombis no son verdaderos Cameron.” Creo que os sorprendería saber cuanto os equivocáis.

La idea de que los zombies tienen que ser muertos reanimados con un hambre insaciable de carne humano ha sido popularizada por el cine y la televisión a través de la serie de televisión The Walking Dead y películas como la de George Romero de 1968 titulada La noche de los muertos vivientes. Sin embargo, si investigamos los orígenes de zombies y leemos la definición verdadera, veremos que los zombies están por todas partes este verano!

‘Zonbi’ es la palabra criollo haitiano de que se deriva la palabra zombi. En la tradición vudú una persona muerta puede ser revivida por un brujo y bajo su control con el fin de hacer su licitación. Sin embargo, una investigación cerca de este fenómeno revela que drogas psicoactivas fueron usadas por el brujo para inducir un estado comatoso en una desafortunada víctima.

Cuando la víctima es enterrada, el sacerdote o otro individuo cómplice exhuma al individuo y continua la administración de drogas con el fin de mantenerlos bajo su control o dándoles suelta a fin de causar miedo y estragos.

La verdad es que cualquiera que actúa violentamente por una psicosis inducida por drogas es de hecho un zombi. La mayor parte de incidentes que hemos vistos han sido relacionados al consunción de “sales de baño” y otras

drogas sintéticas. ¿Pero y si yo os dijera que “los malos hechiceros y brujos” también son responsables de convertir a la gente en zombis en nuestras comunidades me lo creeríais?

Históricamente, la práctica de la fabricación de pociones con propiedades alucinógenas y psicoactivas ha sido vista como una forma de hechicería o brujería. De hecho una de las palabras griegas para la hechicería que se utiliza en algunas traducciones de la Biblia Santa es la palabra ‘pharmakeia’ de la cual se deriva nuestra palabra ‘farmacia’. Los desgraciados que están haciendo estas drogas por dinero saben los peligros asociados con la mephadrone, methylendioxpyrovalerone etcétera y ellos no son mejores que sus contrapartes brujos haciendo zombis de personas en Haití.

En un tono más positivo, si uno de estos zombis le muerde es improbable que usted se vuelva zombie. Hacerse un zombi estos días es un acto voluntario en vez del resultado de un ataque. También hay otras diferencias entre zombis verdaderos y los ficticios. Lo bueno es que los verdaderos zombis sólo comen a la gente a veces. Las mala noticia es que ellos tienden a desnudarse completamente antes de que ellos ataquen y podrían violarte. Muchos informes que salen implican que el desviste o sexualmente asalta a sus víctimas. ¡Es el verano de zombi! Cada día una nueva historia surge donde alguien se comporta violentamente después de tomar estas drogas. Por favor cada uno quedáis vigilantes y por Dios alejaos de estas drogas. Aquellos adictos que todavía toman estas drogas ya saben el riesgo y todavía deciden jugar. Considerad esto una advertencia por parte de uno que se prepara para escenarios de “apocalipsis zombi” o simplemente está listo de defenderse. Si tú te conviertes en un zombi y pones en peligro a los demás, debes esperar ser tratado como un zombi y sufrir el mismo destino.

Corrupt Government Causes Extreme Poverty

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recent trip to Honduras was an lines the tops of fences where the wealthy eye-opening experience. One reside. There are armed guards at nearly doesn’t even have to be on the every business. Want to buy some screws or ground for the abject poverty to a hammer at the hardware store? There’s an be obvious. Landing at Tegucigalpa, the capiarmed guard to meet you. Same for convetal city, one cannot help but notice that much nience stores, grocery stores and the like. of the city consists of shanties. The airport, There is no middle class. Only those in which was recently totally renovated, is the government or those who have figured out equivalent of a regional airport in America, how to game the system live in relative at best; certainly not what you would expect luxury. from a city of over one million inhabitants.

Mission trips like ours aren’t intended to Once on the ground the poverty is all solve the big picture of poverty in Honduras. around you. Except for a few small pockets They’re designed only to help the few who of prosperity, it’s like continuously driving can be touched one group at a time. But the through the worst part of any American city.

United States has not only the ability but In fact, poverty in America pales in comparian obligation to use its economic power to son to what you see in Honduras. effect change. Half of Honduras’s economic As we drove to a small school for the blind activity is directly tied to the U.S. We are a then an orphanage and later to a little commajor trading partner. We can and should munity in which we were building a modest, demand more of their government. one-room dwelling, I was We don’t hesitate to send overwhelmed by one nagour military into regions VIEWS OF A ging question: Why? Why of perceived injustice yet are these people still poor? we continue to feed corcolumn by The answer is comrupt machines around the PHIL VALENTINE plicated but one facet of world with American dolphilvalentine.com it became obvious. And lars. We are prosperous as it’s a common denominator in every poor a nation because of freedom but it’s not just country in the world. Corruption. One of freedom from tyranny. our translators gave me the run-down. Most We are relatively free of corruption. Sure, everyone, he says, in all levels of Honduran we have corrupt people in our governments government is corrupt. When the local police but our system demands their prosecution. need some extra cash they pull you over on It’s not simply a way of life as it is in Hondutrumped up charges and you must pay to get ras and Mexico and most of the third world. out of it. When politicians campaign they But we shouldn’t be fooled into believing pay people to vote. Literally. Voter turnout is that prosperity equals happiness. In spite relatively high in Honduras and no wonder of all the poverty, Hondurans seem more when you leave the polling place with a fist content than us. In fact, while the U.S. ranks full of lempiras (the local currency).

41 in the world in percentage of suicides According to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras ranks 104. government salaries in Honduras are nearly Maybe they need to be making a mission equivalent to total tax collections. In other trip to America. words, of the money taken from the people, very little comes back to them in the form of Phil Valentine is an author and nationally government services. The roads are a disassyndicated radio talk show host with Westter. Power lines are strewn across telephone wood One. For more of his commentary poles like so much spaghetti. Razor wire and articles, visit philvalentine.com.

CONSERVATIVE

“

Most everyone in all levels of Honduran government is corrupt.When the local police need some extra cash they pull you over on trumped up charges and you must pay to get out of it.

”

BOROPULSE.COM

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OPINIONS

Losing the Class War

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f you are in the middle or lower-middle class, then it’s possible that your status will remain that way, but it’s more likely that you’ll lose that status. If you’re already poor. then it’s highly likely that you will remain poor. Of course, there are great stories of people overcoming poverty to become great financial success stories, but it’s rare and is getter rarer. We may occasionally see economic wonks on the news tell us about how the middle class is shrinking, but do we truly understand this?

When we read or hear about the economic downturn, there’s a tendency to assume that the whole country is in this together; that fictional CEO, Reginald Bottomtooth, is taking a loss just like Johnny Punchclock. This is not true, and even if Reginald Bottomtooth did take a loss, then his big pain might be removing his kid from an elite private school or only taking two months of vacation time. When people say the middle class is shrinking, what they mean is the poor are getting poorer. But money doesn’t just disappear. Dollars don’t magically

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evaporate. There are people happily making The average American CEO makes over 400 heaps of dough, and the poorer and more destimes more money that the average worker. perate we become, the richer they get.

They’re the ones getting the tax benefits. Since The harder the times, the more likely you are they have the money, they’re the ones controlto let some factory take advantage of you. We’re ling the political landscape. They’re the ones told we’re lucky to have jobs in this economy, that tax loopholes are designed for because so we’re less likely to complain to that Johnson they’re the so-called “job creators.” Venture Controls manager that were capitalist, Nick Hanauer, tired and running on empty gave a mediocre TED talk from working 12-hour shifts, earlier this year that had 7 days a week, for a month a very good central theme column by JASON JOHNSON straight. We get time-and-athat businesses do not tuckwopat@yahoo.com half because there are laws create jobs. Demand crein place to keep companies ates jobs. And we create from completely picking your bones, but what demand. Then why do we act as if we are powthen? We take the one day off we have that month erless? Why do we consistently vote against our and take our families out and try to enjoy our own interests when it comes to taxes, health lives. That means buying stuff, traveling and putcare, conservation and education? ting money back into the economy.

Conservative millionaire politicians do not

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WE NEED REAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM BECAUSE MONEY IS POLLUTING OUR SYSTEM FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

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relate to the average American, so how do they get elected? Mitt Romney’s wife receives a tax deduction on her dressage horse that doubles the annual salary of the average American worker. The super wealthy can anonymously donate as much money to political campaigns as they see fit, and they are donating to the politicians that will give their companies the longest leash. On the flip side, these same politicians are the ones pushing for stricter voter ID laws because they fear anonymous voters but not anonymous money. And the voters who are least likely to have government issued IDs are poor minorities, which is not coincidentally the people who are least likely to vote for them.

The United States is not becoming a plutocracy, it is a plutocracy. Our lives and our politics are being dictated by the wealthiest people in the country. We need real campaign finance reform because money is polluting our system from top to bottom. Running for office without buckets of money is nearly impossible. And we need to stop imagining that the best politician for the job is the one who will do the least.

Why David Lowery’s Attitude is Dangerous to Artists column by LEE MILLER

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n case you were on the road or on a bender for the last half of June, there has been a lot of hoopla surrounding a 21-year-old NPR intern named Emily White. She publicly admitted to having more than 11,000 songs on her laptop, yet she said she has only purchased 15 CDs in her lifetime.

A widely circulated response letter by David Lowery,  who was a founding member of alt-rock groups Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, chides evil Emily for her lack of integrity. He then provides readers with a heaping helping of misinformation in the hopes of educating her generation about the economics of the music business and presents a plan for making things better. It appears that the composer of “Teen Angst” now wants to guilt trip teenagers into adjusting their moral compass.

It’s a feel-good campaign, and it has as much vision as Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” approach to recreational drugs.

It isn’t just a bad idea either. It’s a dangerous attitude for artists to take because it will only create animosity between them and their wouldbe fans while they waste time and money on a dead product.

In his letter, Professor Lowery explains that he has been teaching music business courses at The University of Georgia for the past two years, and he acknowledges that most young people have the same attitude about purchasing music that Emily does. They aren’t going to do it.

Instead of beating them over the head with ethics, and trying to convince consumers to pay for something they already have, wouldn’t a smarter businessman ask his potential customers what they will pay for?

It may not be the responsibility of government and big business to fairly compensate artists, as Professor Lowery claims, but if an artist wants to be compensated, it is his or her responsibility to learn the laws and learn the business.

The fact is, technology has made it much easier to record music these days. This has caused the real value, and the perceived value of recordings to diminish greatly. Record labels and even many independent artists are certainly being hurt by this, but the worst thing they can do is recklessly cling to the past and ask the future to conform to their wishes.

I don’t feel sorry for the major labels’ loss of

revenue any more than I blame them for making a fortune by re-releasing old recordings when technology gave them the CD format.

That’s just business.

I do feel bad for independent artists that are struggling, but I think there are a lot of things going on in the music business right now to be excited about, and I think looking at what is working is a better idea than whining about what’s not.

A major concept to understand is that recordings are only a part of the music business. There are three major income streams flowing into the industry—record sales, live performance fees and publishing royalties.

Publishing revenues have been steadily rising because music is being used in so many new ways. Video games have become a huge source of income, while television shows, commercials and movies are using music now more than ever. That’s why the country’s two largest, non-profit, performing rights organizations, ASCAP and Sound Exchange, reported record revenues in the first quarter of 2012.

Have you tried to buy a concert ticket, lately?

They are often hard to come by. Big arena shows have been selling out in a matter of minutes, and theater shows are reporting big numbers in ticket sales for music from all genres. Live performance revenues in the first quarter of 2012 were three times more than they were just five years ago.

The biggest reason is that fans aren’t spending as much money on music, so they’re buying T-shirts and coozies by the bucket full. Younger fans may not have any interest in reading your CD’s liner notes, but they will buy all sorts of merchandise as long as it’s stamped with their favorite artist’s logo. At a recent Miley Cyrus concert, she collected a staggering $25/head in merch sales, and more avant-garde artists like The Flaming Lips and Jack White have had success hocking everything from earbuds to gummy skulls.

If you don’t want your music to be used to sell other products, too bad. It always has been.

Even if you never get to put your name on them, venues have always held you responsible for selling those big cups of Budweiser or shots of Jagermeister.

If you are an emerging artist, don’t attempt to convince your fans to buy your iTunes. You will never sell enough to make a difference. GIVE YOUR MUSIC AWAY! If you still have physical CDs to sell, give them away with the purchase of a key chain or a coffee mug, but GIVE IT AWAY! Like every business, the music business is actually about mathematics. Historically the percentage of people who hear your music that will like it enough to invest in you is around 7 per-

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If you are an emerging artist, don’t attempt to convince your fans to buy your iTunes . . . give your music away!

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cent. This usually holds true regardless of genre, talent, marketing campaigns or region. The best thing you to can do for yourself, as an artist, is simply to get more young people to listen to your music. To do that, the most important question you can ask them is “How do you find out about the music you listen to?”

This is more potential than ever for you to have your music heard by large numbers of people because the traditional “gatekeepers” are gone. Terrestrial radio and a major label backing are no longer the accepted norm, and grass roots marketing and social networks have taken over.

Spotify, or some other subscription-based network, will eventually take care of the illegal downloading issue altogether and the fees to artists will be worked out by government and big business.

It may not be their responsibility, but they are the ones that are going to do it. Big business shapes every aspect of American culture, and Emily White’s generation is far from the first generation to inadvertently “unstick it to the man and instead stick it to the weirdo freak musicians.” Or to the family farmer. Or the local hardware store owner.

Or the neighborhood coffee shop.

But the most important thing to remember, as an artist, is that you love making music. You don’t do it for the money. You do it because something in your soul won’t let you not do it, and you want the world to hear it. You know that a world where people have access to more music, regardless of their tax bracket, is a better world. You want to be a part of that world.

As your fans, we want you to succeed and we will invest in you. If you write great songs, put on a killer show and iron your logo on a funky T-shirt, I promise you that we’ll still cough up every nickel we rake in working down at the car wash to be a part of your world.

To read Emily White’s letter, David Lowery’s response and other related articles, visit boropulse.com.

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COMMUNITY

EVENTS Send event information to murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com Murfreesboro Sweaty Cat Yes, you will be sweaty. Everyone will be sweaty. Sunday, July 8 8, meet at Smoopys Viintage Bicycles (2602 E. Main St). Signups are from Noon–2 p.m. and the race starts around 2:30 p.m. Race length is 14 miles. Things to bring: water, backpack, bicycle and friends.

There will be prizes, hotdogs, water and maps. Sponsored by Smoopy’s Vintage Bicycles, Clean and Green Couriers and the Beverage Mart, this event is free and open to the public. Find more on Facebook!

