Reviews

CHRISTOPHER GRIFFITHS Lime Lake Rd. THE MINOR SECOND EvilOlive

Award-winning Murfreesboro producer and singersongwriter Christopher Griffi ths has made his second solo album, an easy, six-song folk-country-rock EP titled Lime Lake Rd., drastically divergent from 2020 dance-pop debut Midlife Pop Crisis. But what Griffi ths is doing with Lime Lake Rd. and its endearing country sentiment is even greater than how freakin’ awesome Pop Crisis is.

Lime Lake Rd., as a whole, is an autobiographical folk-country journal of a grown son’s life thus far (if not, it’s a brilliant concept album on that topic), and doesn’t waste time getting into the good mushiness. “Day Dreamer” makes an easy-listening country lullaby that angelically fugues the piano and strumplucked mandolin, an electric guitar and bass, then the slide, building up as Griffi ths rejoicingly sings to his own kid in amazement of their time together.

“Best Part of You,” brings an upbeat toe-tapper that opens up to the country-pop-strummed acoustic, organ and tambourine rhythm shortly before becoming a bedroom wall of sound, adding electric guitar and bass with a harmonica kicker. Lyrically, it’s a lovely girlfriend-appreciation pop-rocker very much in Tom Petty fashion. There’s a lengthy tambourineand-harmonica-heavy solo and bridge to cross, which is as outstanding as fi nding out the artist does his own backing vocals rightly at the song’s outro.

“Take on You” contends for the album’s best as the organ-hum intro returns with bass drum and campfi re-side acoustic guitar rhythm, as a star-twinkle synth and a clap-along effect accents the song, which is as rowdy as Lime Lake Rd. gets.

The album’s namesake comes from the Cedars, Michigan, road on which Griffi th’s father lived. I’m assuming country was Mr. Griffi ths’ genre of choice, as the track titled “Lime Lake Road” presents an easy, comfortable country strum with an electric guitar to accent this warm remembrance of a rain falling on the roof of his Dad’s place. It’s Mr. Griffi ths’ song from an album Chris made in his memory, letting the father know the son is doing all right in life. Solid. The Minor Second released its full-length sophomore album, EvilOlive, in 2021 out of Music Row’s The Hit Pit, laboriously following the 2018 debut, Half Step, which raised such questions for the band as “has that guy on the wall been staring for a while?” and “did he try coke at that party?” As for EvilOlive, vocalist Trevor Evans-Young raises such questions as “is this a concept album about modern, daily orthodox religious practices?” and “is this the partial musical diary of a marriage?”

All questions raised by The Minor Second’s catalogue remain open to interpretation.

EvilOlive wields a variation of Talking Heads and The Smiths infl uences, adding nuances of dark punk that nod to Danzig. These, along with similarities to the vocal style of The National’s Matt Berninger, contribute to creating The Minor Second’s sound. Pertaining to the Danzig-fi cation, The Minor Second—a band that cranked up in Murfreesboro back in 2006 as The Transcenders—gets a little sinister with a four-song suite starting with “Disdain,” interchanging spooky Morrissey/Interpol with the gloomier sound, about a weary traveler pondering against folks’ night lives while, seemingly, on an Australian vacation (honeymoon?).

In a pitchy, ghostly vocal over a brooding Smiths-meets-Bauhaus style, “Glory” describes an Old Testament-minded cyborg with a singularity phobia. The dark grunge continues on “Blasphemy,” and rounding out this suite, “Compound World” is a darkly punk-ifi ed, teeny-pop love song somewhat of a satire of Rubber Soul’s “Girl” in its Morrissey/Berninger vocality, only, this time Morrissey and the backup vocalists are dead.

A raw power guitar solo halfway through “Stunned by Time” transforms The Minor Second from mysteriously conceptual to amped entirely. It’s a hell of an outro for EvilOlive. It’s just a shame that waited to happen until halfway through the last song. Find The Minor Second’s EvilOlive at theminorsecond.bandcamp.com.

Sounds Read more about local music at boropulse.com/category/music

STRING DUO DAILEY & VINCENT will be recognized at the 50th Annual Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival on Saturday, July 3, in downtown Smithville, Tennessee, for their contributions as one of the most popular bands in contemporary American music, embracing bluegrass, country and gospel.

Darrin Vincent will be celebrated by the State of Tennessee with an unveiling of his Tennessee Music Pathways marker on the square in his hometown during the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree at 5 p.m. Launched by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development in 2018, Tennessee Music Pathways is a planning guide that connects visitors to the state’s rich musical heritage at tnmusicpathways.com. From the largest cities to the smallest communities, Tennessee Music Pathways stretches across the state’s 95 counties and features hundreds of landmarks from seven genres of music that call Tennessee home.

