May 2013 Murfreesboro Pulse by The Murfreesboro Pulse

MURFREESBORO

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Readers’ favorite local Mexican restaurants

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

Vol. 8, Issue 5 May 2013

FREE Take one, or two!

A look at some ﬁlms that played at the Nashville Film Fest

INTERVIEW WITH

WEIRD AL YANKOVIC

The comedy/polka master talks of his Tennessee appearances and years of making fans laugh.

+FESTIVAL SEASON IS HERE!

ONLINE AT: BOROPULSE.COM

EDWARD SHARPE, PAUL McCARTNEY, JERRY LEE LEWIS, SMASHING PUMPKINS and others ﬁll legendary lineups for another rocking festival season in Tennessee. page 18

DEAR READERS:

CONTENTS LIVING

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Healing Field, Tennessee Renaissance Festival, An Evening Under the Stars, 5k races and more.

Living Green Eat your yard with Nashville Foodscapes.

Read to Succeed Book Review Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

MOVIES

Nashville Film Fest Filled with Tennessee Spirit A look at some of the screened films with local roots.

Reviews The Lords of Salem, Oblivion

THEATER

March Performances The Borrowers, The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) The Effect of Gamma Rays . . . Pulitzer-winning work played at Little Theatre.

Razzle Dazzle Magic Show Area magicians present show at Center for the Arts.

FOOD

Berry Awesome It’s strawberry time in Tennessee!

Murfreesboro Mexican Resturant Roundup What’s your favorite Mexican restaurant in the 'Boro?

SOUNDS

The Alpocalypse Is Here! The master of polkas and parodies, Weird Al Yankovic, is still making fans laugh.

Oh, "The Terror!" Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips talks with the Pulse about the new record before the band hits Nashville and Memphis.

Short Ride, Eternal Slide Skydog, new box set, captures the important recorded legacy of Duane Allman.

Reviews The Most Amazing Century of Science, Classic Williams

MAY CONCERTS

COVER STORY

18 

SPORTS

Sports Talk with Z-Train Warmack, Hunter now ready to bleed Code Blue.

OPINIONS

La Palabra Nazi Explorers of the Amazon

Boston Bombing the Work of Muslim Terrorists We must be aware of the role of religion in these acts.

Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself Let go of fear, and become one with other humans.

Recover Rutherford: Good Rocking Tonight Have you heard the news? You can come clean and get real.

ART

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Exhibits this Month The Luchadores of Growden; lots of MTSU student work at the Todd Gallery; a show at the Francis home.

CREW

PULSE

MARGARITA BY CHRISTY SIMMONS; WEIRD AL BY BRACKEN MAYO; COVER PHOTO BY BRACKEN MAYO

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo Art Director: Sarah L. Mayo Advertising Rep: Don Clark Copy Editors: Steve Morley, Kelda Sturgis

Music Editor: Jessica Pace Contributing Writers: Gloria Christy, Ryan Egly, Zach Maxfield, Hayden Owens, Michelle Palmer, Cameron Parrish, August Saucier, Elizabeth Scott, Jay Spight, Frank Shepard, Justin Stokes, Andrea Stockard, Norbert Thiemann, Phil Valentine

16 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 © 2013, 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

WELCOME TO THE LATEST installment of the Murfreesboro Pulse. This one is packed with Pulse things that make me happy: Weird Al, for one. I've been enjoying this guy's parodies and polkas for nearly as far back as I remember. As someone who tries to both master an instrument and make others laugh, Alfred, you are OK in my book. The Flaming Lips have brought much musical enjoyment to me for a good while now as well, and the Pulse has the opportunity to bring to you some thoughts from Mr. Drozd in advance of the Lips' May performances in Nashville and Memphis. I like some Mexican food as well. Who doesn't? Especially when the option of patio dining is a much better choice than indoors! Bracken Jr. is being brought up familiar with the ways of the Mexican restaurant, and knows his way around the menu, and a platter of rice and beans. "You bring me cheese dip!" he directs the waiter. He is the queso conniseur. If you're a fan of painting and wrestling you'll want to check out Art Growden's series of luchadores, on display at Moxie. Masked wrestlers and bold colors make another joyful combination. Are the formulaic and soulless motion picture blockbusters getting you down? Start shopping local with your movies. Our Nashville Film Festival section is loaded with Tennessee folks, and many of these individuals are well aware of the shift in technology that allows nearly anyone with a camera (that can be purchased for a few hundred dollars) and a group of people dedicated to telling a story the chance to be a filmmaker. Don't ask permission—do it! The Healing Field brings a striking display of patriotism once again this Memorial Day weekend. Definitely pay your respects to the veterans—value the land that many have sacrificed for. Remember the teachers and the firefighters and the trash collectors and the farmers and the librarians and the writers and the artists, too. There are a lot of people fighting for freedom and a better country who have never enrolled in the military, or even left the country. Remember, too, that Memorial Day isn't just about red, white and blue, a piece of cloth known as the flag, patriotic slogans and bugles and guns and "The Star Spangled Banner." It's about freedom. Remember liberty all year long. Protect the freedom of others. Don't be trapped. Don't be a slave. That's not what America is all about. Pursue happiness—what really makes you happy, not what commercials or politicians say you should want. Nothing could be more insulting to the spirit of the veterans who have served our land than citizens living a life in fear and slavery. Peace, Bracken Mayo Editor in Chief BOROPULSE.COM

MAY 2013

LIVING COMMUNITY

EVENTS compiled by ANDREA STOCKARD

Send event information to murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com

MAY 2 RAIDERS' CHOICE AWARDS The Middle Tennessee athletic department will hold the Second Annual Raiders’ Choice Awards, recognizing the athletic and academic achievements of the Blue Raider studentathletes, May 2, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the MTSU Tucker Theater. This blue–carpet celebration is open to the public with a limited number of free tickets available. Pick up tickets at the MTSU Ticket Office. The show will air live on MT 10 and delayed on NewsChannel5+ (channel 250) on May 8 from 8-10 p.m. For more information, visit goblueraiders.com.