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Main Street’s Friday Night Live Concert Series 6 Friday Night Live Concert Series dances off at the Murfreesboro Public Square, Friday, July 6, from 6:30–9:30 p.m., featuring Stones River Pilots. Bring your own lawn chair and enjoy the show!

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Dance Camp July 9–13, Summer Dance Camp at the Springhouse 9 Worship and Arts Center (14119 Old Nashville Hwy.) takes place.

Fee is $150 per student. On-site registration is also available. Contact (615) 8528499 for more information.

JULY

117th Sons of Confederate JULY Veterans National Reunion The members of Sons of Con9 federate Veterans Murfreesboro Camp #33 will hosts its 117th SCV National Reunion at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, July 11–14, 2012. Membership is available to any male descendant of a Confederate soldier that served honorably in the Confederate military. Anyone who is interested in joining the SCV can find more information at scv.org. There will be many events and business meetings taking place throughout the reunion beginning Wednesday, July 11, with a tour of the Sam Davis Home and Museum in Smyrna and a memorial service at the grave of Confeder10 * JULY 2012 * BOROPULSE.COM

wish to make a financial contribution to the Cool Aid Program, go by FirstBank (615 Memorial Blvd.) and tell them you have a gift for Cool Aid.

Blood Drive at Lanes, Trains and Automobiles 13 Rock and roll up your sleeve! LTA Entertainment Depot (450 Butler Dr.) is hosting a blood drive Friday, July 13, from 2–6 p.m. in Party Rooms 1 & 2. To schedule an appointment, log onto redcrossblood. org and enter sponsorcode: ltamboro. All donors will receive a Rock-N-Roll T-shirt and enter for the chance to win a Gibson guitar! Contact (615) 890-3999.

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ate hero Sam Davis. Contact James G. Patterson, 2012 SCV Reunion chairman, at (615) 812-0206 or mboroscv33@aol.com.

Uncle Dave Macon Days Don’t miss the 35th Annual Uncle Dave Macon Days Festi11 val this year! July 13, 14 and 15, at 312 S. Front St. (just off NW Broad St. near Camino Real restaurant) a restored, historic, Southern pioneer village comes to life. Enjoy bluegrass music, food, and other forms of entertainment such as Sherry Smith, Miller Piano Specialist and Yamaha Artist Development, with educational shows on the evolution of the piano and other musical instruments. Adults $5 per day or $8 for two-day ticket/Children 12 & under are free.

Sunday is free for everyone. Contact Gloria Christy at (615) 893-2369.

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Special Kids 13th JULY Annual Friendraiser 19 The 13th Annual Special Kids Friend Raiser will hold a silent auction July 19, 2012, at 5:30 p.m. in the New Harvest Sanctuary at World Outreach Church (1921 New Salem Road) with special guest speaker Jon Acuff. The silent auction begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner provided by Demos’ Restaurant following. Sponsorships are available. Call Special Kids at (615) 893-4892 for more information.

Water Day! It’s water day! Join the Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue 19 Department July 19 at Old Fort Park, Pavilion No. 1 from 1:30–3 p.m. for fun under the water hose. Wear clothes and shoes to get wet in, and don’t forget your sunscreen and towel. Parents, plan to stay with your children and enjoy the water as well! This event is free and open to the public and for children, birth to 12 years, with a parent/grandparents. Contact Marlane Sewell at (615) 893-2141.

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3rd Friday Night Concert Series Murfreesboro Parks and Recreations presents 3rd Friday Night

Concert Series at Cannonsburgh Village July 20, from 7 p.m.–9 p.m., featuring The Hands of Time Band. This event is free and open to the public.

Women of Faith Women of Faith will meet the JULY fourth Tuesday of every month at Blackman United Methodist Church (4380 Manson Pike). This is an interfaith group intended to foster unity with the goal of getting to know and understand one another while making a positive impact on our community. Women of all faiths are welcome, as well as those who do not practice any religion. For more information email austinmj@gmail.com.

Own the night!

Linebaugh Library hosts Own JULY 20 the Night for ages 12–18 on through July 20 as part of the Young Adult Summer Reading Program.

By filling out a slip for each book read and giving it to the library by 4:30 Friday of every week, you will entered into the weekly drawing! Additional review slips are available in the Youth Services Dept. This is an encouraging reading program supporting the education and literacy of young adults. through

Movies Under the Stars Enjoy Movies Under the Stars 28 this summer through Saturday, July 28, from 8:30 pm until conclusion of the movie. Bring your blankets, lawn chairs or truck bed. Refreshments are available for purchase. Admission is free, so bring your whole family! Movie lists are available onsite and at all MPRD facilities. Contact MPRD facilities for times and locations at (615) 890-5333 or Marlane Sewell at (615) 893-2141.

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Cool Aid Program Cool Aid Programs helps get JULY fans and air conditioners to needy individuals. On hot, hot days and nights, this ministry saves lives. If you need a fan or air conditioner, contact Dwight Ogleton at (615) 818-2459 or (615) 895-8555. If you would donate an air conditioner or fan, contact Ogleton. If you

State Primary/County General Election JULY Early voting for the State Primary/County General Election done at Election Commission (#1 Murfreesboro Square) July 3–26, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.–7 p.m.; Saturday, July 4, 8 a.m.–Noon; Sunday, July 5, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

Locations: Murfreesboro: Voting Annex @ 426 E. Vine St. (just off Maney Ave.) Murfreesboro: Blackman Elementary School (586 Fortress Blvd.)

Murfreesboro: Sportscom (2310 Memorial Blvd.)

Smyrna: TN Rehabilitation Center (460 9th Ave.; old Sewart Air Force Base) La Vergne: Civic Auditorium (283 Old Nashville Highway) Rutherford Writers INK Rutherford Writers INK meets 21 July 21 from 10 a.m.–Noon in the Linebaugh Public Library Board Room. Rutherford Writers INK is a forum for writers to come together and express themselves, to share ideas and support, as well as to gain constructive feedback on their work. Contact (615) 893-4131.

JULY

Southern Girls of Rock’n Roll Camp 23 The 10th Anniversary of YEAH’s Southern Girls of Rock’n Roll Camp kicks into gear July 23–28, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. This is a summer day camp for girls ages 10–17 at MTSU’s Wright Music Building. Camp tuition is $300 (scholarships are available along with monthly payment plans). For information or to register, visit sgrrc.com.

JULY

Learning to Grow Brown Bag Horticultural Class 26 will meet at Lane Agri-Park Auditorium July 26 from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Topic will be composting.

For more information, call (615) 898-7710.

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S.A.V.E the Night 5K Fun Run 28 Middle Tennessee Medical Center and Sustaining A Village Everyday Presents S.A.V.E. the Night 5K Fun Run and Costume Contest July 28 at Gateway Island (1614 Wilkerson Pike). This is a teen-led initiative benefiting Boukeron, Haiti. Registration begins at 7 p.m. and the race takes off at 8 pm. The costume contest evaluation will be held during registration from 7:15 p.m.–7:45 p.m. First 350 registrants guaranteed a shirt. To register online, visit facebook.com/teensave.

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THE RICH REWARDS OF GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD FOR ME THE PROCESS OF CONSTANT we owe thanks to the English and inquiry began with a then curious observation. golf clubs. Grasses native to North A trip to Kroger was taking longer than expected America aren’t suitable for the because a college friend was reading the labels fastidiously manicured lawn. In on a spice jar. MSG gave him migraines. I stood 1915, the U.S. Department of Agrithere impatiently and made some joke about it culture worked with the U.S. Golf not being a novel. It had never occurred to me to Association to find an acceptable question the shiny plastic wrapped goods in an combination of grasses that would produce the deoverly cooled and on the verge of frigid grocery sired English look. It is quite literally all downhill aisle. Later came conscious consumerism—the from there. Drinkable and expensively processed ensnaring and mentally taxing idea that every water is poured on precisely-mowed blades of dollar spent is a vote and one that carries far more fescue, while rain washes suburban chemicals into weight than the illusion of political choice. Add storm drains. According to the EPA, 30-60 percent sustainability to the mix and a casual trip to the of urban freshwater is used for lawns (dependgrocery store quickly turns into a labyrinth of ing on the city), 67 million pounds of synthetic ethical dilemmas. The drone of air conditioning pesticides are used annually, 580 million gallons begins to conjure images of billowing smoke from of gasoline are guzzled by highly-polluting lawn a power plant. A cup of coffee mowers (a standard lawn or a bar of chocolate bears the mower operating for one hour stamp of slavery. A pile of redemits the equivalent polludish tomatoes offers insult to tion of a medium-sized car millions of exploited immigrant traveling 45 miles—there is workers. Wouldn’t it be nice if no catalytic converter), and column by RYAN EGLY there were a pursuit that adaround 20 million acres of usegly@boropulse.com dressed environmental, health able residential property is tied and social issues in one swoop? up in lawns. Is there a better No more squinting at labels or trading values for way? Of course. Use some or all of that space to cost? Luckily there is just such an activity that con- produce food. Grow ornamental varieties of useful veniently touches on a wide variety of conscious plants in the front yard, and be amazed at just how elements, can build community, costs very little much you can get out of the back. Turn your plot and offers an opportunity for useful exercise. It into part of the fight against industrial agriculture happens to be one of the oldest activities known to rather than be a contributor to a wasted and polman, and no, it’s not prostitution. Perhaps the title luted environment. tipped you off: growing your own food is where Instead of trying to add to The Pulse’s excellent sustainability meets action and where well-meanhome gardening section, I have chosen to intering consumers can make a real difference in some view four experts who all operate on a rather amof the most critical issues of our day. bitious level. Their insights are relevant to anyone We live in an area where most people either wishing to make the most out of their space, even own or have access to land. The obsession with if at a smaller scale. Hector and Susie Black of chemically-treated lawns is a relatively new Cookeville have been in the organic farming busidevelopment, and was traditionally viewed as an ness for most of their 80-plus years on this planet. idle pursuit of the wealthy. For the current trend, They grow a variety of crops, but sell mostly blue-

LIVING GREEN

branches. Never again. Later I found out that it isn’t actually biodegradable, as claimed. The company that produces it, Monsanto, can’t be trusted.  CAROL BERNING’s 75 chickens have a symbiotic relationship with her sizeable garden, each feeding the other: How long have you had chickens?

About 6–7 years now.

What first motivated you?

They are just cute little critters. My grandmother also had chickens, and I have a cherished photo of my grandmother with them. Also, my love for animals motivates me.

Do chickens have personalities?

berries. Carol Berning of Lascassas recently retired from the Rutherford County school system where she was the spectrum supervisor. Carol likes to spend some of her time painting, pampering her 75 chickens and tending her large garden. Lastly, Pam Rowlett of Murfreesboro grows much of what she eats. In a question-and-answer format, here is what they have to say, paraphrased from my sketchy notes (or in the case of Pam, directly from emailed responses).  HECTOR AND SUSIE BLACK, 20 miles north of Cookeville, on a sticky Tennessee summer night after a workday at their farm:

What do your neighbors think?

I am far enough out of town that it doesn’t matter. Check with local ordinances if you are considering chickens in the city. If allowed, the numbers are typically four to six hens and no Rooster painting by Carol Berning

What did you do prior to farming, and what was your motivation to farm?

We spent 2.5 years as social workers in a poor Atlanta neighborhood. I (Hector) came back from World War II with ideas of a different path. The pace of social change is frustratingly slow. With farming, we could still support social change while pursuing a lifelong love of growing things.

Did your background prepare you for the farming lifestyle?

I (Hector) am from a suburb of New York. Even in our small yard, I was amazed with plants. I studied half a year of agriculture before the war.

Yes, I (Susie) am from a Hutterite community and grew up on a farm. We grew all of our own food.

Do you have any advice to young people thinking of getting started in farming?

Be prepared for long, hot, arduous work; love it.

Be wary of romanticizing . . . Of course it is okay to love the beauty of nature, but be prepared to work.

How have things changed in Tennessee since you started?

Hunting was a way of life when we came here.

Now it isn’t. As far as farming is concerned: I have changed, not it. When I started, I sold from a van on the side of the road. The emergence of farmer’s markets really helped us, even though there wasn’t initially a huge interest in organics.

How did you decide on rural Tennessee?

We had had it with cities. We enjoyed museums, concerts and plays, but it wasn’t enough.

Have you ever been tempted to use pesticides or herbicides?

Yes, I (Hector) tried RoundUp once. I had read that it wasn’t all that bad (a very long time ago, before such information was common knowledge).

I applied it very carefully to an apple tree. For two years, that tree had deformed leaves on the lower

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Yes: some like to be held, some sit on my shoulder, some are more friendly while others are more curious. There is definitely a social hierarchy. I have three to four generations together and have to be careful when mixing them.

roosters. One option is a chicken tractor, which is a movable coop that allows the chickens greater access to bugs and grass.

How do you deal with the waste?

I use it in the garden. I also use scraps from the garden to feed the chickens, in addition to their feed.

Do you have any advice for the aspiring chicken farmer?

I would say to read a lot about chickens, so that you know what you are getting into. Just like any animal, chickens can get sick. You also have to protect them from predators. It is important to know about their space requirements, their shade needs and their life cycles.  PAM ROWLETT puts a lot into growing food for her entire family: How long have you been growing your own food?

I have been growing my own food on and off for about 25 years, but seriously for the last 8 years. The lack of tools hindered my beginning efforts at gardening. Tillers are expensive, so we started with a borrowed one. My first serious effort at gardening was on a plot of ground loaned to me by a local cattle farmer, Donald Summar. He even treated me to a supply of manure for fertilizer.

What has been your greatest challenge?

My greatest challenges lately have been connected with my choice to grow organically.

Organic growing poses many obstacles, but I feel that it is worth it. Everything I read tells me that the young and the elderly are most affected by the chemicals that are commonly used to grow our food supply. Since one of my primary reasons for growing is to share with my family, that includes my two (soon to be three) grandchildren, and my husband ‘s parents, I feel it is important to make sure the food is the very best quality that I can produce.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your efforts?

It is very rewarding to hear my 6-year-old grandson Blaine say, “Oh, gram, you fixed me green beans!” When he still lived in Murfreesboro (my son is in the Army and stationed at Ft. Bragg now), I kept Blaine two days a week and he was becoming quite the gardener. He could identify what some of the plants were when they were only a couple of inches high. He eats a wide variety of vegetables, and I attribute that in part to his helping me grow them. He was as proud of the green beans and peas he picked as I was. Now I garden alone, but every trip I make to Ft. Bragg I carry a case of canned veggies or pack a cooler full of frozen ones.

Do you find that growing your own food builds community?

I think gardeners are a special breed of people.