Jamie Dailey will also be honored at the event as the recipient of the Fiddlers’ Jamboree’s 2021 Blue Blaze Award. The Blue Blaze Award is designed to honor an individual or group that keeps the embers of bluegrass music burning for future generations. The Jamboree’s Blue Blaze Panel Committee unanimously agreed on Dailey’s nomination for the 2021 award citing his long-running contributions to bluegrass music. Following the presentations, Dailey & Vincent will perform a mini-concert on the main stage. Although Dailey & Vincent only began performing regularly as a duo in 2008, both members had extensive careers in Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree bluegrass and had sung together informally since 2001. Vincent met Dailey, then working with Doyle Lawson, in October 2001 at the International Bluegrass Music Dailey & Vincent to be honored with Association awards show in Louisville. Tennessee Music Pathways marker placed When they sang together, they discovered that their voices blended well. in Vincent’s hometown of Smithville Dailey and Vincent then decided to work together as a duo. In January 2007, they handed in one-year notices to Ricky Skaggs (Vincent performed with Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder) and to Lawson. The duo’s fi rst show together was at the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium on Dec. 29, 2007. Dailey & Vincent have continued to record and tour prolifi cally, receiving numerous Grammy, Dove and IBMA awards. In 2017, the duo was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. For more information on Dailey & Vincent, visit daileyandvincent.com.

Jamie Dailey will also be honMUSIC ored at the event as the recipient NOTES group that keeps the embers of bluegrass music burning for future generations. The Jamboree’s Blue Blaze

BERT DRIVER’S BURLAP ROOM AND NURSERY in Smithville will host a night of Motown music on its outdoor stage with The Jimmy Church Band on Saturday, July 10.

This high-energy dance and show group features dazzling choreography and consists of a rhythm section, horn section and the titillating voices of Cinnamon and Spice. The group travels the U.S. and abroad performing for parties, wedding receptions, sororities and fraternities, several governor’s inaugural balls and other concerts. Songs range from Bruno Mars and Louie Armstrong to Journey and Michael Jackson, and of course the “Motown sounds” of the Supremes, Four Tops, Martha and the Vandellas, Temptations and Marvin Gaye.

Find more on The Jimmy Church Band at thejimmychurchband.com. Live music starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 10. The show is rain or shine. This is an outdoor event with plenty of space and local food trucks and artisans will be onsite.

Bert Driver’s Burlap Room is located at 175 Hurricane Ridge Rd., Smithville. Find tickets at eventbrite.com.

JIMMY CHURCH BAND PERFORMS HIGH-ENERGY FAVORITES IN

SMITHVILLE ON JULY 10  KARAOKE, TRIVIA AND DJ NIGHTS IN MURFREESBORO

 ONLINE AT BOROPULSE.COM/KARAOKE

 Mondays

AHARTS PIZZA GARDEN Trivia Night, 7 p.m. HANK’S Open Mic Night 6–9 p.m. JACK BROWN’S Trivia Night, 7 p.m. LEVEL III Trivia, 7 p.m. THE BORO Karaoke, 8 p.m. THE WHEEL Pool Tournament 7 p.m.  Tuesdays

COCONUT BAY Trivia, 7:30 p.m. FRONT STREET PUB Acoustic Jam NACHO’S Trivia, 7 p.m. SEASONS Poker, 7 p.m. Karaoke, 8 p.m.  Wednesdays

BURGER REPUBLIC Trivia, 7 p.m. EL TORO Trivia, 7 p.m. GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Karaoke 8 p.m.–12 a.m. JONATHAN’S GRILLE Trivia, 7:30 p.m. JUST LOVE EAST Trivia, 5 p.m. SEASONS Trivia, 7 p.m. THE BOULEVARD Trivia, 8 p.m. THE WHEEL Trivia, 7 p.m. VAN’S BAR & GRILL Bike Night, Karaoke, 6 p.m.  Thursdays

FRONT ST PUB Line Dancing NOTES Karaoke, 5 p.m. PARTY FOWL Trivia Night, 7 p.m. SEASONS Poker, 7 p.m. Karaoke, 8 p.m. STARS & STRIKES Trivia, 6:30 p.m. VAN’S BAR & GRILL Pool Tournament 6 p.m. 219 MIXED CUISINE Trivia, 7 p.m.  Fridays

BOOMBOZZ PIZZA Trivia Night 8:30 p.m. FRONT STREET PUB Karaoke GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Karaoke, 9 p.m. MARGARITAS Karaoke, 7 p.m. THE WHEEL Karaoke. 8 p.m. VAN’S BAR & GRILL Karaoke. 7 p.m.  Saturdays

CARMEN MEXICAN RESTAURANT Karaoke, 9 p.m. FRONT STREET PUB Karaoke MARGARITAS Karaoke, 7 p.m. SEASONS Latin DJ Night 10 p.m.—3 a.m. VAN’S BAR & GRILL Karaoke, 7 p.m.