MAY 3—21 MURFREESBORO ART LEAGUE EXHIBITS IN ROTUNDA The Murfreesboro Art League’s 7th annual fine arts exhibit at the Rotunda of Murfreesboro’s City Hall (111 West Vine St.), will be held May 21-June 21, free and open to the public; an artists’ reception will be held Tuesday, May 21, from 4:30-6 p.m. For more information, visit murfreesboroartleague.blogspot.com or e-mail Suzanne.LeBeau@att.net. Exhibits in the Rotunda are free and open to the public 8 a.m.4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

MAY 3 DOORS OF HOPE HOSTS CELEBRATION OF HOPE The community is invited to come out to The Experience Church, Park Place (521 Old Salem Hwy.) Friday, May 3, to celebrate the accomplishments of Project Braveheart, Doors of Hope, and the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center (RCCWC) as they create awareness about recidivism, honor men and women graduates and celebrate more than 10,000 community volunteer hours. Tickets can be purchased at Doors of Hope (302 E Vine St.). For more information, visit opendodorsofhope. org, facebook.com/OpenDoorsofHope or call (615) 653-8491.

MAY 4–5, 11–12, 18–19 & 25–27 TENNESSEE RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL Travel back to 16th Century England! The

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Village of Covington Glen (2124 New Castle Road, Arrington, TN) comes alive with the bustle of a Renaissance marketplace from 10 a.m.6 p.m. Over 60 skilled artisans from all over the country display their wares from silks to swords and from gems to jewels. Tthe sounds of Renaissance musicians and merrymakers echo through the trees and peals of laughter welcome those who thrill to the challenges of Games of Skill and Man-Powered Rides. For more information, visit tnrenfest.com.

MAY 9—11 DAYS ON THE FARM The 41st annual Days on the Farm will be hosted by the Sam Davis Home (1399 Sam Davis Rd) on May 9–11. This living history celebration will feature demonstrations including how to make candles from hot wax, how soap was made from pig fat and lye and how quilts were made to keep people warm during the cold winter months. For more information, visit samdavishome.org.

MAY 10 BIRDS AND BEES SERIES Come out to the Wilderness Station (697 Barfield Crescent Road) May 10 at 10 a.m. for Backyard Habitat Habits with Polly Rooker, who has worked with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for 35 years. Birds and Bees Series will offer help and ideas on how to attract wildlife to your yard, provide habitat, and learn about native plants and animals that can benefit your life. For more information, contact Rachel Singer at (615) 217-3017 or rsinger@murfreesborotn.gov.

MAY 10 LEADERS TO SPEAK AT WORLD OUTREACH CHURCH VIA VIDEO Community business leaders can access the knowledge and experience of world-renowned leaders by attending Chick-fil-A Leadercast hosted by Murfreesboro Towne Center at World Outreach Church (1921 New Salem Rd.) May 10. Chick-fil-A Leadercast is a one-day leader development event broadcast live from Atlanta, Ga. to hundreds of sites throughout the nation. Speakers for this year’s event include Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric, Andy Stanley, best-selling leadership author and communicator and more. For more information, visit chick-fil-aleadercast.com or call (615) 896-4515.

MAY 10 ONE BOOK PRESENTS AN EVENING UNDER THE STARS Join in celebrating the book The Fault in our Stars on Friday, May 10, from 6-8 p.m., as part

MAY 25–27 FLAGS OF REMEMBRANCE HEALING FIELD This living display of heroism will fly as a temporary patriotic tribute to the strength and unity of Americans, and will honor all the men and women who have made the supreme sacrifice for our nation’s security and freedom. Take a walk through this awe inspiring 1,500 flag display at Medical Center Parkway and Maplegrove Drive across from Belk near The Avenue. No admission charge. For more information, call (615) 641-0121 or visit of Read To Succeed’s One Book program, which challenges Rutherford County residents each year to read a chosen book and learn more about area nonprofits. This year’s selection, The Fault in our Stars by John Green, deals with teens with cancer in an insightful and life-affirming way. The Riverdale High School Jazz Band will kick off the evening, followed by refreshments and activities including a book swap, trivia contest, art project and prizes. For more information, visit readtosucceed.org or call (615) 738-READ.

MAY 10 CAREER SOLUTIONS JOB FAIR Goodwill Career Solutions (710 Memorial Blvd., Suite 210) will host a job fair from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. on Friday, May 10. Dress for success! For a complete list of other Goodwill events, visit giveit2goodwill.org/goodwillweek.