They tend to share what they know about gardening and genuinely want you to be a successful gardener. They all want to show off their gardens too. I know some people that take pictures of their tomato plants just like they would take pictures of their kids. Most gardeners want to share their produce too. I always plant more than I can use. One can never be sure if this is the year that the tomatoes are not going to do well (2011), or that the green beans are going to be eaten by deer (2010), or that the groundhog is going to eat all my sweet potato leaves (2012). Consequently, I always have something to share. A couple of years ago, I felt God leading me to share my food with a single mom. I have had the privilege of sharing for a couple of years now.

What motivates you the most?

I wish there were some way to educate people how to grow their own food. I subscribe to a couple of gardening magazines: Organic Gardening, and a self reliant-type called Backwoods Home. I really enjoy the Backwoods Home magazine. There are articles about a variety of practical things like making your own bacon, cleaning your house with chemicalfree cleaners or how to build a barn. My husband’s grandmother, Willie Rowlett, taught me how to can vegetables, how to make jelly and how to cut corn off the cob and freeze it. I don’t know where I would be without her taking the time to teach me. That is why I think it is so important we teach anyone that wants to learn about these things. It is almost a lost art.

I have seen a resurgence of interest in gardening and canning since the economy has been

hit so hard. If people could just understand how much they could subsidize their food budget, they would give it a try. When my husband was in college at Tennessee Tech, Granny would pack us up a bag of frozen vegetables to take home with us after a visit. She would pack as much as she thought would fit in our tiny freezer atop the fridge. We felt like she had given us gold! Sometimes I would just open the freezer and stare at the veggies. They were comforting to me. That meant we ate like kings for a couple of weeks. I personally think that gardening could subsidize our medical budgets as well. People who eat healthier foods are generally healthier. Even the act of gardening requires some level of physical activity, which we could all use more of.

I also think it is important to buy our food locally. Whatever I don’t produce, I go to the farmer’s market to buy. I like to go to the various farms and pick blueberries and strawberries when they are in season. If everyone would buy their food locally, the farmer would benefit and our local economy would benefit as well. I am reading the book Animal Vegetable Miracle for the third time this year. It is about a family that decides to eat only what they can produce, gather, hunt or buy within a one-hour drive of their home for one year. That inspires me. Gardening is so very rewarding. I know this sounds silly, but I thoroughly enjoy the whole process, from planting to cultivating (ie. weeding) to harvesting to canning. I just love to hear that ping of the jar sealing. It is music to my ears! You don’t have to have a degree to grow a few tomato plants in a pot on your patio (my 6-year-old grandson does that), or to grow a few pole beans on a trellis. You just have to want to and get started. A pantry full of canned vegetables gives me a sense of security.

In a strange betrayal of our agricultural origins, it has become a quiet act of subversion to grow your own food. From the interviews above, we see that gardening is much more than a hobby. It offers a solution to many of our most pressing collective shortcomings: the vanishing of community, the disconnect between man and food, the inherent inefficiencies and evils of industrial agriculture and the lack of physical exercise, to name a few. Close your eyes and imagine a neighborhood where colorful and misshapen globes peak out from thick bunches of dark green leaves as you take an evening stroll. You know your neighbors well, and they don’t mind as you lift your excited child to pluck an apple—an apple that you don’t have to stress about because your neighborhood had set meaningful standards.

Further down in a backyard, you catch a glimpse of corn tassels, dangling beans, plump melons and bright red tomatoes, and you secretly wonder what magic is in that compost. You can take comfort in the victory that your neighborhood represents—a victory for community, health, and the environment—or you can simply enjoy the scenery and fresh air.

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Let the Harvest Begin!

If you've been caring for it, your garden should be producing this month. by TERRI DELONG JULY IS THE MONTH your garden really starts to feed you. Those heirloom tomatoes you’ve been waiting so patiently to ripen will be overflowing on your countertops soon. Peppers and eggplant are waiting to be picked. Potatoes are ready to dig up now. Be diligent in your harvesting of cucumbers, squash and green beans. If you let a couple days go by without picking these particular vegetables, they will slow down on their production and go into seed-making mode.

Knowing when to pick your garden veggies is as important as knowing how to grow them.

Some vegetables you can just look at and tell they are ripe, like red tomatoes and leafy lettuce. Other vegetables are more difficult to know when to harvest. How do you know when potatoes are ready to dig up if they are hiding deep in the earth? Corn always baffled me until I knew exactly what to look for. Melons can also be quite tricky. What am I really listening for when I thump the watermelon?

Sometimes you may need to use your sense of touch or smell to determine if a fruit is ready to be picked. There are no precise guidelines to go by for harvesting most vegetables, but there are techniques to learn that will help you. Here are some rule-of-thumb tips for getting the most flavor from your garden.

BEETS: Beets can grow all summer long in the garden. Pick as needed. Start picking when their shoulders protrude from the soil. Tug and wiggle gently!

BROCCOLI: Harvest the head and side shoots before the flower buds open. Broccoli stops producing and goes to seed in very hot weather.

CABBAGE: Harvest when the head feels solid when you gently squeeze it. Cabbage heads will split if they become too mature, so check often.

CANTALOUPE: Pick after the surface netting turns brown. The blossom end should have a sweet, cantaloupe-y aroma.

CARROTS: Carrots can be hard to judge. Just pull one out and taste. If it’s bitter, then leave them in the ground for a few more weeks. Carrots don’t do well in really hot weather. Be sure you pick yours before the dog days set in.

CORN: The key is in the silks. Once they dry up and start turning brown, it is time to check them.

Pull the husk down an inch or two and press a kernel with your thumbnail. If it is milky, then your corn is ready to harvest. Pull down on an ear and twist to detach. Cook as soon as you can.

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CUCUMBER: Check daily and pick when young. Cucumbers taste bitter when over-ripe.

EGGPLANT: Same as for cucumbers. Immature fruit will be firm and shiny. Cut with a sharp knife or scissors.

GREEN BEANS: Pick every day!

Beans are more tender and tasty when slightly immature. They turn tough and starchy if allowed to grow too big.

GREENS: (mustard, collards, Swiss chard) Harvest the outer leaves when needed.

OKRA: Pick small pods, no bigger than 3–4 inches, or they will get tough and starchy. Cut with scissors for best result.

ONIONS: Harvest green onions anytime.

Harvest mature onions after tops fall over and the neck turns brown. Let them cure in a shady, ventilated place for a week or two before storing.

PEPPERS: Peppers are a lot like tomatoes. They start out green, and as they mature, they turn red, yellow, orange and sometimes purple. Usually, hot peppers become hotter the more mature they get.

POTATOES: You can start harvesting new potatoes two weeks after they bloom. For big potatoes, wait to dig them up after the tops die when the ground is dry. Dig gently.

SQUASH: I always pick summer squash a little immature. They are more tasty and tender when young. Winter squash (and pumpkins) take a long time to mature. Pick them only after the skin is hardened, usually around fall.

TOMATOES: It’s pretty easy to tell when these sumptuous fruits are ripe, especially if they are red tomatoes! Pick them after they have fully developed their natural color, but before the bottoms get soft.

WATERMELON: The best way to tell if this fruit is ripe is by the sound. Thumping a mature melon gives a dull hollow thud. The underside of a ripe watermelon will be yellowish-white and the stem end will start to turn brown.

I hope this helps you. Try not to fret if you lose your squash to the evil squash vine borer this month. Just plant some more! Take advantage of any bare spots that pop up in your garden to plant more corn, beets, green beans and fall vegetables like broccoli and cabbage too. There are still many more months of warm weather for your plants to grow and produce yummy food.

FOOD

Shrimp Etouffée

Dine Lakefront Four Corners Marina welcomes Cajun Cove restaurant this summer.

THE DISH NAME: Cajun Cove at Four Corners

Marina

LOCATION: 4027 LaVergne Couchville Pike, LaVergne PHONE: (615) 641-6002 HOURS: Monday–Wednesday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thursday–Friday, 11 a.m.–12 a.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 8 a.m.–12 a.m.

PRICES: Shrimp etouffee: $11; Oyster or shrimp Po Boy: $9; Tilapia Lafayette: $13; Sausage, red beans & rice: $9 Calamari and fries

Shrimp po boy with onion rings story and photos by BRACKEN MAYO

O

or those out on Percy Priest Lake this summer or anyone wanting to venture out for a different sort of eatery, a new Cajun-themed restaurant has opened on the water at Four Corners Marina, just outside of LaVergne.

Cajun Cove provides both an indoor and outdoor dining experience just a little off the beaten path, unless you are one of the few hundred who own a boat docked at Four Corners.

The spot features all of the dishes that New Orleans cuisine is known for—gumbo, etouffee, shrimp Creole, red beans and rice plus other seafood dishes like a tilapia fillet topped with a creamy crawfish and shrimp sauce, and a salmon fillet over rice pilaf with a sweet chili shrimp sauce.

Cajun Cove also has live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights.

“We had a great band out on the patio last night,” owner Rodney Conner tells a Cajun Cove customer on a hot afternoon.

Conner, who has also been a chef and manager at the Pineapple Room at Cheekwood, Brick Tops on West End, and Murfreesborowise, at 3 Brothers Deli & Brewhouse and Bluesboro, worked in New Orleans for about five years, he said.

“I went down there to work for Copeland’s of New Orleans. It’s a big 4-star Creole/Cajun restaurant. Mr. Copeland also started Popeye’s Chicken,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do Cajun restaurant.”

Conner said while it takes some training and time to learn to cook Cajun; no matter where you get the standard Cajun dishes, they will vary little, most containing the appropriate mix of a recurring cast of peppers, tomatoes, onion, butter, rice, seafood, okra, etc.

The calamari is served with a very flavorful sweet dipping sauce, and the Po Boys, available with fried shrimp, catfish or oysters served with veggies on crispy bread, are becoming popular selections among the clientele.

The etouffee (which literally translated means “smothered,” as in seafood cooked while smothered in vegetables and spices) is excellent, containing deep flavors, but not too hot at all. Conner said he’ll spice it up for you upon request, though.

“We have great red beans and rice, flatbread pizzas,” Conner said, adding that beer is available at Cajun Cove.

“We do plan to operate through the winter,” he said.

Cajun Cove is the only spot around for the seafarer docking at Four Corners, but with their variety of dishes and boat

delivery service available, it should be a welcome addition to the facility.

They are not pulling up shrimp, salmon, calamari and crawfish from Percy Priest Lake, so the seafood is obviously not as fresh as an oceanfront restaurant location could offer, but the traditional dishes, the etouffee at least, are well seasoned and a delicious hot meal after a day of lake recreation.

Cajun Cove customers relax in the shade under the large canopy that covers the restaurant's outdoor dining area.

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SOUNDS

GUITARS FROM SCRATCH Music is born at Gallagher Guitars, Wartrace's custom instrument shop. story by BRYCE HARMON photos by JONATHAN WESENBERG

N

ow that the air has warmed to the consistent 100+ degree days, it’s the perfect time to step outside into the yard with pant cuffs rolled up five or six inches above bare feet and just listen carefully to what’s going on around here. These are the months where the sounds of Tennessee’s lawn orchestras echo through the air—the disciplined sound of banjos, fiddles, mandolins, harmonicas and flat-picked guitars echoing from our shaded porches and beneath our leafy trees. It’s the sound that makes anyone feel right at home whenever or wherever heard and even in the bitter face of playing in record-setting heat, as well as in the face of recently losing a couple of giants of the genre, new and veteran traditional and bluegrass instrumentalists are making sure that foot-tapping and good times prevail by bringing together communities across the state to play, sing and listen together.

And while together, people are celebrating and discussing how this musical heritage and the people who keep it alive continue to spread love from the biggest stringed band you can find on stage in front of a huge crowd all the way down to a sole picker on a small porch, just he and a stringed instrument of choice he’s made himself.

Oh, yes! It’s time for the 35th annual Uncle Dave Macon Days July 13-15 this year, where com-

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petitions are held for old-time bands, solo stringed instrumentalists and harmonica players (and buckdancers, too!) who gather from all over in that cozy little corner of Murfreesboro proper for a weekend of sharing laughs, good food and the chops they’ve all acquired over the past year. This is probably the most anticipated summer event for this town outside of school letting out for the kids, and never fails to be a smash hit for visitors and locals, musicians and businesses, alike.

Though Macon Days is the biggest traditionalstyle music festival in Middle Tennessee, it’s just one of the places in the area that belt out our sweet musical heritage into the hot days turned cool nights’ skies.

On a smaller scale, there was recently the twoday annual Wartrace Musicfest the first Friday and Saturday of June located about half an hour’s drive south of Murfreesboro in Wartrace, where you could literally hear bluegrass echoing across the hilltops from miles around. This particular festival consisted of even roots-ier bluegrass and blues musicians with hearts and spirit just as big as the entirety of Macon Days, all picking and grinning through the smells of barbeque and cheers.

With acts such as The Orphan Brigade and The Bad Moon Blues Band, the Wartrace Musicfest also stands as a great representation of where

traditional Southern music was born and where it genuinely exists.

On an even smaller scale location-wise, where the music is genuinely born, is a tiny guitar shop in Wartrace next to the train tracks running through their main street a few miles from the field that the Musicfest was held in.

Gallagher Guitar Company was founded in 1965 after furniture maker JW Gallagher and an old Air Force buddy were hired onto the Shelby Guitar division of Slingerland Drum Company’s Solar Music plant in Shelbyville to craft cheap plywood guitars to market to students.

“That was in ’63 and ’64,” said Stephen Gallagher, third generation guitar craftsman at Gallagher Guitar Company. “Then in ’65, he decided to build his own out of solid wood, what he called a furniture-grade guitar because he wanted the best quality. He called it a G-50, because he was 50 years old when he started the company.”

Now, almost 50 years later, Gallagher Guitar Co. still upholds the same “furniture-grade” guitarmaking process pioneered by JW Gallagher and, in that time, have established a pristine reputation sworn by collectors and musicians, alike, as their hand-made guitars are carried around the world by the likes of players Barry Waldrep, Zac Brown, and most of all, Doc Watson, arguably the world’s

greatest flat-picker whom the traditional community painstakingly lost at the end of May this year.

“This was his first Gallagher guitar.” Stephen Gallagher said holding up a mahogany-based six string with an embossed leather strap in his family’s Wartrace shop. “It’s a 1968 G-50. And this was the strap left on it when he gave it back to us.”

“It was technically loaned to him by my grandfather,” he continued. “In 1968, when they met Doc at Union Groves Fiddler’s Convention, Doc and Merle invited them back to their house—it was Easter Sunday—to hang out and so they could check out the Gallaghers [guitars]. So my grandfather and dad go to their house, and they had this [mahogany] guitar and a rosewood, which is the one they thought he would take because that was the nicer guitar, but Watson really, really loved [the mahogany] guitar. But the problem was, this crack right here on the bottom. When my grandfather had built the body, it had cracked but they didn’t have any other mahoganies to take to the show. My grandfather didn’t want to sell him that guitar because of the crack and didn’t want any defective guitars out there, but Doc really wanted it and said ‘I can’t see the crack anyway,’ [laughs].