Sounds

 BOOK

JOHN VILE’S BOOK America’s National Anthem

Addresses many social elements of “The Star-Spangled Banner”

STORY AND PHOTO BY LAURA LINDSAY

Americans celebrate Independence Day, commonly referred to as the Fourth of July, to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence from England on July 4, 1776. Our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” familiar to many, many people in the U.S. (the first verse, at least), represents the struggle for that freedom.

In his book America’s National Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner in U.S. History, Culture, and Law, writer, teacher and minister Dr. John Vile has put together a resource for understanding all aspects of the U.S. national anthem and its significance in U.S. history and today’s American culture.

“One of the things that you most prominently associate with the anthem, particularly around the Fourth of July, is the singing or the rendition somehow or another of the national anthem,” said Vile, a professor of political science and dean of the University Honors College at MTSU, in an interview with the Murfreesboro Pulse. “The anthem has been increasingly tied to sports events as you know, and it has become a little bit more controversial.”

He points out that the anthem is played at most graduations as well.

“I always hear the anthem, and at MTSU they have someone lead in the alma mater, which is pretty easy to sing, but someone just starts the anthem and the audience sings, and this audience rendition is really hard to pull off,” the author says.

“One of the misconceptions about the anthem is that it is sometimes called an old drinking song, but the original tune was a song of a very elite group of musicians in England who would get together and have performances. It is one of the harder national anthems compared to ‘God Save the Queen,’ and I think that is one reason why if you try to do a patriotic song at school, unless you have a good soloist, it’s more likely to be ‘America the Beautiful’ or ‘God Bless America’ or some tune like that.

“The most controversial performance of the national anthem has probably been Roseanne Barr’s, and there is still a little debate around it,” Vile said. “In my own opinion, she actually thought she could sing it and then she got in the middle and realized she couldn’t, and then she tried to make a joke of it, and it’s not something most people want to joke about.

“Then there was one who gave a very sultry version and all of the basketball players started giggling,” said Vile, laughing. “A reporter asked one of the players what he thought, and he said he felt like he needed to smoke a cigarette afterward.”

In his book, Vile recalls a performance in 1968, by a 23-year-old blind singer named José Feliciano. Feliciano, who had immigrated to New York from Puerto Rico, was invited to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” to open game 5 of the World Series at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium. He sat on a stool with his guide dog and played a Latin jazz version of the song on his acoustic guitar. He hoped his version would capture audience attention and “show my appreciation to America for what they have done for me,” Feliciano told NPR in 2017.

Vile writes, “Listeners did pay attention, but not in the manner that Feliciano had anticipated. In a year that had witnessed the assassinations of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy of New York, many viewers interpreted the mellow, stripped-down performance by the long-haired, sunglasses-wearing Feliciano as ‘part of the Vietnam war protests’.”

Since that time, and the performance of the song in various other musical styles, many in the U.S. have grown to appreciate alternative takes on “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In fact, the Detroit Tigers invited Feliciano back to perform the anthem again in 2010.

“There’s not a congressionally authorized official tune for the national anthem,” Vile told the Pulse, “even though you all probably know what the most common tune is.” Some who alter the melody too drastically from the traditional tune “may get tomatoes thrown at them, and it may stir up some controversy.” “Aretha Franklin did a really good job, as did Marvin Gaye. Jimi Hendrix did one at Woodstock that was sort of punctuated by bombs bursting all over us and at the time was sort of downplayed,” Vile said. “Whitney Houston did a great job.”

Lucy Monroe was known for singing “The Star Spangled Banner” more than 5,000 times in her life, earning her the nickname The StarSpangled Soprano.

A lot of protests surround the national anthem in modern times, Vile said.

“You have the right to stand silent,” he said. “Taking the knee was meant to be more respectful than just sitting down, and I don’t question the motives of the people who were doing it, but I just don’t know how effective it is. The flag and the anthem have such emotional resonance with people that sometimes it has more of an emotional connotation. Does the flag stand for police brutality? Then [critics of those protesting the anthem] say ‘this is someone who is not very patriotic. Why aren’t they willing to get up? Why are they doing that?’”