MAY 17 CANNONSBURGH CONCERTS Have fun at Cannonsburgh Concert Series at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) from 7-9 p.m. in the pavilion. Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 890-0355.

MAY 17 TO BREW OR NOT TO BREW Discovery Center and the Nashville Shakespeare Festival are pleased to announce Murfreesboro’s first ever Shakesbeer on Friday, May 17, from 7–10 p.m. at the Discovery Center (502 SE Broad St.)! Enjoy samples of craft beers from around the mid-state and delectable tastes; learn the science behind brewing and enjoy live performances from the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. Breweries participating in the event include (but are not limited to): Electric Avenue Brewing Co., Fat Bottom Brewing, Mayday Brewery, Mid-State Brew Crew, Music City Brewers, O’Possums, Short Mountain Distillery. For more information, visit explorethedc. org/shakesbeer.

MAY 18 RUN UNITED 5K The 2013 Run United 5k, hosted by The Avenue Murfreesboro to benefit United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties, kicks off May 18 at 7 a.m. Register at active.com. This year’s event will include a one-mile fun run.

MAY 20-24 TSSAA SPRING FLING State championships in five high school sports, track and field, tennis, baseball, boys’ soccer and softball will take place from May 20-24. For more information, call (615) 889-6740 or visit tssaa.org.

MAY 23 BELLE CANTO WOMEN’S CHORALE If you love music from the Big Band Era, come hear the Swinging Belles sing many big band favorites with a dash of patriotic music. Belle Canto Women’s Chorale will perform a free concert May 23, at 7 p.m., in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church (210 N. Spring St.). Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact windcaller@att.net.

MAY 25—SEPT. 8 ANIMAL SECRETS EXHIBIT Families can explore the hidden habits and secret lives of forest animals at the Discovery Center (502 SE Broad St.) as they discover nature from an animal’s point of view. For more information, call (615) 890-2300 or visit discoverycenteronline.org.

MAY 26 MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE Visitors are invited to gather at the national cemetery rostrum to remember the sacrifices of soldiers, past and present, at 1:30 p.m. at Stones River National Battlefield (1563 Thompson Ln.). The event will include patriotic music, a wreath-laying ceremony and a reading of the names of veterans who have passed away since last Memorial Day. For more information, call (615) 893-9501 or visit nps.gov/stri.

MAY 27 CAMPUS LIFE MEMORIAL DAY 5K—The 2013 Campus Life Memorial Day 5k will be May 27 at Central Magnet School (701 E. Main St.). The race starts at 7 a.m. and will take participants through the beautiful streets of downtown Murfreesboro. Runners and walkers of all skill levels are welcome. For more information, call (615) 890-3203.

BOROPULSE.COM

MAY 2013

LIVING EAT YOUR YARD

Nashville Foodscapes focuses on making yards fashionable and functionable. (Left) Design drawing.

Foodscapes incorporate both design and function into a yard by turning edible plants into landscaping.

aims to correct this absurdity, and with a style In the June 2012 Green Living article that puts the conventional to shame. Enter“Reclaiming the Yard: The Rich Rewards of prising individuals across the country are Growing Your Own Food,” we put the ubiqbeginning to forgo the Stepford look and are uitous modern landscaping norm into an historical perspective. The U.S. Golf Associa- taking a more feral approach. Fescue is giving way to clover, the purely tion, taking a cue from the aesthetic arrangement to landed aristocracy in Engaesthetic and functional deland, created a style worthy signs. Companion plants are of emulation by upwardly being introduced to invite mobile Americans. We beneficial insects back to the haven’t always poured 67 column by RYAN EGLY city, which is in turn benefitmillion pounds of synthetic egly@boropulse.com ing other urban wildlife. The pesticides onto our yards 2,000-mile average delivery annually, or squandered 30footprint of grocery store items is being elimi60 percent (depending on the city) of urban nated, while food security is being improved. freshwater on grasses created for golf clubs, And in our area a company called Nashville or burned 580 million gallons of unfiltered Foodscapes is as hot as ever, helping Nashvilhydrocarbons to keep a fast-growing herbalians turn their yards into an urban paradise. ceous plant at a particular height and angle. Company founder Jeremy Lekich has taken a Luckily there is an emerging trend that

LIVING GREEN

few minutes out of his busy spring schedule to answer a few questions for the Pulse. Is a foodscape, as compared to a landscape, a lot of work? Does it require a lot of water? It depends. Multiple raised beds with veggies are more work than appropriately chosen perennials. An edible landscape is certainly no more work than mowing every week, and can actually require less effort if planned that way. We design yards to capture every drop of rain, which contributes to both drought and flood prevention, when applied to a city scale. Does a foodscape look untidy? Will it look like a vegetable garden in my front yard? This also depends. If you want a manicured foodscape, we can do that. More wild and natural styles are also possible. Is there a size limit? What if I have a large front yard? More space opens up more possibilities as well as more diversity. Nut trees, for example, can grow much larger than fruit trees. Grass can be replaced by a combination of native plants and perennial white clover, which only grows to about 6 inches. The end goal is to mimic a natural forest. Trees are heavily mulched in rings, which can be expanded. Eventually you will have a shaded edible landscape with paths among beautiful flowers and herbs. 6 * MAY 2013 * BOROPULSE.COM