So, Grandfather said, ‘You can use it as long as you want but if you ever stop playing it, I’d like to have it back.’ Well, in ’74, we built the first Doc Watson

model and sent it to him. He sent [the mahogany] back to us a couple of months later and held to his word and from ’75 to 2008, it was in the Country Music Hall of Fame. We got it back in 2008 just because we wanted to have it in our possession . . . it’s kind of priceless to us. Because of that guitar, we’re still here today in so many ways.”

So, how does a small guitar building business in rural Tennessee get the attention of one of the best American guitar players ever to walk these lands? Stephen Gallagher was right in his story. It’s not through the looks of the instrument, but through the sound of their thoughtfully engineered, made-from-scratch six-strings.

“We use a lot of different [wood] really, but most of our standard models are made out of two different kinds: African mahogany and East Indian Rosewood, and a majority of our standard models are made with Sitka Spruce tops. It comes from the west coast/Oregon area. All the necks are made out of a mahogany, but on our custom guitars, we’ll use Madagascar rosewood, Padua, maple, Koa, walnut. Just about anything you can think of really,” Gallagher explained standing in the middle of the raw-wood storage room before walking into the workshop itself where it’s obvious each stage of birthing a guitar is as intricate and delicately handled as the music that is meant to be played on their finished product. The room smells like every which way of fresh lumber and appears to be littered with dust, heavy machinery and wood-working tools, but the Gallaghers know everything is in its right place as they’ve built it up over the years perfect for the fluid manufacturing of their hand-crafted guitar.

Stephen Gallagher explained the first step of building a custom Gallagher is bookmatching, or matching two pieces of wood together side by side so they mirror one another, giving the impression of an open book—the front and back of the guitar (usually made of Adirondack wood). This is done by an enormous wooden bookmatching machine in the corner of the shop that resembles the fan of a car engine.

While the front and back settle together, the second step is to soak two pieces of wood that will become the sides of the guitar in a boiling vat of water, for pliability, then taken to a bending press crafted by JW Gallagher, himself, when the shop

first opened, where they are pressed into the shape of a women’s buttock, then connected together in a vice-mold by little wooden strips glued around the inside edges of the soon to be guitar box.

Besides the signature sound that comes out of the finished product, this is the stage in the process that gives every Gallagher guitar its true identity: The serial number.

“Every guitar gets the model number,” Gallagher said as he pointed to a little wooden block on the bottom of the sides that reads “CUSTOM GA [Grand Auditorium is the type of guitar he’s making] 3638.”

“See, this says ‘Custom GA’, and the serial number says ‘thirty six thirty eight.’ That means [what kind of guitar it is and] that’s how many guitars we’ve actually built. That averages out about 75 guitars a year. Gibson does about 70 units in a day [he laughs a hearty laugh].” Other landmark guitars laying around the shop include #250 his grandfather, JW, used to play, which is a 75 Special made out of quarter sawn Brazilian rosewood with golden tuning pegs and sound that could melt a block of lead. Also laying around is #3000, which is significant to Stephen being the first guitar he had a hand in engineering and building himself when he went into the family business.

But after the serial number is bestowed and the sides are set aside to dry, it’s time to brace the front and back of the guitar once the bookmatching has finished. Gallagher uses a very durable bracing concept called x-bracing made famous by Martin acoustics, because of the amount of tension the strings have on the guitars and the way it vibrates the front, as most Gallaghers are used for some tight, fast-paced pickings.

“It’s kind of like an egg shell, when you hold it from end to end and can’t break it. The guitar is built on the same principle,” he said. “The strings actually have about 140 pounds of tension and this is the bridge plate [he taps right below the hole on a two finger sized piece of blue-ish wood], so your strings actually come through and the balls will pull up against this. This is a piece of purpleheart and it’s a really, really tough wood, but the ball-end will come up against it this so when you pluck the string, it vibrates the bridge plate which sends the vibrations through the top [creating] the sound while your back and sides reflect it back

out the sound hole. The optimal listening point for a guitar is 6 feet in front of you. That’s where the guitar sounds its best acoustically.”

Once the body’s innards are in their right places, it’s time to glue all sides to one another and store the neckless box in a separate room from the shop that acts as a humidor while the neck is cut and sanded down from an arm’s length block of wood. The before and after shots of the raw neck to the finished neck is like comparing the graphics of an original Nintendo to a PlayStation 3’s graphics. One neck usually takes 4 to 5 hours from the before shot to get to the after shot, and that’s applying fingerboards, head plates and all.

“We make the dovetail [joint, at the bottom of the neck] and fit it to the top [of the guitar box].

A lot of newer guitars will actually bolt on to the neck, which has its advantages, I guess, but a traditionalist likes the fact that a dovetail has a solid joint and, technically speaking, it resonates the guitar better,” said Gallagher.

Then the guitar is whole and ready for the fancy stuff done, if need be. In the back room of their small headquarters, there’s a work bench set out for pearl inlay work if a customer requests it, and they can do anything from Celtic knots, if you play Irish music, to names down the fret board if you’re into yourself, to even pictures of your dog, which they’ve done before. It’s work for a steady and patient hand, but after all that, it’s time for the finishing touch: Finishing the guitar in the backest back room they have. It’s a small paint blotched nook with guitars hanging around piles of paint cans. The pungent lacquer and paint fumes smell

could knock a man over if he’s not prepared and a high will catch one leaving the door open too long.

“I remember being a kid and my dad not wearing a mask, and that’s probably why he’s crazy, now [Stephen gives a good hearty laugh again].”

Once the finish is dried and cured using an ultraviolet light that quickly hardens a catalyst within the paint, the guitar is brought out in all of its glory, gazed upon with a sense of accomplishment, and handed off to the new proud owner of a custom, hand-made from scratch Gallagher Guitar from Wartrace, Tenn.

Stephen picked up his own guitar beside the door when leaving the shop that day and headed to the Wartrace Musicfest to headline the first night with his quartet, The Gallagher Trio (they picked up Jake Winebrenner, the bassist from Rhythm Kitchen and Flea Market Hustlers, that night, on top of guitarist Daryl Rogers and lead vocalist MJ De Cloet) for a night of blues and bluegrass that echoed across the hilltops.

Information on next year’s Wartrace Musicfest can be found at wartracemusicfest.org. Until then, though, The Gallagher Trio has a scheduled performance at 3 Brother’s Deli in Murfreesboro July 21, while Gallagher’s other project, an oldtime band called Sweet Fancy Moses will play 3 Brothers July 28. Gallagher will also be making an appearance at Uncle Dave Macon Days this year.

Gallagher Guitar Company can be reached at (931) 389-6455, or at gallagherguitar.com for pricing information, pictures of available guitars and a history of the family business. They just started making ukuleles and electric guitars, too!

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SOUNDS IT’S NAUSEATINGLY HOT OUTSIDE, Bonnaroo is over and the blackberries are ripe; that means it’s July and time for Murfreesboro’s annual homage to “Rutherford County’s Elvis” through Uncle Dave Macon Days.

The weekend festival celebrates the banjoplucking Opry star Uncle Dave Macon with instrument and dance competitions and showcases. July 13–15 will be Uncle Dave Macon Days’ 35th year of celebrating not only the artist who was a legend in Rutherford County before he became a legend elsewhere, but also the community of Murfreesboro and its historic downtown Square.

The first Uncle Dave Macon Days took place in 1978, the brainchild of Jesse Messick, who owned the former Rexall Drugs on the Square, and Dave’s grandson David, nicknamed Ramsey. Over a drugstore sandwich, the two created a vision for the first festival.

“Jesse wanted to have something on the Square that would draw people back to that area as it had done in the past on Saturdays. Traditionally, people would come downtown on Saturday to do their business, to get their goods and to socialize, and he really wanted to capture that spirit of humanity and draw the crowd back,” says public relations rep Patsy Weiler, who has been affiliated with Uncle Dave Macon Days since 1981.

Messick and Ramsey longed for a crowd in Murfreesboro; Uncle Dave could always draw one. More than a musician, he was an entertainer in the days when he called Rutherford County home. When he worked as a freight hauler and made deliveries to grocery stores on the Square, he signaled his arrival by singing a tune. His style was not only to play, but to perform onstage (with multiple picking styles), and his hodgepodge musical influences captured his freewheeling nature.

The festival was held on the east side of the courthouse until 1989. Having outgrown the area (approximately 40,000 attend each year), UDMD relocated to the historic Cannonsburgh Village, which has been its home ever since.

In addition to contests and showcases, Uncle Dave Macon Days offers a yearly scholarship to promote education in old-time music and dance, and a yearly presentation of the Heritage Award and the Trailblazer Award. These two accolades honor those who work to preserve grassroots music and those who pave the way in old-time music, respectively.

The 2012 Heritage Award was presented to Gleason, Tenn., banjo picker Mike Snider, and renowned-in-the-bluegrass-world Kentucky banjoist J.D. Crowe was named the 2012 Trailblazer.

“J.D. Crowe has announced his retirement at the end of 2012. He’ll do occasional special shows, but he’s going off the road full-time. He’s one of the most well respected figures in bluegrass music today and he has a long and celebrated history,” Weiler says.

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John Balch (left) and David Emery perform at the first Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival at the Rutherford County Courthouse in 1978.

2012 Uncle Dave Macon Days Schedule FRIDAY, JULY 13 1 P.M. Gates Open 4 P.M. Registration, Opening Ceremonies

Downtown Old Timing Uncle Dave Macon Days throws down for its 35th year. story by JESSICA PACE

As for Mike Snider, he’s a true entertainer, like The Dixie Dewdrop himself. Known to incorporate comedy and silliness into his performance (and interviews), he can’t tell showgoers what to expect from his festival performance, which will be his first time at Uncle Dave Macon Days.

“I don’t know, it’ll be a surprise to me too. No two of them’s the same. I just get up there and feel J.D. Crowe ’em out and go from there. Each show is unique, just like each audience is unique,” Snider says.

A fan of Earl Scruggs, Snider started playing when he was 16 years old, “at that time when a young fella’s looking Mike Snider for an identity, and I couldn’t find one running around doing the things that other people my age were.”

He spent 25 years playing with the three-finger picking style before, bored with it, he turned to the “flailing” style.

“I never heard much of Uncle Dave, playing his banjo and singing and carrying on. I’d like to say that I did, because I’m getting a Heritage Award, but I don’t know much about the old boy.

I’ve heard stories that he was a real jovial guy and entertainer,” Snider laughs.

For this year, the festival committee has worked to provide access to a wider audience. There is a new parking lot located at the old silk factory off Old Salem Road, and a free shuttle will run between it and the festival. This is in addition to the shuttle that will run between the city parking garage and Cannonsburgh Village.

Additionally, the main stage will be angled so more attendees will be able to see the platform.

July 14 will be the festival’s sort of heyday, what with the weekly farmer’s market on three sides of the Square, and the east side occupied by the 150th anniversary reenactment of the courthouse liberation during the Civil War. At 10 a.m., the Uncle Dave Macon Days parade will proceed down East Main Street, circle the courthouse and head to Cannonsburgh, with the mounted Civil War actors falling in behind.

In 35 years, UDMD memorabilia has accumulated. The festival committee is working with Rutherford County Archivist John Lodl to sort through photographs, old press releases, notes on past festivals and more. To contribute to the archives, the committee encourages individuals to post on the festival’s Facebook page.

Uncle Dave Macon Days likely has many birthdays to come as a high-ranking tourist attraction in the Southeast and a cheap one ($8 buys a two-day pass; Sunday admission is free). But more than that, the festival is a place to convene and bridge generation gaps.

“We often have three generations coming together there,” Weiler says.

5 P.M. Let the Competition Begin: Linnel Gentry Old Time Singing Contest (Songs from the WWII era or earlier); Beginning Instrumental (12-years-old and younger); Uncle Dave Free Wheelin’ (This category is not an Uncle Dave Macon look alike or a sound alike contest. The performance should capture the fun, free wheelin’ sense of showmanship Uncle Dave embodied); Freestyle Dance: Junior (35 & younger), Senior (36 & older) 7 P.M. Trailblazer Award Presentation & Show: J.D. Crowe 8 P.M. Blues Singing with acoustic instruments; DeFord Bailey Harmonica; Dobro

SATURDAY, JULY 14 8:30 A.M. Gates Open, Registration 9 A.M. Competition Begins: Guitar, Mandolin, Fiddle (one waltz & one breakdown) 10 A.M. Motorless Parade Following Parade Competition Resumes: Dulcimer, Traditional Fiddle 12:15 P.M. Buckdancing Workshop with Thomas Maupin and Jay Bland (In the covered Gazebo, center of historic village. FREE. No tap shoes necessary.)

Competitions: Old-Time Buckdancing: Junior (17 & younger), Adult (18–40), Senior (41+); Old-Time Clogging: Junior, Adult, Senior Old-Time Banjo 4 P.M. Square Dance Exhibition with Tommy Jackson and The Rocky Top Review 5 P.M. Competitions: Old-Time Band; Bobby Thompson Bluegrass Banjo, Bluegrass Band 7 P.M. Heritage Award Presentation & Show: Mike Snider 8 P.M. Final Competitions: Old-Time Buckdancing: Junior, Adult, Senior; Old-Time Clogging: Junior, Adult, Senior; Old-Time Banjo; Old-Time Band; Bobby Thompson Bluegrass Banjo; Bluegrass Band

SUNDAY, JULY 15 10:30 A.M. Worship Hour 1 P.M. Gospel music, shaped-note singing and Community Service Fair To learn more about the festival, visit uncledavemacondays.com.

back catalog–but there could have been more.

Random jams between Flea and “new” guitarist Josh Klinghoffer between songs were fun to watch. Though it’s strange to see a guy who isn’t John Frusciante playing guitar up there, Klinghoffer looks thrilled as all hell to be there, and damn if he can’t play. Toward the end of the set, Flea took the mic to condone the spirit of Bonnaroo, tell us who he was into (Santigold, Radiohead, St. Vincent, Dumpstaphunk) and encourage the support of live music.

BONNAROO IN BRIEF

story by JESSICA PACE

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 MOON TAXI We watched from the back of That Tent to take in the enormity of the crowd rallying around the Nashville band. Their flashy jam-rock was seemingly blown up loud enough to fill a stadium, and with the set came an amazing and unexpected cover of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing In The Name.”

GLOSSARY  Casey Strength (pictured) and Murfreesboro’s own Glossary got its first opportunity to play Bonnaroo in 2012 and offered a rocking tight set in the Great Taste Lounge on a Thursday night. — B

PHOTOS BY BRACKEN MAYO; RADIOHEAD BY SARAH MAYO

Yes, The Pulse is almost ready to retire the subject of this festival for the year, but it should be noted that Bonnaroo 2012 was a successful one (for us) for multiple reasons. Temperatures far less stifling than last year, plus clouds and showers closing day helped inspire the “peace and love and goodness and kindness” Flea referred to during the Chili Peppers’ set. The Murfreesboro Pulse went for the long haul, camping from Wednesday evening until Monday morning, and witnessed the good, the bad and the naked. To break down the most noteworthy . . .