In his book, Vile quotes Christopher Wilson, the director of Experience Design at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, who observed that “every time Jackie Robinson stood on the baselines as the anthem was played, or when civil rights movement activists had the flag ripped out of their hands as they peacefully marched, or when my dad saluted the flag at a segregated army base in Alabama fighting for a nation that didn’t respect him, the song became less Key’s and more ours.”

America’s National Anthem is an encyclopedia and reference work that covers these topics and many more: everything related to the anthem, from its origins and performances to notable phrases, its meaning to different groups and court cases related to the anthem.

Vile, also a minister at Beech Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church, has written several books about American symbols such as the Liberty Bell, as well as The Bible in American Law and Politics, Encyclopedia of the First Amendment and other works. For a complete list of Vile’s books and more on the author, visit mtsu.edu/honors/staff/vile.php.

By the dawn’s early light What so proudly we hailed At the twilight’s last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars Through the perilous fight O’er the ramparts we watched, Were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets’ red glare The bombs bursting in air Gave proof through the night That our flag was still there O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave ”

Living  TRAVEL

Upper Piney Falls

A journey behind a Tennessee waterfall provides a cool mist on a hot day

STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO

PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO

For those who appreciate a good Tennessee waterfall, a cool breeze and spray awaits those who venture behind Upper Piney Falls. This shady mist from the falls can cool off and refresh park visitors hiking on a hot day.

The trek to both Upper and Lower Piney Falls, located at Piney Falls State Natural Area (just outside of Grandview, Tennessee, in Rhea County, not far from Crossville), is not too diffi cult of a journey through the thick Tennessee woods, with a few moderately steep inclines.

It’s a bit of a drive east up the plateau from Murfreesboro, but a unique waterfall and a great little swimming hole await those who make the trip to Upper Piney. The falls offers a rewarding spot to spend a little time sunning on the rocks, cooling off in the shade, really cooling off under the falling water or swimming, having a picnic or just watching the fi sh and birds and the gorgeous waterfall as it plunges 80 feet onto the rocks below.

To get there, starting from a very small parking area on Firetower Road off of Highway 68, a trail leads through the forest approximately a half mile. At this point, hikers can turn right—which leads to the top of Upper Piney Falls—or left, which takes them downhill to the pool below the falls, where hikers emerge from a massive rocky overhang to the base of the falls. They can walk directly under the falling water if they wish, or take the path, which is plenty wide enough at this point to avoid getting wet.

Studying a map of the area before, or during, a hike may be a good idea. The trails are not marked incredibly well out in the woods.

“There are several side trails that aren’t part of the hike and I found myself about a half mile off the trail at one point,” hiker Becky Coretti said.

Still, she called it a “beautiful hike.”

“It was really a beautiful experience walking within the rocks behind the falls,” she said. “Will defi nitely be back.”

Crossing under or over the falls, the trail continues as a continuous loop on the other side of the creek.

I heard of a cable on this other side of the falls, but our party did not venture to this portion of the natural area. The trail gets so steep at this point, the park service installed a heavy wire for hikers to hold while they navigate this very steep area. Many visitors do an out-and-back approach to the falls and avoid the other, more diffi cult, side of the loop. Many of those who do the full loop suggest doing the loop clockwise, visiting the base of the falls fi rst and completing the cable portion going uphill. Looping in the other direction would make the cabled cliff portion a downhill descent.

“If you do not want to do the possible water crossing [through the creek on top of the falls] or deal with the cable, just go left at the split in the beginning and then backtrack out,” Jennifer Rigney advised. “High fl ow or low fl ow, it’s still pretty with something different to discover. . . . When the water is fl owing though, Upper Piney is magnifi cent.” Many say the cable portion of the trail is really not ideal for youngsters or pets. But for more experienced hikers with proper footwear, this part of the Piney experience can make a fun challenge. Even avoiding the cable, some call the hike an intermediate-level one. A trail spur will give a view of Lower Piney Falls from above, but there is no access to the pool of this waterfall.

The U.S. Geological Survey recognizes the natural area as a national landmark because of its old-growth trees and remarkable landscape, according to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

And traveling out that way from the Nashville area via I-40 offers access to many other state parks and natural points of interest, if a group wanted to hit multiple hikes in one day. Heading out I-40, signs promote Cummins Falls, Burgess Falls, Edgar Evins, Standing Stone, Fall Creek Falls and Cumberland Mountain state parks. Ozone Falls is also nearby. For a much longer hike, visit the Cumberland Trail State Park, bordering the Piney Falls State Natural Area.

If You Go

PINEY FALLS STATE NATURAL AREA

Firetower Road, Grandview, TN 432-566-2229 Site managed by Cumberland Trail State Park tn.gov/environment