Will a lush and functional front yard attract more snakes, rodents and other pests? Yes, of course, a more natural environment will attract animals. We should ask ourselves if this is a bad thing. A change in perspective is what is needed. Is this something cutting edge, or is it a return to a lost time? At some point the ancestors of all of us lived among greens, herbs, root plants, trees, pretty much everything that sustains us. It is a recent development that we are no longer active participants in the cultivation of our food. We aren’t really “going back”; we are integrating a new concept in the suburbs. Nothing is determined; experimentation and exploration are a big part of what we do. Customers give us great feedback, and experience a huge quality of life improvement as they tap into something ancient, from the surroundings that they are used to. How did you get started doing this? I replaced the grass in front of my dorm at Warren Wilson College with an edible landscape, consisting of edible and medicinal herbs, and fruit. This eliminated the need to mow. Visitors were excited to see the project; it was really a great experience!

Check out what you could do at nashvillefoodscapes.com. (Murfreesboro too!)

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan Susannah Cahalan’s descent into madness begins in 2009, with two small bug bites and a mild obsession with bedbugs. A 24-yearold reporter living in New York City, Cahalan has a full but stressful life, with a loving boyfriend, close coworkers and family, and a challenging yet rewarding job. Despite outward appearances, however, something is terribly wrong; unbeknownst to her, Cahalan’s brain is starting down a winding, dangerous rabbit hole, filled with seizures, paranoia and psychotic rages. Cahalan’s autobiography Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness reads like a movie script or an episode of House. For Cahalan, her journey into insanity is all too real, beginning with the innocuous bug bites and ending months later, after hospitalization, treatment and therapy. Cahalan’s last clear memory of that horrific time was of watching television with her boyfriend, Stephen, before she began to seize—not the quiet, glassy-eyed-type of seizure that she would also suffer, but a convulsing, foaming-at-the-mouth event like something out of a horror movie. When Cahalan next regains her memory, she is confined in a hospital bed, bearing a bracelet that reads “flight risk” and having lost an entire month of her life. Despite becoming catatonic and being near death while doctors scramble to find a diagnosis, Cahalan’s story ends well—she is lucky to have caught the attention of neurologist Souhel Najjar, who realizes that what is wrong with Cahalan is not mental illness but a rare autoimmune disorder. Najjar, who himself had overcome obstacles to become head of his class at medical school, does the one thing no other doctor has done: he looks Cahalan in the eye and vows that he will find out what’s wrong with her, no matter what. After a brain biopsy confirms what Najjar had already suspected, Cahalan begins treatment for a rare disease known as anti-NMDA-receptor autoimmune encephalitis, and the even longer road back to recovery. A trained reporter, Cahalan begins to piece together her missing month: by MICHELLE PALMER using her own writing, her father’s journal, and personal accounts from friends, she works through the agonizing process of recounting that “month of madness.” Perhaps most difficult is watching the videotapes taken of her during her hospital stay: “That petrified person is as foreign to me as a stranger . . . without this electronic evidence I could never have imagined myself capable of such madness and misery,” Cahalan writes. Brain on Fire is an incredible story; Cahalan’s honesty and unflinching approach to her illness make what could easily have been a book filled with self-pity and depression into a mission to find herself and to help others who go undiagnosed around the world. While her road back to health is not easy, Cahalan’s determination and spirit make Brain on Fire an unforgettable read.

READ TO SUCCEED

BOOK REVIEW

Michelle Palmer of Murfreesboro is co-chair of Read To Succeed’s One Book Committee and is 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.

BOROPULSE.COM

MAY 2013

MOVIES

JUG FACE  Directed by Chad Crawford Kinkle Starring Sean Bridgers, Lauren Ashley Carter, Daniel Manche

FAVORITE FESTIVAL FILMS The 2013 Nashville Film Festival, which ran April 18-25 at Regal Green Hills Cinemas, screened 268 films and brought in over 27,000 attendees. The program included a special international segment that included 15 Kurdish films and hosted guests from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, along with the thousands of film fans and professionals. Many of the participating filmmakers with roots in Tennessee were good enough to speak with the Murfreesboro Pulse about their work being shown, their love of film and their take on the future of the industry. Here’s just a sampling from the films that screened at the 2013 Nashville Film Festival and their creators. Visit boropulse.com for full interviews with all of the filmmakers mentioned here.

A Southern horror film shot right here in Tennessee? You had me at “Hello” . . . Jug Face is the tale of a backwoods community, their blood-debt to an ancestral evil, and one young woman’s quest to escape the evil twist of fate that has claimed so many before her time. Let me say that this is an ambitious film, and it does stumble at one or two points. Let me also say that Jug Face is perhaps one of the best horror movies to come out in a long time. It’s creepy, capitalizing on both its dirty roots and low budget. Top-notch performances and a killer look (including an opening sequence that blew me away) only add to the mix of a great piece of local cinema that keeps one foot planted in the realm of horror and one in the realm of art. This film also pulls no punches, playing with themes of fate, heritage and incest all at once, and doing so in a fashion that doesn’t feel overwhelming. What more can I say without giving the story away? Check it out at jugfacethemovie.com. Prepare to be creeped out. — JUSTIN STOKES