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 DAWES The band was surprised and grateful for the crowd that showed up for this tiny Sonic Stage gig, but there was good reason. It’s quite possible that the only thing capable of cutting through the heat-induced stupor that settles over your head by the third day of Bonnaroo is Dawes lyrics. Listen to ’em. Start with “A Little Bit of Everything.”

PHANTOGRAM Nighttime show for a nighttime band. Phantogram had a moon-and-stars ethereality in their electro-pop that made the loose and ghostly synths and guitar feel like an alien experience.

Onstage, the duo was lost in blue light, but Sarah Barthel’s voice, angelic and hollow, came echoing out over the heads of the crowd.

ALABAMA SHAKES Considering how Alabama Shakes have blown up the radio as of late, This Tent was unsurprisingly packed tight. Couldn’t see a damn thing (thanks, seven-foot-tall guy), but this was still one of the coziest, intimate, and at the same time, rocking shows we saw. Brittany Howard’s voice is like a lovin’ mama’s–warm and sweet– and is the wheel steering this rock/soul train.

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 RODRIGO Y GABRIELA Two extremely dexterous live wires created an acoustic delirium out of nylon strings and world music influences. What Stage’s surrounding area was transformed into a dance floor.

RADIOHEAD A musician friend referred to this as “one of the most influential shows of my life.” It was indeed a brightly lit experience with misshapen screens projecting split images of the band-especially Mr. Yorke, who was in high spirits and asked the crowd if they planned to spend the night face-down in the mud, which is “a British tradition.” It was a glorious electronic blur mostly of cuts from Amnesiac (“I Might Be Wrong” was killer live), Hail To The Thief, King of Limbs, In Rainbows and Kid A.

DANZIG LEGACY  The metal fans got their horns up for a lengthy set of Danzig tunes. Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (pictured) then joined Glenn Danzig and company for a Misfits portion of the show.

Glenn said he was glad when the sun went down (he’s a nigth person), but there was no reason to complain about the heat—it was quite comfortable under That Tent as dusk fell on the coolest Bonnaroo ever. — B RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS As fans in the boat that loves the Chili Peppers of old, we think they played enough of their

SKRILLEX After 20 minutes, we felt like we were hearing the same thing repeatedly. The attraction here was in visual presentation; huge billows of smoke shot upward and strange, industrial-looking images shape-shifted onscreen, intermittently cutting to shots of the teeny and dark-haired Skrillex, aka Sonny Moore, who looked like a little garden gnome Alice Cooper might keep on his front porch. SUNDAY, JUNE 10 THE BLACK LIPS A heavenly breeze was a-blowin’ as The Black Lips thrashed through short and nasty numbers, thanking the audience at least twice for getting up so early to catch their show (it was 2 p.m.) and dedicating songs to people such as “that guy . . . who pretended to be asleep in the tent last night . . . while his buddy was fuckin’ that straaaaange giiiiiirl” and “the girl who cleaned the puke out of the port-o-potty right before I took a shit.” Isn’t that kind of thing half The Black Lips’ charm anyway?

THE BEACH BOYS Even if the other Beach Boys have aged, Mike Love hasn’t. Al Jardine kind of hasn’t. At any rate, they played every bubblegum hit anyone could have possibly wanted to hear with surprising gusto and vigor. And unless they were lip-syncing, their voices have held up all these years and could still deliver the trademark, “whoooooooo”ing harmonies. We could have done without all the beach balls bouncing around the crowd, though.

KENNY ROGERS The young and the old gathered at The Other Tent to catch Kenny Rogers Sunday afternoon, and while it was a relatively small group, it was a sing-along crowd that knew every word. And then–whatwhat–Lionel Richie came onstage looking exactly the same as he did in the ’80s, and joined Rogers on “Lady,” then took over to sing “All Night Long.”

PHISH The headliner of the headliners at this year’s Bonnaroo was every hippie’s dream. Kids were getting real loose on the lawn around What Stage as Trey Anastasio, the cutest little wookie berserker that ever was, led the charge through three and a half hours worth of nu-jazz jams. If you looked down from space, we’re pretty sure a giant Glow Stick would be visible in Middle Tennessee. Visit boropulse.com for more Bonnaroo photos.

BOROPULSE.COM

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SOUNDS

SOUTHERN GIRL GIVES BACK story by JESSICA PACE

Below inset: Jackson as an upand-coming artist

WHAT’S NEW IN THE EXPANDING WORLD OF ROCK CAMPS in Middle Tennessee? A lot, particularly with Southern Girls Rock and Roll Camp.

On July 27, SGRRC presents Wanda Jackson at MTSU’s Wright Music Building for a private benefit performance the day before the SGRRC campers will perform their own songs.

The camp, which runs from July 23–28, is celebrating 10 years of empowering girls ages 10–17 through music, songwriting, recording, screenprinting and music photography—as well as teamwork, acceptance and developing a sense of self.

Its 10-year anniversary is a milestone for Southern Girls Rock and Roll Camp; it’s the second longest running girls rock camp in the world, and the past decade has been filled with more than 400 campers and 300 volunteers.

SGRRC, a service associated with Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH), fundraise each summer to continue offering unlimited scholarships for campers who are unable to pay. This year, the camp’s goal is to raise $10,000 by the 2012 opening day.

“We never put a cap on how many scholarships we can

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Wanda Jackson plays private show to benefit Southern Girls Rock 'n' Roll Camp, now in its tenth year. award, and we’ve never had to turn a child away or refuse a scholarship application since we’ve started this, and we don’t plan to. Getting money that comes in from this show or any other fundraiser will go to the kids that need it,” says YEAH Music Department Director Katie Blankenship.

Blankenship oversees all music programs associated with YEAH, all rock camps, including the co-ed Tennessee Teens Rock and Roll Camp in Murfreesboro and Nashville, and Rock Block Camp.

Scheduling conflicts prevented booking Jackson to perform for SGRRC before, but this year “we just got lucky,” Blankenship says.

“Wanda was top of our list because of her lengthy career and the fact that she’s still active, and obviously she’s an iconic figure in how she’s opened the door not just for women in country and rockabilly, but in rock ’n’ roll.”

Those who donate $50 or more to help SGRRC reach its goal will receive free admission to the Wanda Jackson performance as well as a 2012 SGRRC t-shirt. The show is Friday, July 27 at 12:45 pm.

For more information on the organization and the show, visit sgrrc.com.

CONCERT LISTINGS

FRI, 7/27

Send your show listings to listings@boropulse.com

THURS, 7/5

THURS, 7/12

3 BROTHERS A Secret Policeman’s Ball, Kelly Kerr & the Distractions BLUE Tommy McKnight JOZOARA Rik Gracia WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & the Moneymakers

BLUE Tommy McKnight JOZOARA Rik Gracia WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & the Moneymakers

FRI, 7/6 3 BROTHERS Imaginary Friends BUNGANUT PIG Mars Hill FANATICS Real Deal JOZOARA Charla Rainey NOBODY’S Backlit THE BORO Transcend the Fallen WILLIE’S WET SPOT Greez Monkeez

SAT, 7/7 BLUE The Eclectics BUNGANUT PIG Junkbox FANATICS Greez Monkeez THE BORO Alpha Blues Band WILLIE’S WET SPOT Pluto’s Revenge

SUN, 7/8 3 BROTHERS Creative Mic Night with Anthony Adams BLUE Jazz Brunch with Avent Lane & Larry Pinkerton BUNGANUT PIG Judd Davis

TUES, 7/10 BLUE Jeff Alfiero BUNGANUT PIG Martin Rodriguez JOZOARA Bob & Linda LIQUID SMOKE Bellwether THE BORO Rhythm Kitchen WILLIE’S WET SPOT Freedom Hill

WED, 7/11 3 BROTHERS Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night BUNGANUT PIG 2nd & Vine WILLIE’S WET SPOT Freedom Hill

View Concert Listings Online:

FRI, 7/13 3 BROTHERS Chris & Elle unplugged, 3 Simple Rules BUNGANUT PIG Greez Monkeez FANATICS Imaginary Friends NOBODY’S Zone Status THE BORO Steam Boars WILLIE’S WET SPOT Rebel Rulez

SAT, 7/14 3 BROTHERS Dennis & the Menace, JJ & Jared BLUE The Eclectics BUNGANUT PIG Clarence Dobbins FANATICS Top Chelf JOZOARA Emily Heggan THE BORO The Secret Commonwealth WILLIE’S WET SPOT Evil Twin

SUN, 7/15 3 BROTHERS Creative Mic Night with Anthony Adams BLUE Jazz Brunch with Avent Lane & Larry Pinkerton BUNGANUT PIG John Salaway

TUES, 7/17 3 BROTHERS Cory Bishop BLUE Jeff Alfiero BUNGANUT PIG Ryan Coleman JOZOARA Bob & Linda LIQUID SMOKE Bellwether WILLIE’S WET SPOT Freedom Hill

PUL SE PICK

KELLY KERR & THE DISTRACTIONS

THURSDAY, 7/5 @ 3 BROTHERS For the past few years, Kelly Kerr and the Distractions have put their mark on the scene, and now via local media outlet Culture Cringe (Kelly Kerr music was featured on CC’s slasher film, Girls Night Out), with tongue-in-cheek lyrics, highly amusing lyrical commentary on historic events and a jangly REM sound. He’ll be at 3 Brothers with the hodgepodge electro-punk of A Secret Policeman’s Ball.

THURS, 7/19

SUN, 7/22

BLUE Tommy McKnight JOZOARA Rik Gracia THE BORO Winslow Family Band, Paving Funk WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & the Moneymakers

3 BROTHERS Creative Mic Night with Anthony Adams BLUE Jazz Brunch with Avent Lane & Larry Pinkerton BUNGANUT PIG Gary Pailer

FRI, 7/20

TUES, 7/24 BLUE Jeff Alfiero BUNGANUT PIG Martin Rodriguez JOZOARA Bob & Linda LIQUID SMOKE Bellwether

3 BROTHERS The Enablers BUNGANUT PIG Dirty Cherry CAMPUS PUB Now the Never, Doom Factor, Iraconji, Blood Culprit FANATICS Zone Status THE BORO Boo Boo Bunny WILLIE’S WET SPOT Double Image

WED, 7/25

SAT, 7/21 3 BROTHERS Gallager Trio BLUE The Eclectics BUNGANUT PIG Gravel Road Gypsies FANATICS Junkyard Funk THE BORO Langoliers, Buffalo Child, Penicillin Baby WILLIE’S WET SPOT Stoopid Kool

3 BROTHERS The Hardin Draw BUNGANUT PIG Groove Addiction FANATICS Chasing Lovely MTSU WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Wanda Jackson NOBODY’S Nite Traxx THE BORO Hippitrain, Crash Like This, Mark Cardinal WILLIE’S WET SPOT Junkyard Funk

SAT, 7/28 3 BROTHERS Sweet Fancy Moses BLUE The Eclectics BUNGANUT PIG Lauren Zoeller & Blue Lightning FANATICS Brian Ashley Jones JOZOARA Samantha Burger THE BORO Static Revival WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & the Moneymakers

SUN, 7/29 3 BROTHERS Creative Mic Night with Anthony Adams BLUE Jazz Brunch with Avent Lane & Larry Pinkerton BUNGANUT PIG Songwriters hosted

by Ryan Coleman

TUES, 7/31

3 BROTHERS Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night BUNGANUT PIG Your Imaginary Friends THE BORO Anguish, Warmachine WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & Lenny

BLUE Jeff Alfiero BUNGANUT PIG Judd Davis JOZOARA Bob & Linda LIQUID SMOKE Bellwether WILIE’S WET SPOT Freedom Hill

THURS, 7/26

WED, 8/1

BLUE Tommy McKnight JOZOARA Rik Gracia THE BORO Brandon Cunningham WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & the Moneymakers

WED, 7/18

3 BROTHERS Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night BLUE Tommy McKnight BUNGANUT PIG Doc’s New Music WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & the Moneymakers

PLUTO’S REVENGE

3 BROTHERS Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night BUNGANUT PIG Denny Diamond WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & Lenny

SAT, 7/7 @ WILLIE'S WET SPOT

PULSE PICK

Where’d the name Pluto’s Revenge come from?

We hope it has something to do with Pluto’s exclusion from the realm of big boy planets. At any rate, Pluto’s Revenge is five dudes embracing the huge, glossy sounds of late ’70s and ’80s stadium pop rock. If you like big drums, big keyboard parts, big everything, come get it at Willie’s Wet Spot and bring your dad.

IF YOU GO: 3 Brothers 223 W. Main St. 410-3096 Aura Lounge 114 S. Maple St. 396-8328 Blue 810 NW Broad St. 410-3383 Bonhoeffer’s 610 Dill Lane 202-3517 Bunganut Pig 1602 W. Northfield Blvd.

893-7860 Coach’s Grill 127 SE Broad St. 962-7853 Coconut Bay Cafe 210 Stones River Mall Blvd.

494-0504 Dugger’s Food & Fun 1738 W. Northfield Blvd.

809-2605 Fanatic’s 1850 Old Fort Pkwy.

494-3995 Gilligan’s 527 W. Main St. 439-6090 JoZoara 536 N. Thompson Ln. 962-7175 Lanes, Trains and Automobiles 450 Butler Drive 890-3999 Liquid Smoke #2 Public Square 217-7822 MT Bottle 3940 Shelbyville Hwy. 962-9872 Murfreesboro/ Center for the Arts 110 W. College St. 904-ARTS Nobody’s Grill & BBQ 116 John R. Rice Blvd.

962-8019 Social 114 N. Church St. 904-7236 Temptation Club 2404 Halls Hill Pike 217-0944 The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 895-4800 Wall Street 121 N. Maple St. 867-9090 Walking Horse Hotel 101 Spring St., Wartrace (931) 389-7050 Willie’s Wet Spot 1208 S. Lowry St., Smyrna 355-0010 Wright Music Bldg.

1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 898-2493 BOROPULSE.COM

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MUSIC NOTES MUSICIANS REMEMBER LATE, LEGENDARY BARD The Secret Commonwealth will present a special evening in memory of founding member Jack Hunter Daves at the Boro Bar & Grill beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 14.

The show, along with a Sunday, June 15, event at Logues’ Black Raven Emporium in East Nashville, coincides with what would have been Daves’ 50th birthday.

Current TSC member Don Clark said Daves touched many lives in the Murfreesboro music scene, and left many friends and fans behind when he passed in 2004.

“He could talk to you about any subject and never talk down to you,” Clark said. “He was a huge guy, it took 10 of us pallbearers to carry him, but I think his heart weighed most of all.”

The Exotic Ones, along with other special guests, will join TSC in remembering “the music of Murfreesboro’s late, legendary bard.”

ANDREW PETERSON PERFORMS BENEFIT FOR DIVINE CARE MINISTRY Singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson will perform a benefit concert at Just Love Coffee Roasters on Sunday, July 22.

All proceeds benefit Divine Care Ministry in Uganda; tickets are $35.

Located in Kampala, Uganda, Divine Care Ministries (DCM) helps people in helpless situations like the sick who cannot afford medical care and the poor lacking food, clothing and shelter in the name of Jesus Christ.

Just Love Coffee will debut its new Ugandan blend the night of the concert. The show will begin at 7 p.m. Just Love Coffee is located at 129 MTCS Road, Murfreesboro.

In addition to his successful recording and songwriting career, Peterson is an award-winning author and the host of the online creative community known as the Rabbit Room (rabbitroom.com).

Peterson will be releasing his new album, Light for the Lost Boy, on Aug. 28. In December, he will embark on his 13th annual Christmas tour, Behold the Lamb of God and is currently working on his fourth and final book in the Wingfeather Saga series that releases in early 2013.

For more information on Peterson, visit andrew-peterson.com.

Tickets to the show may be purchased at divinecarefundraiser. blogspot.com.

AN AFTERNOON AT THE PARK WITH FARMER JASON Farmer Jason made an appearance at Barfield Crescent Park last month in support of his latest album, Nature Jams.

Kids of all ages packed the pavilion for the free show to do the Doggie Dance with the farmer with the guitar and catch other favorites like “A Guitar Pickin’ Chicken,” “Punk Rock Skunk” and “The Tractor Goes Chug Chug Chug”.

Farmer Jason, whose “identical twin brother” (himself), also fronts Jason and the Scorchers, creates music that teaches listeners about animals, agriculture and the environment.

The new album features tons of guest appearances from Hank Williams III, Tommy Ramone, Suzy Bogguss, Mike Mills from REM, Steve Gorman from the Black Crowes and many others, and The Daily Telegraph calls the record “real music and not cheesy children’s fare”. For more on Farmer Jason, visit farmerjason.com.

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ALBUM REVIEWS

BY JESSICA PACE

Carolina Story

The Ace of Coins

I didn’t think Carolina Story was likely to create any sort of impression as yet another couple of married folkies in Nashville. But Ben and Emily Roberts' story—as musicians, philanthropists and a couple—is compelling. The two met in 2007 at Visible Music College in Memphis. After a 2008 camping trip in North Carolina on which they discussed where their musical paths and lives were bound, they began playing as Carolina Story. Since then, the Roberts have played more than 350 shows, all booked independently, and co-founded Traveling Troubadours, a group of artists who favor musical integrity over the beaten path to success and play venues such as churches, nursing homes and homeless shelters.

Home, Carolina Story’s second full-length, originally dropped in 2011 but will be rereleased on vinyl featuring two additional tracks. A wrenchingly beautiful record as it is, vinyl only plays up the charm.

It’s been said that the duo are witty wordsmiths in the style of Hank Sr. and follow in the quiet but powerful musical wake of Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker, and the comparisons are true. Poignant images are conjured in the downtrodden gem “The Morning Bird,” about a helpless plea for spring and sunshine, and through the “whiskey smiles and sad cowboy eyes” in the chipper-sweet Traveling Wilburys-esque “Someone, Else,” whose harmonica and steel call-and-response is god-awful gorgeous.

“Death, it lies in wait/Just over the hillside/Digging its own grave in the end,” Ben sings on “In the End,” and Emily takes a turn on bonus track “Hotel Memphis,” with: “You and me are a mystery/I know by the way you cut your hair.” Open ends are left for interpretation as well as chin-up messages written from a beaten-down standpoint.

While both trade off on lead, vocal harmonies are beautiful and imperfect with Ben’s hushed pitch and Emily’s anguished one.

Carolina Story will celebrate Home’s vinyl rerelease on July 13 at United Record Pressing in Nashville with a performance that will be recorded live.

The Prophet Nathan’s James Oliva’s got a brand new band—The Ace of Coins, with fellow Coins Clint Brown and Mitch Kluge.

Recorded and mixed at Nashville’s Reel Recording and Murfreesboro’s The Music Office, The Ace of Coins’ first EP, The Fool, dropped last month and is available to download at theaceofcoins.bandcamp.com. If The Prophet Nathan was a subdued experiment-experience in ambient electronica with sleepy glitches, then The Ace of Coins is its pumped up, more structured and lyric-oriented incarnate where many of the same influences spring up sans the glazy coat of Pink Floyd dreaminess.

There’s Pinback-like fuzzy melodia and glitches bouncing freely throughout seven tracks, only louder and more up-tempo to the point that The Fool almost sounds like a spacey, electronic version of snotty ’90s pop punk. Incidentally, Oliva’s vocals often emulate Mark Hoppus’s (like on “Dragon Formula”) during his abstract musings: “Separate the thoughts of me/ Connected to the awful sentiment of perjury/Don’t expect an open mind/When you don’t even have the guts to look me in the eye” (“Systems of Symmetry”).

Sometimes rewinding is necessary to piece together Oliva’s entire thought, which could stand just fine on its own without the music and is why his lyrics could do well, maybe even better, as poems. The lyrics don’t flow but rather fold out in segments with a choppy pacing that brings to mind Incubus, and the style fits well within the electro-rock foundation.

Because instrumentation talks over the electronic aspects of The Ace of Coins, it may seem like this band is a huge step away from The Prophet Nathan, but I hear the same floaty, ethereal sound at the core of both bands. The Ace of Coins is The Prophet Nathan on steroids with the volume turned up and a lot more to say (and different band members). It’s hard to put electronica into your music without all the beeps and twinkling just sounding like arcade noise, and it’s harder still to make them pretty, but TAOC can pull it off or at least make it interesting.

Home

RATINGS: AVERAGE

The Fool

A CLASSIC BELOW AVERAGE

OUTSTANDING AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD BOROPULSE.COM

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Nick Dearing and Emily Lowery star in She Loves Me, opening at Murfreesboro Little Theatre on July 13.

THEATER July auditions set at Out Front, Center column by JOHN T. POWERS

T

he month of July is normally a recharging month for community theaters; that being said, there are still plenty of interesting and exciting things to look forward to on our local stages this month.

Out Front on Main has auditions for The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. George Manus will be directing this play by Stephen Adly Guirgis. Auditions are going to be July 8–9 from 6–8 p.m. To save you some stress, this audition will have cold readings from the script, so no need to memorize monologues or anything like that. This show is a dark comedy that tells the story of a court case over the fate of Judas Iscariot. The show dates will be Aug. 23–Sept. 2, so make sure you can commit to all the rehearsals and shows before you show

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up. Visit outfrontonmain.com to keep up with all that this theater is doing. Out Front has a little bit of everything for everyone with not only theatrical performances but comedians and karaoke nights.

Murfreesboro Little Theatre (MLT) also has a lot going on this month. Running July 9-21, there will be a Youth Summer Camp where your kid(s) will be able to learn how to put on makeup, perform stage combat, learn the basics of auditioning, and at the end of the camp, the kids put on a show for parents. The last day to sign up for this great opportunity is July 9, and it is available to children from the ages of 4–12.

She Loves Me, directed by Andy Ford, will run July 13–15, 20–22 and 27–29. You will recognize this show from the much-loved movie, You’ve Got Mail. For those who do not know the story, you will fall in love with the conflicted coworkers, Georg and Amalis who despise each other. They find comfort in their anonymous pen pals, not knowing that their pen pals are each other. This show is a romantic comedy, so men if you are look-

PHOTO BY DANIELLE ARAUJO

Camps, 13 Heat up Stages

ing for a great reasonably priced date, this is the show to see. Not only will it save you money, it will earn you brownie points with your lady. To make reservations for this musical, visit mltarts.com.

The Center for the Arts will hold auditions for Willy Wonka Jr. from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 7, and 2-4 p.m. Sunday, July 8. The auditions are for children entering the second grade through age 18. Come prepared to read selections from the show, sing 16-bars of a song similar to those found in Willy Wonka Jr. and do some improvisation. For more information, call (615) 904-ARTS or email tim@boroarts.org.

The Center will also be doing a three-week senior session camp for all rising 7th-12th grade students. Directed by Bill Stewart, your child will be sure to learn many new things about the theater world. The dates for this camp are July 9-27 with a performance to show off their newly learned talents July 28.

The youth show 13 the Musical, directed by Kim Powers, will be shown July 13-29. This show is about 13-year-old Evan Goldman whose parents have gotten divorced. He forced to move from New York to a small Indiana town. This show is a story of a young man trying to find his place in the world while dealing with a troubled home situation. This is a hilarious musical for all ages and for those who are discovering just what it means to be cool.

The Arts for Cannon County will be performing Legally Blonde, directed by Mary Ellen Smith.

Elle Woods is naturally blonde (an important distinction). She’s also super-popular, an honor student, president of her sorority, runner-up for Miss Hawaiian Tropic, and Miss June in the CULA campus calendar. Legally Blonde takes you from the social flurry of a California campus to Harvard’s halls of justice. Performance dates ate July 6-21. Visit artscenterofcc.com for more information.

Aug. 3–5 will be the very first show of the newly created Stones River Theatre Company. They will be performing Jekyll and Hyde in Concert directed

by Logan Huber, it will be shown at MTSU in Hinton Hall. Aug. 3 and 4 shows will start at 7 p.m. and Aug. 5th will start at 2pm. Tickets are $15.

In a nutshell, this will be a great month to go see a show. Take your pick of the genre of show you want, then come out and support. Feel free to browse boropulse.com to read the reviews of the shows later this month, and don’t hesitate to leave comments. We would love to hear back from you!

Price is God’s Favorite God’s Favorite is a brilliantly written comedy

by Neil Simon. Directed by Craig Core, this show, presented in June at Murfreesboro Little Theatre, made you laugh, cry and suffer along with main character Joe Benjamin and his family. Joe is the epitome of goodness and grace which explains why he is God’s favorite. Things go downhill when God and Satan attempt to test his faith.

Wayman Price, playing Joe, as always put on fantastic show. He is a wonderful actor, and it is always a joy to watch him. When Joe is visited

by Sidney Lipton, played by Todd Robinson, a messenger from the big man himself, you will find yourself in stitches laughing at their antics.

Todd is also always great to watch and if you ever see his name in the cast lineup, go make reservations. He always puts on such a different character, which is impressive and hard to find in community theatre. Joe’s main family issue is his drunk of a son David Benjamin, played by Jack Ryan Denny. Jack, for me, carried this show.

He is quick to make something funny, and he is willing to use his body to do so.

Overall, this show was very funny, engaging and a delight to watch as the drama unfolded.

Murfreesboro Little Theatre always seems to do shows that will bring in different audiences, and they are not afraid to push things a little further than the show before.

Oh Mary, It Takes a Fairy . . .

by ANDIE BOYD

The Boys In The Band was last month's offering from Out Front on Main and as usual for this theater, this show is way more than you expect. It takes place in 1968, at a time when being gay is still unacceptable by society. Watching this play, I

realized that even though we have come a long way with gay rights and acceptance, I can’t help but wonder if the attitude projected from this cast is still prevalent today for many of our gay and lesbian community. A lot of people tend to single out the gay people in their lives; some of my son’s friends refer to him as their “gay” friend, not just their friend, which I find odd. You wouldn’t hear these same people calling their other friends their “fat” friends, their “straight” friends, their “ugly” or their “dumb” friends, so why the tag?

Now, I shall offer another opinion—one of this beautifully directed play. Richard Browder is truly a visionary. He is a multi-talented man who brings a lot of flair to his adaption of Boys.

He also gives a flawless and moving performance as Bernard.

Out Front is a small intimate venue, but the set was simply amazing. Dsesigned by Ryan Vogel, who also plays Hank, the married guy, who has an extra door on his closet. The set is two levels and very accurately decorated for a tasteful apartment of a fairy back in the day.

He gets all the details right and maximizes the stage beautifully, as well as his character.

The setting is a birthday dinner for Harold, played by the talented and versatile Peter Depp. Some of you may know him from the Sundance reality show, Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys, or perhaps his comedy shows.

I said he was versatile!

The party is given by Michael, played with some spunk by Thomas Prunier. His character seems to be trying to escape his own skin—not really the gay part, just the realization that he simply wants to be happy and don’t know how.

Next we meet Donald, played by Blair Thompson. This is my first time seeing Thompson, and I was very impressed with his cool, yet pensive, adaption.

Enter Emory, played by none other than George Manus Jr. He is the flamboyant one. Very daring and risqué for the time, he makes no

 JULY PERFORMANCES SHE LOVES ME @ Murfreesboro Little Theatre July 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 7 p.m.

July 15, 22 and 29 at 2 p.m. mltarts.com 13 THE MUSICAL @ Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Center for the Arts July 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 7 p.m.

July 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29 at 2 p.m. boroarts.org LEGALLY BLONDE @ Arts Center of Cannon County July 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m.; July 8 and 15 at 2 p.m. artscenterofcc.com

excuses and feels very comfortable with whom he is, or so it seems. You know when George steps onto the other side of the stage, as an actor, it has to be a role he is passionate about. We rarely get to see him acting instead of directing, and it is a true pleasure. He owns this part as Emory.

We later get to meet Cowboy, played by Zach Parker. He is a prostitute bought by Emory for Harold, the birthday boy. I suppose being a gay prostitute back in 1968 was a very risky occupation. Parker does a great job with this role; he doesn’t have a lot of speaking roles, but he keeps you in stitches with the ones he has. His expressions make you laugh out loud at times. Michael tries his best to shut him down and keep him in his place, as a present, not a guest, but the flamboyance sort of collides at times, providing some memorable and funny moments.

This play takes you back to a different time, one filled with promise for our country and all of its citizens—well, almost all of its citizens. These guys are still having to hide and lie just to survive.

I am glad Out Front decided to do this. We need to be reminded of how things were and, unfortunately, still are for many people. Thank you, Out Front, for doing what you do best—making us think with your edgy and provocative theater.

Youngsters Portray Beauty, Beast

by JOHN T. POWERS

Area theater patrons also had the chance in June to go see a Disney classic at the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts, directed by Logan Huber, a relatively new face on the theater scene in Murfreesboro.

This is a condensed version of the Broadway Beauty and the Beast, and it had all the classic songs such as “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.” This musical is more for children from the ages of 4-12, but everyone will enjoy it.