NASHVILLE 2012  Directed by Jace Freeman and Sean Clark I’ve always found it fitting that Nashville is home to the Documentary Channel. After all, Tennessee’s capital has so many wonderful stories yet to be told. And while Nashville is no stranger to being the setting for movies, documentary masterminds The Moving Picture Boys took it upon themselves to tell the story of Music City in Nashville 2012. Spanning a one-year calendar, the subjects of the documentary range from those advocating Occupy Nashville and the “Murfreesboro Mosque” to the struggles of a racing team and a day in the life of a local wrestler. Each segment is its own fascinating, self-contained story. Put together, though, Nashville 2012 is a beautiful narrative—a patchwork quilt of truths and emotions, with each piece reminding us just how interesting and diverse Music City is. Nashville 2012 is also the winner of the Nashville Film Festival’s “Tennessee Spirit Award.” Combined with the coverage of the documentary from other news outlets, it’s no wonder that The Moving Picture Boys plan on continuing to offer new installments of what could potentially be Nashville 2013. I eagerly await what Freeman and Clark have planned. Truly impressive. Check out docujournal.com to view the Nashville Docujournal episodes, and learn more about how the social landscape of Tennessee is changing. — JUSTIN STOKES

MUSICWOOD  Produced by Josh Granger How would you describe your film? Musicwood is about the most famous guitar-makers in the world (Dave Berryman of Gibson, Bob Taylor and Chris Martin) traveling together to the heart of one of the most primeval rain forests in the world. They are on a mission to change the way it’s logged, by Native American loggers, before it is too late for acoustic guitars. Musicwood is a modern twist on a classic story, an urgent battle between the white man and Native Americans, where age-old land disputes result in an upending of our simplistic view of the past. It’s a political thriller with music at its heart.

THE CHILDREN NEXT DOOR  Produced by Lynda Hansen How would you describe your film? The film, told through the eyes of a child, takes us on a family’s journey to overcome years of experiencing domestic violence and the atrocity of one horrific incident that shattered their world. The Children Next Door opens five-and-a-half years later as the family continues to struggle with the impact of the violence that shaped their lives. Within three short months, we witness an astonishing turn of events.

STILL HERE  Directed by Tyler Evans How would you describe your film? I’d say our film is a simple story about an average guy who’s lost his way. I know a lot of movies start out like that, but there are so many directions you can go with that basic idea. We combined that with a post-apocalyptic theme as well as commentary on community and movement.

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CLEANER THAN MOST 

WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT 

Directed by Jennifer Bonior Starring Amanda Card

Directed by Wes Edwards [former MTSU Mass Comm student, and currently with Ruckus Film, a production company in Nashville] How would you describe your film? Whether You Like It or Not is a 1940s-era musical comedy short. The lead character, Charlotte (Marin Miller) is almost like a female version of Pepe Le Pew. She’s determined to win the heart of Alexander (Matt Lindahl) after he picks up her handkerchief for her on the street.

WORM  Directed by Doug Mallette Starring John Ferguson, Shane O'Brien, Jes Mercer Worm, the feature-length adaptation of the 2011 48-Hour Film Project winner for “Best Film,” runs on the concept that humans have collectively stopped dreaming, until a pharmaceutical miracle is made available. The miracle is a type of worm put in your ear so you can have quality dreams while you sleep. Charlie, the film’s protagonist, finally decides to give into the hype of the “Fantasites.” This film was funny, weird and dark, just like a dream. It had amazing art and production design and included performances from some of the best talent in Nashville. For more on the film, visit untrademarkedproductions.com. — JUSTIN STOKES

How would you describe your film? Well, it’s weird and dark but definitely not boring. I mean, there’s a hooker, some fried chicken, and a lot of blood. What more could you want in a 15-minute short?

WILD SANDS  Directed by Warren Allen and William Stewart How would you describe your film? Allen: It’s just a love story, a simple melancholy thing . . . there’s these quiet times that we all inevitably encounter at one time or another, as adults, when we reflect, when we start to maybe regret a little bit about the wrong things that have happened. I mean, when has anyone’s heart not shattered a bit, looking back, who doesn’t hold their breath holding onto the fleeting memories of their loves? Smells, textures, you know… it’s so so sad. Sad for everyone.

BOROPULSE.COM

MAY 2013

LIVING ROOM CINEMA

MOVIES REVIEWS

column by NORBERT THIEMANN

cinespire@gmail.com

THE LORDS OF SALEM Starring: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Dee Wallace, Maria Conchita Alonso Directed by Rob Zombie

Rated R

Heidi (Sheri Moon Zombie), a radio personality in Salem, Mass., with a rocky drug-filled past, is delivered a mysterious vinyl record, one that, when played, unleashes a host of demonic apparitions that began to tear Heidi down to her core. Meanwhile, Francis, a local town historian (played by Bruce Davison) who’s interviewed on Heidi’s show is intrigued by the record and begins digging to find clues as to its origin, only to come upon incredibly sinister implications that date back to Salem’s seventeenth-century witch trials. Odds are, you either love Rob Zombie’s films or absolutely hate them. He is arguably the most polarizing filmmaker working in Hollywood today, and this film certainly does not help the case. That being

said, if you know what you’re getting into, you might be in for a surprise. Lords of Salem is easily Zombie’s most ambitious and epic film to date. This film essentially works as one giant love-letter to Italian horror films of the ’70s, in particular the filmography of horror maestro Dario Argento. So much so, that this film could almost work as a loose remake of the 1977 horror masterpiece Suspiria. The lush cinematography, inventive use of color, and witchcraft plot are all highly reminiscent of this unique sect of foreign film, and had the horror movie buff in us giddy.

The cast is filled to the brim with Zombie’s usual suspects: Sid Haig, Ken Foree, Dee Wallace, Maria Conchita Alonso and, of course, Zombie’s wife; an array of performers who tend to only show up on the silver screen when Zombie makes another film. One look at this film will prove why; they’re all more or less terrible actors. They would work fine within a cheesy B-movie, but with the dark and serious tone Zombie strives so hard for, most of their dialogue just comes off as hilariously inconsistent. And Zombie’s screenwriting skills still have room to grow. Plot points

OBLIVION Starring: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

Rated PG-13

From the first 30 minutes of Oblivion, you’d be blameless to think you were seeing something special: a for real live Asimovian science fiction story given the big-budget treatment. Kubrickian even; the stark shots of post-alien war Earth, the sleek-lined white architecture of the sky loft and the spherical drones flying over the land protecting the monolithic hydro-facilities frame the simple story of Jack, a drone repairman, and his lover, Victoria, two of the last remaining humans on Earth waiting to board a ship to the moon Titan with earth’s remaining survivors. When drone janitor Jack (Cruise) rescues a woman, Julia

RATINGS: 10 * MAY 2013 * BOROPULSE.COM

(Kurylenko), from the wreckage of a fallen shuttle, mysteries about Jack and Victoria’s (Riseborough) purpose on earth, and who they really are begin to surface. It’s here where the beautiful sheen of Oblivion (extra Pulses were awarded solely based on how gorgeous this movie is) starts to give way to one of the more asinine, not Asimovian, plots in recent sci-fi memory. The

A CLASSIC

constant misdirections and plot twists aim for Twilight Zone but land more in the realm of Shyamalan. Why were Jack and Victoria’s memories erased five years ago? What is Morgan Freeman doing down on the surface? Why are drones killing humans instead of aliens? What does Jack’s recurring dream of Julia on the Empire State Building mean? Do I even care?

OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE

are dropped erroneously, characters wander in and out, and the story as a whole comes off like a rough draft of something that could’ve been more. Nevertheless, the film also marks a notable departure for Zombie. His previous outings (Devil’s Rejects, the Halloween remake and its sequel), are filled with over-the-top profanity, massive amounts of gore and staggering body counts. Here, Zombie shows he is willing to step out of his comfort zone. Viewers will be shocked to see that Lords of Salem is actually not gory at all, and instead of coming off like some demented fantasy from the tortured mind of a 14-year-old who hates the world, actually rolls out at a slow pace, creating a unique, intellectual film. Growing up, we heard the saying, “Even if you fail, at least you tried.” This can be applied heavily here. Lords of Salem is not, by any means, a great movie. But Zombie, while maintaining his unique style, stepped out of his comfort zone and the result is one of the most beautiful and artistic horror epics in years. — HAYDEN OWENS and AUGUST SAUCIER

This is director Joseph Kosinski’s second feature, the first being 2010’s Tron: Legacy, and I like the idea of giving him more money to keep making these big sci-fi movies. Next time, however, one would hope that he could adapt an already established and meaningful story. Oblivion is based on his own labyrinthine plot, one that makes even less sense when chronologically assembled. Maybe leave out Tom Cruise next time as well. Nobody buys him as Mr. All-American anymore. I’m not saying different casting would elevate Oblivion to greatness (there’s still the myriad script/plot issues), but giving the role of Jack to up-and-comer Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones’ Jaime Lannister), who shows up as Morgan Freeman’s right-hand man mainly to grimace and point guns at people would’ve have been a good start in saving this film from its namesake. — JAY SPIGHT

BELOW AVERAGE

Newer Western’ish

hese ﬁlms are ordered by their conformity to the purity of the Western genre, and the stretch becomes quite apparent. There is a long history of reinventing the brand. Aside from the Italian interpretations, Hollywood also did not shy away from retelling the samurai stories of Akira Kurosawa to ﬁt their visions. Beyond the Western themes, there is much entertainment value within these three very different movies.

 True Grit (2010) is yet another ﬁne ﬁlm from Joel and Ethan Coen. As I understand it, this latter version conforms more closely to the book written by Charles Portis. The traditional Western is alive and well here, as a young girl teams up with lawmen to avenge the death of her daddy. The shining performances of Hailee Steinfeld and Jeff Bridges really stand out.

 Django Unchained (2012) is

directed by Quentin Tarantino. The locations range throughout parts of the U.S. in the era just prior to the the Civil War. A freed slave and his partner make it to the Deep South in efforts to try and free his enslaved wife. Tarantino delivers by going over the top with his grindhouse sensibilities. Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) is directed by Takashi Miike. Think of a Western Yojimbo story on acid, and you might get close. Miike is one of the most outlandish directors, and Sukiyaki Western Django does not contradict. A lone gunman comes upon a town divided by two feuding gangs who want to draw him into the ﬁght. Quentin Tarantino also makes a special cameo appearance.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD

BOROPULSE.COM

MAY 2013

* 11

THEATER

The Effect of Gamma Rays

Jamie Storvik, Laura Frizzell and Marian Storvik

Little Theater hosted Pulitzer-winning study of a three-lady family.