Lydia McLaurin, a pretty and musically talented young starlet, gave her rendition of Belle, a strong-willed, intelligent girl who somehow manages to break through the tough and scary exterior of the Beast. I look forward to seeing her in more shows as she matures and develops her on-stage talents. Christian Powers gave life to the character of the Beast and a spot-on performance. He shows the audience how intimidating the Beast can be; all the while letting you know he just wants to be loved and to love in return. Powers is yet another young actor to be on the lookout for.

The castle was beautifully done in purple with rocks to give it a medieval look, but if the castle had been kept in darker lighting, the whole show would have given off the more mysterious “Tim Burton” vibe that Mr. Huber wanted to go for. The only major complaint I have for this show is that the microphones had feedback and popping noises; at times it reminded you of a high school pep rally where the football coach is yelling into the microphone, and that reminder is not a good one.

Still, this show is a classic fairy tale, and the younger children will melt your heart.

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BOOKS Love and Zombies

J

BY JAY SPIGHT

oseph Love has been writing since well before bath salts were being erroneously blamed for causing crazed cannibalistic behavior.

Love is the local author of Kill Town, USA, a new novella that fits in squarely with our country’s seemingly never-ending love affair with the undead. But KTUSA bucks the trends within the trend, proving to be a thoughtful, literary take on a topic “When you write that too often falls victim to cartoonish, gory about zombies, you one-upmanship and diminishing quality. really write about When contaminated fast food from Taco death, and death Toro and Venni Vetti Beefy changes their deserves a certain patrons appetites for burgers to a cravamount of respect.” ing for human flesh, Jack Heart is taking —Joseph Love, a long-needed hike along the Appalachian author of Trail. Settled into the solitude of survival in the wilderness, Jack must soon learn how to Kill Town, USA endure not just the elements, but also the hoard of “Heathens,” and most difficult of all, other survivors.

After working as a Body Removal Technician, Love went back to the book he had written (and written off ) with newfound inspiration, using his experiences as a springboard for what would become a more serious, more realistic treatment. With Kill Town, USA, fully formed, he then used kickstarter.com to get his novella out to the world.

The Pulse got a chance to talk with the Joseph Love about the long process of writing, the themes he explores and Kickstarter.

MURFREESBORO PULSE: I thoroughly enjoyed Jack Heart’s story.

I thought it combined the exposé quality of Sinclair’s The Jungle, the grimness of McCarthy’s The Road and the determined realism of Kirkman’s The Walking Dead (comics, not TV show). That said, what were your major influences, zombie or otherwise, when writing and then coming back to writing this story?

JOSEPH LOVE: I was amazed to

read The Jungle in the year of its 100th anniversary (2006) and then to read The End of Food (by Paul Roberts) two years later. Overall, the food industry still looks and acts a lot like the meat industry of the early 20th century.

You have a few businesses producing/ processing the majority of the nation’s

food from massive, contaminatefriendly facilities. It’s the perfect vehicle for a zombie virus.

The Road has been haunting/taunting me since it came out. I’d had this idea of two men wandering in the Arctic on an expedition, but there wasn’t any detail, just a bunch of snow. The story wouldn’t materialize.

Then McCarthy came out with The Road, and I read it and thought, “Oh,

yeah, use your imagination.” When I started KTUSA, I knew I wanted to echo the journey of The Road, and the cold, and the search for food.

MP: I can see certain parts of the book being “tongue-in-cheek” as the press review calls it, from the “fictional” fast-food establishments to Jack’s first encounter with a Heathen bear, but I found these elements less humorous than bleakly realistic. Can you account for these possible disparate reactions to your writing and storytelling?

JL: On the surface, all of KTUSA is

tongue-in-cheek. If you read it just for entertainment, you get zombies, funny restaurant names, naked bear fighting, constant action and a hero who is almost too good at being the hero to be just a normal guy, kind of like Ash in Army of Darkness. But my background is wholly literary. When you seriously consider the story, the humor dissolves. It’s intended to be bleak and to mimic real life. Jack Heart isn’t a funny guy. He doesn’t have one-liners or catch-phrases, even when he holds his rifle and imagines he’s God on judgment day, it isn’t funny. He’s agonizingly serious and deadpan, and he might see no difference between himself and God. He straddles this line between sociopath and hero, and makes a lot of tough decisions in order to survive. When a reader sides with Jack, it means accepting something dark inherent in all of us. I’m pretty happy with disparate interpretations. The book can be enjoyed on both (and more) levels.

MP: As well as the gruesome descriptions of gore both post- and pre-mortem, how else did your work as a body removal technician

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influence your writing and story telling, specifically in reference to your cutting 150 pages from the original piece, and to your sparse, yet powerful character interactions between Jack and Audrey, between them and Claire and Matthew?

JL: What a good question about body

removals and character interactions!

What triggered the rewrite was decapitation. I picked up a man who committed suicide by jumping from his apartment balcony. During his fall, he hit another part of the building and was decapitated (rather cleanly).

I didn’t think much about it until I looked at him inside the body bag. I imagined the people who found him. I imagined the fall. I wondered if there had been children around—there must have been. I knew looking at his body and head that I would never forget that image, and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like for a child to have witnessed. I wanted to write a story from that child’s perspective, but I just kept coming up with the voice

READ TO SUCCEED:

of Jack Heart. I’d already written the novel, but Jack had a new voice. It was detached, sad, and he had a heavy past. I liked that voice better. That’s why I considered a rewrite. I got rid of the overly silly parts, the dense antimeat agenda, and made Jack much more serious overall. When you write about zombies, you really write about death, and death deserves a certain amount of respect. I had to rewrite Jack with a level of composure that never falters.

(SPOILER ALERT!)

When it came time to write Jack’s father’s suicide, I borrowed something I heard during my time as a Removalist. A mortician told me about his first decapitation: a fireman backed his convertible up to a telephone pole and tied one end of a steel cable around his neck and the other end around the pole. He took off and got up to 50 or so before the cable caught and made a clean cut.

The guy knew exactly what he was doing. I chose that method for Jack’s

father because it’s so memorable and because it doesn’t leave any doubt in Jack’s mind about his father’s intentions. He wanted to die, and Jack is left wondering why.

When Jack and Audrey sit down with Matthew and Claire, there’s something strange going on. On one side you have Jack, whose genius accounting for Major Meat could have very well caused some oversight in production and, ultimately, the contamination of meat. On the other side you have Matthew, who saw that something needed to be done in his community and inadvertently created a murderous group of vigilantes.

Each is perhaps responsible for the other’s situation. But they wind up in the same place and they have an unspoken understanding: they just want to mind their business and tend to their partners. It’s a gentleman’s agreement. It’s something that got tweaked after I started removing bodies. Every so often, I’d meet a husband who was only being held together by his silence. You could just tell. We’d make eye contact, and I’d do

my job in silence, then step out of the room, then he’d step out, and I’d leave with his wife on a covered stretcher.

We’d never say a word to each other.

Jack Heart is that kind of man. He has to say a lot with few words.

MP: You used the website kickstarter.com to help fund some of the costs involved in seeing Kill Town, USA,come to fruition. Could you talk about what that was like?

JL: Kickstarter was a great tool to

raise money for marketing. Kickstarter gives you 30 days (or 60) to raise a set amount of money for your project, but really you raise the money in 10 days– the first 5 and last 5 days are the most active for contributions. My goal was $2,000 and I wound up with $2,145.

While that’s good, most of it came from friends and family. I had hoped to garner more attention from strangers, but I’m happy with how things ended up. If you use Kickstarter, your expectations have to be realistic.

Artists—writers, dancers, musicians, etc.—really have to sell how the money will be used. I had a marketing plan

Hot Summer Reads

IT’S THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER, and for many people that means long weekends at the lake, lazy afternoons at the pool or a family vacation. For me it means books, and lots of them. Everything from beach reads to the latest nonfiction all sit on my nightstand, waiting anxiously for their turn.

So what are the hottest books for this summer? From long-awaited sequels to stirring nonfiction, this summer has something for every reader.

The Age of Miracles Karen Thompson Walker’s coming-of-age story revolves around 10-year-old Julia and her family during the worst of times— they awake one morning to learn that the world is literally slowing down. This apocalyptic novel is less about the world ending as it is about one family and what a crisis of this magnitude does to those we love.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail A heartbroken young woman with no hiking experience, a pair of ill-fitting boots and a 1,100-mile hike: a plan that is doomed from the start. In Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, everything can and does go wrong, but the author’s journey, as much within herself as on the trail, is drawing high praise from everyone from The New York Times Book Review to Oprah.

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy) Fans of Deborah E. Harkness’ debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, have been waiting for this sequel since they turned the final, nailbiting page of her first book. Harkness’ latest novel reunites us with scholar Diana Bishop and vampire Matthew Clairmont as they delve deeper into the mystery surrounding an ancient manuscript.

A Titanic Love Story: Ida and Isidor Straus Just in time for the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster comes local author June Hall McCash’s nonfiction account of two Jewish immigrants, their lives and ultimate deaths aboard the Titanic. From their impoverished beginnings to their trip on the Titanic in April 1912, McCash gives a wonderful glimpse into the lives of the Straus family.

Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn is one of the best suspense novelists working today and her newest novel shows that she is at the top of her game. Gone Girl examines a marriage where love has deteriorated into manipulation and cruelty;

written out that explained how much money was to be spent on each facet— advertising, promotional materials, publicity, etc. I wasn’t raising money to write a novella—that part was already done. I was raising money to share it with people. I think that’s the difference between successful Kickstarters and flops. Your contributors know when you’re in it for the wrong reasons. In this case, I wanted as many people as possible to read this novella, and other people wanted to help make it happen. It also held me accountable for my own dream. That’s more significant than the amount of money I raised. I told these people I was going to do something, and they bet money on it.

Nothing keeps you motivated better than 60 investors who expect results.

Joseph Love is currently plotting a new novel and also looking to release Habits and Hijabs, which recently placed in the top 50 of 5000 for the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. You can check out Kill Town, USA, for yourself in either eBook or paperback versions at amazon.com.

by MICHELLE PALMER

wife Amy has disappeared, leaving husband Nick as the prime suspect. But of course, there are two sides to every story. Flynn’s latest book is “unputdownable” with an ending that will haunt readers long after the final page.

Calico Joe In his newest novel, John Grisham takes a break from themes of crime and punishment to tell the story of young Joe Castle, a rookie from a AA ball team who finds himself called up to the big leagues. This slim novel is a great beach read; Grisham’s writing captures the true essence of baseball, fathers and sons, and the cost of fame.

These are just a few of the many wonderful books coming out this summer, so whether you are a casual reader or an addict (like me), take a few minutes this summer to relax and unwind with a good read.

Michelle Palmer is a RTS One Book Committee member, and author of the book blog, Turn of the Page (michellepalmersbooks. blogspot.com). Read To Succeed is the community collaborative created to promote literacy in Rutherford County. The objective of this partnership between schools, area agencies, and businesses is to support local programming and raise awareness about the importance of literacy. For more information and to find out how you can make a difference in Rutherford County’s literacy rates, visit readtosucceed.org. The opinions expressed in this book review are not necessarily representative of Read To Succeed, but simply intended to promote the joy of reading.

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LIVING ROOM CINEMA

MOVIES REVIEWS

column by NORBERT THIEMANN

cinespire@gmail.com

Artists PROMETHEUS Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron Directed by Joss Whedon

Rated R

Since Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror/sci-fi hit Alien, the eponymous wet black creature inspired by H. R. Giger’s psycho-sexual artwork has spawned three proper sequels, a couple spin-offs vs. another movie alien (Predator), not to mention comics, videogames and a secure spot alongside film history’s greatest movie monsters. Scott finally returns to the Alien universe with Prometheus, a prequel to his original tale of corporate greed set against the backdrop of a haunted house in space.

Strangely, Prometheus is the first in the series to actually be a true science-fiction flick (more on that later). The movie begins on earth in the late 21st century where archeologist couple Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discover an ancient cave painting that could point to the origin of the human species in a constellation too far from the earth to be seen by early humans. The film picks up years later, with

 AT THE DRIVE IN For some summer movie fun, head over to Woodbury’s Moonlite Drive-In and watch some of the season’s new releases from your car, lawn chair or truck bed.

The Moonlite has two screens, and every Friday and Saturday beginning at dusk each shows a double feature. A single movie is shown on each screen on Sundays. Movies are usually kid friendly. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for kids.

Visit themoonlitedrivein. com for more information and upcoming showings.

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A CLASSIC

a crew in cryogenic sleep aboard the spaceship Prometheus while the android David (Fassbender) acts as caretaker. When they reach their destination, their discoveries lead to horrifying revelations on the origin of their species (and the alien’s), as well as further philosophical questions about the morality of a search for one’s maker.

Good works of science fiction should raise these kinds of queries. Co-writer Damon Lindelof developed a knack for developing a good mystery while writing for TV’s Lost, but like that show, the answers can be more infuriating than the questions, and often raise even more questions than we started with. Lindelof is alright with the big picture, but the small picture sci-fi

elements can be somewhat baffling. With such sophisticated mapping and communications technology, no one should get lost. No one.

The film’s strong-suits far outweigh some of these concerns, however. With Scott at the helm, no Alien movie has ever looked this good.

From the set to the aliens to the environment design, Prometheus can be both beautiful and terrifying, often in the same shot. And Fassbender’s performance as an existential android makes for the most complex, human and creepy character on a ship full of one-note, who-will-die-next types, much like Prometheus amidst the swath of inferior sequels since Scott’s original classic.

— JAY SPIGHT

BRAVE Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Craig Ferguson, John Ratzenberger Directed by Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman and Steve Purcell

Rated PG

We’ve come to expect a few things from Pixar since Toy Story, like immense detail and unchallenged superiority in digital imaging, and a simple story about family, love and pride.

Typically characters learn from one another and create harmony only after turmoil has torn the natural balance apart. It’s classic Hollywood structure, but with computer animation and talking animals and things.

In this installment of the Pixar legacy, a Scottish princess, Merida, defies her mother and tradition to defend her freedom jeopardized by a forced betrothal.

The eldest son of each clan competes for her hand, lady’s choice. The lady emphatically picks archery, and after guffawing with her behemoth father at the suitors’ attempts at impressing her, sneaks out to the field to show them how it’s done.

She proclaims she’s competing for her own hand, then looses three arrows into the targets,

OUTSTANDING

bull’s eyes every time. She is no ordinary Disney princess. Merida has an iron will and wants to fight. Becoming a proper lady, as her mother insists, is simply not on the fiery redhead’s agenda.

It’s a really nice movie if you can stand all the bagpipe music; it’s at least a step in the right dimension after Cars 2. And as always, the Pixar short that plays before the movie is worth the price of admission — SPENCER BLAKE

AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

THINKING ABOUT THESE artists inspired me to look up some quotes on the subject: • A picture is a poem without words. – Horace • A man paints with his brains and not with his hands. – Michelangelo • A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession. – Albert Camus • The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration. – Frida Kahlo

 Frida (2002) is a bio pic about Frida Kahlo, directed by Julie Taymor. It’s hard to imagine a more artistic presentation of the painter’s life while telling her literal story.

Salma Hayek’s performance of Kahlo, a woman who suffered her entire adult life from a tragic accident in her youth, is nothing short of outstanding. Nerds like me take special notice to an animated hospital sequence provided by the Brother’s Quay. Not only is Frida an absolute feast for the eyes, but it boldly captures her struggles through life, love and art.

 Marwencol (2010) is a documentary about Mark Hogancamp and is directed by Jeff Malmberg. Sometime’s life’s events can lead to the outpouring of artistic expression without art being a conscious choice. Such is the case with Mark Hogancamp who was compelled to regain an identity after being brutally victimized.

His visual storytelling with inanimate dolls gained him unsuspected recognition. It is a heartfelt story that should not be missed.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD

SPORTS OLYMPICS BEGIN IN LONDON THE TRAIN DADDY IS BACK with the pain additions Bud Adams and company added to the daddy, and the heat is on here in the ’Boro stadium—big ass TVs, baby! These monster HD with triple-digit temps and in Miami as video boards are almost as big as the ones big King James owns the city and the champimpin’ Jerry Jones put in the Cowboys stapionship. This heat sucks, especially when dium; we now have the second largest you work construction as I do; I am video boards in the league. Standing not going to cry, but 113 degrees is at 54 feet tall and 157 feet wide, one on each end of the stadium, hot on the sack. the Titan’s organization spent It’s an exciting summer, the summer of the London Olympics. millions so the fans can have the I love the Olympics—every home theater feel at the game. game, every sport, every So all you lazy people who event, competition is competisay you rather enjoy the game tion, and I love it. It’s not even from home, well no excuse fair for the other countries! now; your system isn’t nicer column by Z-TRAIN They should all just become than this. Some other new adtitanman1984@ yahoo.com one giant supercountry and it ditions include a new sound would still be a challenge to system and large LED ribbon outdo the US in the medal count. For America, a board, which is great for updates for fantasy country full of fat overweight slobs who love fast football fans at the game, and two large banks of food, I salute all the dedicated Olympian athletes high-speed elevators that lead to the upper deck. who somewhat overshadow that stigma by the Alright, so let’s talk quarterback controversy, way they represent this country on a world stage. is there a quarterback controversy? I love this The opening ceremony of the 2012 London quote from nfl.com: “If the Titans are Linus from Olympics kicks off on Friday, July 27, and the 'Peanuts', Matt Hasselbeck is their security blanshow and festivities get bigger and better every ket.” Everyone knows he is the security blanket time. The projected number of nations participatthat Linus loves so much, he is a veteran, a game ing is 197, and 10,500 athletes are estimated to manager with solid NFL experience; he is just compete in the events, which consist of 26 sports Hasselbeck. Then there is Jake Locker, the future! and 302 different events. London is the first city Locker, an undeniable talent selected eighth overto host the games three times—previously in all in the 2011 draft, spent last season under the 1908 and 1948. wing of the coaches and the veteran Hasselbeck.

So let’s break down the number of total He wasn’t thrown into the lions’ den like Andrew medals won by the US, just to show you how Luck will be this season. He played in the second crazy America’s dominance really is. In the total half of many games last season and made some medal count from 1896 to the present, the US phenomenal plays. Coach Munchak has declared kills it with 2,549 total medals, dominating in an open competition this training camp, and this the summer games with just 253 coming from is where opinions fly and the debate begins for the winter games. The next closest country is “Who should start at QB?” the Soviet Union with 1,204 total medals and Yes, Locker is without a doubt my favorite in third, Germany with 1,099 followed by Great choice but maybe not the right decision to start.

Britain, France and Italy. So what’s the explanaLook at the Titans’ start of the season: New tion of dominance, when this country is full of England, at San Diego, Detroit, at Houston, at fat, fast-food enthusiasts? I am no Olympian, but Minnesota and then a Thursday night game vs.

I do enjoy the games and appreciate the athletes.

Pittsburgh. That is a hell of a first six games. I I am ready to see what my pot-smoking friend would start Matt for the season, and after those Michael Phelps will do; he already has an all-time six games, evaluate him. If he has a failing grade, record 14 gold medals and is 2 medals away from I pull him and put Locker in. The road gets much being the all-time medal holder (currently set easier after the first six games. Locker is the at 18). The battles between him and some say future, but that is the smartest way to weave him equally talented American Ryan Lochte should into the system. No reason to kill your rookie. He be the most exciting events in this year’s game. can still learn much more as it is only the beginGold and silver in every race will be nice; it’s the ning of his second season. Locker will be there Phelps vs. Lotche saga 2012. sooner than we realize, and I am damn excited To my loyal and passionate Titan fans, trainfor the kid and the future! ing camp is in session and there are many things Good luck in the Olympics, America; God to be excited about. Let’s start with the sexy Bless football and Happy Independence Day!

SPORTS TALK

CHECK YOUR FORM More quick exercises to add to your routine

A GREAT WORKOUT ROUTINE is like a puzzle; many pieces coming together in the right order to complete the objective. As a trainer, I see a lot of “routines” being performed; however, the pieces to the puzzle seem to be a bit off. If you’re like me, I want to do things right so I don’t waste my time creating a mess of injuries and traumatizing embarrassment. That being said, I wanted to share with you a few exercises you could add to your own routine in case you haven’t already. This article is a continuum to our first workout routine we provided in the months past.

THE LUNGE: The lunge is an aggressive way to tackle the lower body, specifically the glutes and hamstrings. It’s a technical move that if done correctly, will render your rear side sore for days! The lunge begins with feet side to side, then moving one forward enough to step at least 2-4 feet from your starting position. Once the leading foot touches the ground, allow the back knee to drop, creating a 90° angle at both knees.

From here, the back knee should touch the ground so you’ve assured a full range of motion. Next, allow the leg in front to push you up and forward so that the back leg can catch up. Perform 3 sets of 10-12 at first and build from there, these can handle some volume! Hint: hands on ears allow you to notice if your head and chest is dropping, for these should remain forward throughout the entire movement once comfortable performing. Also, remember to keep the front foot always down when at the bottom position and never let the knee move over the toe.

THE SIDE PLANK: Grueling as it sounds, the side plank is a sister to the front plank and can be performed in many different ways. The most basic is from the picture displayed. To start, lie on either side with your elbow comfortably under the armpit region. Next, stack the feet on each other and simply elevate the hips until your body is straight. Now you’re planking!

Perform 2 sets of 30 seconds-2 minutes each side. Hint: If too hard, let the knee touch the ground as a way to build up strength before going to feet and elbows only MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS: A great way to get the old ticker racing is a fast set of mountain climbers. These are what we classify as plyometrics. Plyometrics incorporate a lot of strength and fast pace movement combined with coordination. The climbers are a useful tool used to target the abdominal region and hip flexors specifically. To start, literally get in a sprinters stance with one foot back and the other knee bent under the torso. Chest is positioned over the hands for the entire movement. Both toes are pressed into the ground, and then simply switch the feet back and forth so that they land simultaneously. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-20 each side. Be careful not to bring the knees too far forward, for they should not go past the chest line. Also, keep the knees and legs in a straight line so that the knees stay under your body.

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ART Center Hosts ‘Transitions in Dimension’ Exhibit

T

he Center for the Arts is pleased to announce “Transitions in Dimension”, an exhibition of recent works by W. Michael Bush. This show includes various oil paintings dealing with equestrian and musical themes as well as mixed media works from a recent series in which Bush directly paints onto various musical instruments and household objects. He then juxtaposes the items alongside his own interpretation manifest in the form of two dimensional works.

Tackling a wide variety of themes that trace the human’s journey through time, Bush pursues a myriad of various ideas and themes in a whimsical and playful style that appeals to an audience of all demographics. He currently works from his studio in Bell Buckle.

An Opening Reception will be held Saturday, July 7, from 5–7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

To see more images of Bush’s work, visit wmichaelbushartist.com. For more information on the Center for the Arts, call (615) 904-ARTS.

Spearman’s Art on Display at City Hall Rotunda

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M

urfreesboro City Hall will host an exhibit of works by artist James Spearman through July 27, with an artist’s reception Thursday, July 12 from 4:30–6 p.m.

Spearman, a native of Georgia, resided in Detroit for 50 years where his life experience included Air Force musician, journeyman carpenter, electronics technician, interior architectural designer and artist. While enrolled at Detroit’s Wayne State University in 1965, he took an art class his freshman year and promptly changed his major, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1973.

Among his proudest achievements is his painting of “The Sole of Rock” for Cleveland, Ohio’s, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and its subsequent use as the signature cover piece for the traveling exhibit, “Rock My Sole.” Considering himself a realist, Spearman’s primary work includes oil on canvas supplemented by other efforts with pencil, charcoal and acrylic.

His subjects range from landscapes, cityscapes and still-life to his specialty in figurative works often specializing in portraits.

In 2007, Spearman and wife, Delphine, moved to Columbia, Tenn., where he currently serves as art director and board member for the Maury County Arts Guild, committee member for The Polk Theatre/MCAG project, and member of the Arts Council of Williamson County. With 25 published prints to his credit, Spearman is also involved with teaching art workshops for Health Healing Arts and the YMCA’s ArtEmbrace programs.

When speaking of his work he states, “My technique is structured. I believe good paintings are planned . . . and do not happen by accident. The artist uses his knowledge of the ‘Elements of Art and Design’, and their psychological effect when visualized by people, to make his audience see . . . what he intends for them to see. The artist dictates the focal point of the work and the movement of how the viewer’s eye will travel within the painting itself. When my work is good, it is because I have put a lot of thought into the planning of the final piece.”

The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday thru Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. City Hall is located at 111 W. Vine St. For more information or directions, call (615) 893-5210.

Left: “Spring Hill Battlefield” taken in Maury County by Amy Carroll of Culleoka, was awarded Preservationists’ Pick No. 1 Below: Other entries in the contest include “The Battle” by Matthew Cole Farris of Murfreesboro, “Gregory’s Bald Shrouded in Mourning Still” by Bradley Bull of Jefferson City and “Double Rainbow over the Mayes-Hatcher-Hill Home”

by Kathie Fuston of Columbia

Winning Photos from Scenic Tennessee Contest on Display

T

he winning photographs of the 20112012 “Living Legacies: Capturing the Scenic Beauty of Tennessee’s Civil War Heritage” Photo Contest co-sponsored by Scenic Tennessee and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area will be at The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County through September 2012.

More than 170 images were reviewed by a panel of judges that included Dr. Spurgeon King, associate director of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area; Robin Conover, editor and photojournalist at The Tennessee Magazine; and Mack Prichard, Tennessee State Naturalist Emeritus. Amy Kostine, MTSU Center for Historic Preservation graduate assistant, is curator of the exhibit. The goals of this year’s contest were to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War; to broaden and deepen understanding of the war and its significance; and to help tell Tennessee’s full Civil War story, by capturing its military, homefront, occupation, and emancipation landscapes. It was suggested for entrants to use the Tennessee Civil War Trails marker and signage program as a source for their subjects across the state.

As with past contests, three cash-award winners and several honorable mentions were named in four divisions. The first place winner in the middle-school division was Matthew Cole Farris, a 7th grader at Saint Rose Catholic School in Murfreesboro, for his image of a cannon amidst headstones at Stones River National Battlefield.

The top winner in the high school division was Rachel Melton, a home-schooled sophomore from Sharon, whose photo of “Bloody Pond” at Shiloh National Military Park—titled “Keeping History’s Secrets”—is a striking combination of pastoral beauty and tragic history. Top finisher in the crowded adult amateur division was Robert Melgar of Monterey, whose spare, sepia-toned image of the Stones River battlefield has a haunt-

ing, scorched-earth quality. And first place in the adult professional division went to Mary Rice of Brentwood, for her stark, black-and-white closeup of “Unknown Soldier, No. 7,” an anonymous marker in the Confederate cemetery at Carnton Plantation in Franklin.

In addition to the division winners, two photos were honored as Preservationists’ Picks. The first Preservationists’ Pick was selected for the exhibit’s title panel and shows a rising sun illuminating a lone cannon at Spring Hill Battlefield in Maury County. Amateur photographer Amy Carroll of Culleoka captured this view of what was, until recently, considered one of the “Ten Most Endangered Battlefields” in the country, according to the nonprofit Civil War Trust. Like many battlefields located near modern cities, Spring Hill has faced intense pressure from development, industrial growth and population spread.

Since 2010, however, the future of the battlefield is much more secure, thanks to an agreement by General Motors to sell key acreage at a generous discount. “Walking Past History,” by Jennifer Butt of Nashville was the second Preservationists’ Pick and captures the remarkable restoration work being done on the Douglass-Clark House in Sumner County, which will serve as a trailhead interpretative center for the Lower Station Camp Creek Greenway System. The property was home for nearly a century to Emma Douglass Clark and an on-site Civil War Trails Marker tells how all but one of Emma’s four sons died fighting for the Confederacy.

To see the winning images, visit scenictennessee.org and click on “Photo Contest 2011-2012.”

For more information, please contact The Heritage Center at 217-8013 or heritage@mtsu.edu.

Located just off the historic square at 225 W. College St., The Heritage Center is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday and features guided walking tours of the town square on the hour.

JULY ART EVENTS The Murfreesboro Art League Children’s Camp The Murfreesboro Art League will host two art camps: July 9–13 at the Sam Davis Home (Smyrna) and July 16–20 at the Murfreesboro Art League gallery at the back of Cannonsburgh Historic Village. The camp will cater to 3rd–6th graders from 9 a.m.–12 p.m. and 7th–9th graders from 1–4 p.m. The fee is $60 for the week and includes a sketchbook and painting materials. For more information, visit murfreesboroartleague.blogspot.com or contact Suzanne LeBeau at suzanne.lebeau@att.net.

Art and Music Show The Cultural Art League will feature an art show July 14 at Coach’s Bar and Grill from 3–7 p.m. consisting of art, photography, music and design work by 15 or more local artists including Diane Stockard and more.

Enjoy music by jazz singer Melanie Winn and possibly a surprise band! There will be door prizes and food to order. For more information contact (615) 594-6647.

Faithful Strokes Faithful Strokes provides a quick and simple way of creating your own treasured work of art in just one class session. An instructor will guide you step-by-step from a blank canvas to your finished masterpiece. All supplies and and materials are included. All you have to do is come ready to paint and have a great time!

Classes are $30. This summer’s theme is “Christmas in July.” July 5, 7 p.m.–10 p.m.; July 19, 7 p.m.–9 p.m.; July 26, 7 p.m.–9 p.m. Visit faithfulstrokes.com/ murfreesboro to register.

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