The Borrowers plays in May at the Arts Center of Cannon County

story by JESSICA PACE

he Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-inthe-Moon Marigolds, a Pulitzer-winning 1964 play written by Paul Zindel, came to the Murfreesboro Little Theatre on the weekends of April 19–21 and April 26–28 to plant an unsettling seed in the stomachs of its audience. The mustiness, creaks and general haunted charm of the 51-year-old theater appropriately set off the dismal tone of this sleeper production about personal failure, human value—if that’s real—and maybe hope when there isn’t any. Directed and produced by Shane Lowery,

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the quietly eerie Effect of Gamma Rays is set mainly in the small home of single mother Beatrice, played by Jamie Storvik, and her two daughters, Tillie (Marian Storvik) and Ruth (Laura Frizzell), all struggling in the

clutches of needling personal demons. The characters spell dysfunction. There’s the depressed and abusive mother who comes off like a more neurotic and illintentioned version of The Glass Menagerie’s Amanda Wingfield, driven half crazy by her lack of success and the smallness of her life. There’s the conniving but fragile Ruth, both at odds with and seeking the approval of her mother. And then there’s pitifully meek Tillie, the target of her mother’s, sister’s and classmates’ ridicule and also the play’s sole grain of hope. With her girls’ father long gone, Beatrice’s bitterness has chipped away at her sanity. Despairing, tortured by unrealized dreams and feeling the weight of responsibility for her daughters and an elderly and unresponsive boarder, Nanny (a role both pitiful and comic played by Susanne Tenpenny), Beatrice preys upon her daughters. She is seemingly embarrassed by Ruth and bent on belittling Tillie as the girl works on a science project, which is a study of marigolds grown after exposure to radiation. Frizzell as Ruth is the most interesting to watch, troubled and unbalanced, one minute a coy and simpering vixen manipulating mother and sister, the next a little girl clamoring for her mother’s affection. Storvik as Beatrice is at once detestable as a bully and a creature to feel sorry for as she reminisces about what she used to be. Hope seeps through the cracks only through Marian Storvik’s slip of a voice as the sheltered and mousy Tillie. Her radiation-affected marigolds, while deformed, bloom large and beautiful, and as the play progresses and Tillie throws herself into preparation for the science fair, it feels as though the entire future of the family depends on her winning. The characters’ retelling of dreams and nightmares punctuates the play, illustrating what is real now and what used to be for Tillie, Ruth and Beatrice and explaining what’s most important to them. The Little Theatre is really little, seating about 30, and it was filled on the first Friday

MAY PERFORMANCES THE BORROWERS 7:30 p.m., May 10; 2 p.m., May 11 at The Arts Center of Cannon County 1424 John Bragg Hwy. artscenterofcc.com STAND-UP COMEDY Calvin Dennis 9 p.m., May 2–4 Comedy Cabaret 7:30 p.m., May 9–12 and 16–19 Coor Babylegs 9 p.m., May 23–25 at Out Front on Main 1511 E. Main St. outfrontonmain.com THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) 7:30 p.m., May 10–12, 17–19 and 24–26 at Murfreesboro Little Theatre 702 Ewing Ave. mltarts.com THE LITTLE MERMAID (Presented by Bradley Academy Musical Theater) 7 p.m., May 9–11 and 17–8 at Murfreesboro Center for the Arts 110 W. College St. cityschools.net/bradley/drama and Saturday showings. A few lines were flubbed, but the main actors were captivating as they embodied three incredibly diverse characters that clashed and each fit necessarily together as part of the puzzle. They make for a tragic little family unit that simultaneously evokes pity, repugnance and desperation as they drown within the sort of doomed family dynamic that made The Glass Menagerie at once so beautiful and difficult to read and watch.

MT Magic Club Presents Razzle Dazzle Magic Show story by ELIZABETH SCOTT

agicians love a full house. The Middle Tennessee Magic Club, also known as “The Sam Walkoff Ring,” is looking for just that at the Razzle Dazzle Magic Show XXII. The performance is being held at 7:02 p.m. on Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, at the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts. All the club’s meetings and events are scheduled for 7:02 p.m. because it is memorable. People will remember the time and remember to come. Six talented members of “The Sam Walkoff Ring” in Murfreesboro will display their magical talents this weekend. Each one has a unique history of performing magic. “We don’t do tricks—we present wonder and mystery,” said David Williams, performer in the show and Immediate Past President of the Middle Tennessee Magic Club. David has been performing since age 13 and is known for comedy magic. “Magic is an excuse not to grow up,” said Tom Gibson , vice president of The Sam Walkoff Ring.

Magicians want to give the audience something to remember and bring adults back to their childhood. Alan Fisher, webmaster of the club’s award-winning website, has been an entertainer for over 40 years. While he won’t be performing in this show, his goal is to make the audience happy. “We’re big kids,” Alan said, “and we want that in our audience.” The Middle Tennessee Magic Club has about 25 active members, and

Tyler Croney  is the youngest at age 14. This will be Tyler’s second performance in a Razzle Dazzle Magic Show. This young performer is only beginning to make his mark as a magician but is already an active member in the club. The only full-time professional entertainer in the club, Gary Flegal, will be striking the audience with a performance of mentalism, or psychic entertainment. Gary was voted “Entertainer of the Year” in Nashville’s Parent Magazine and is a crowd favorite. Blaine Little has been performing street magic for many years. His specialty is sleight of hand and card tricks. Blaine will be bringing a combination of illusions and mentalism to the stage during Razzle Dazzle. Wayne Lovell, performing as Professor Waldo McGillicuddy, is skilled in family entertainment. He is entertaining for kids of all ages and

will astonish the crowd at this year’s Razzle Dazzle show. The Middle Tennessee Magic Club is Ring 252 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. The club meets on the first Tuesday of every month, except for January and June, when they have alternate events. Each meeting has a theme, usually including a mini-lecture by a member or guest. The next meeting, held May 7, features children’s routines with a mini-lecture titled “Parties for Small Children.” The club welcomes anyone interested in magic to visit one of their meetings. In addition to The Razzle Dazzle Show, the club has a Fall Festival of Magic scheduled for Nov. 8 and 9.

The shows are for adults and children of all ages. “Whatever your personality is, magic will find a way to fit in,” Tom said. Tickets for The Razzle Dazzle Magic Show XXII can be purchased at The Murfreesboro Center for the Arts box office, at boroarts.org/tickets and at J. Mullins Jewelry & Gifts. Adult tickets are $10; tickets for children under 12 are $5. Meetings are held the first Tuesday every month at 7:02 p.m. in the North Boulevard Church of Christ, 1112 N. Rutherford Blvd., Murfreesboro. A full schedule of events can be found at middletnmagicshows.com. Sign up for their monthly e-newsletter at ibmring252.com.

BOROPULSE.COM

MAY 2013

* 13

Brandon Whitt and son Thomas have been hard at work in the ﬁelds preparing for strawberry picking season.

FOOD

Berry Awesome story and photos by BRACKEN MAYO

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I Strawberry picking opens across from the Avenue.

t’s strawberry time in Tennessee! The sweet little guys typically turn red the first week of May, and only have a few weeks to grow, so grab some while they’re fresh. And if your impression of strawberries is the large, flavorless, crunchy, dry, imported items with a large white core from the big grocery stores, you are sadly misinformed. I encourage you to try a small, ripe, juicy berry, warm from the Murfreesboro sun, straight from the plant. The beautiful red fruit, packed with vitamin C, can be used as a sweetener (strawberry milk is nice), in desserts (strawberry pie, strawberry shortcake, strawberry charlotte), and just popping the berries by themselves is totally fine. Strawberries thrive worldwide in a variety of climates, from France to Chile to Korea, but the U.S. is by far the world’s leading producer. A few operations in the area offer strawberries for sale, as both pick-your-own and pre-picked. On East Jefferson Pike, the Pearcy family has “four and a half acres, just about weed and dirt free,” said Steve Pearcy. “Up until about mid-May they’ll be organic, then we’ll have to start feeding them,” Pearcy said of his berries. The Pearcy family has had berries at that field at P and P Farms for about 14 years, and they are also available at the family business, Pearcy’s Store, located at 96 Lascassas Road. “We’re like a family-owned co-op, right in the heart of Lascassas,” Pearcy said. “Farming-wise, there’s not a lot we don’t have.” New this year, berry-pickers can pluck some without having to leave Murfreesboro. Brandon Whitt has grown a variety of crops at a family field nestled just off I-24, adjacent to the Chamber of Commerce building, across from Embassy Suites and the Avenue. “It’s something different every year,” Whitt said. “We’ve grown corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton there.” But this year, the field hosts rows and rows of

strawberry plants. “This is our first year doing berries there,” Whitt said. “We’ll be gearing up about the first of May. “We’ll have some pre-picked, but we’re encouraging pick-your-own.” Batey’s Berries, as that operation is known, will sell strawberries by the pound, and pricing will be determined based on the field’s production, he said. Being in such a high-traffic area, and it being the first year of berry picking there, make it a little hard to estimate the initial year’s demand, but Whitt predicts the berries will go fast. “Everything’s first-come, firstserve,” he said. “We’re encouraging people to make it a family outing. It’s just something that’s fun to do. It’s not very labor intensive; you can pick a gallon in about 10 minutes.” Batey’s Berries will be open every day except Sunday throughout the season, and the family may make some of the products from its nearby hog farm available as well. Batey’s Berries is located at 3250 Medical Center Pkwy., Murfreesboro. For more information, call (615) 848-4178. P and P Farms is located at 2841 E. Jefferson Pike, Lascassas. For more information, call (615) 812-8788. And if you’re up for a little Tennessee spring road trip, both Portland and Dayton, Tenn., have their Strawberry festivals lined up the week of May 4–11, both filled with concerts, races, car shows, pageants, parades, pancakes and plenty of strawberries.

IF YOU GO: WHAT: P and P Farms WHERE: 2841 E. Jefferson Pike, Lascassas WHAT: Batey's Berries WHERE: 3250 Medical Center Pkwy. ***Will open when berries are ready for picking, around the second week in May.

BOROPULSE.COM

MAY 2013

* 15

FOOD

Fiesta

When ordering the fajitas at Blue Agave . . .

With over 30 Mexican restaurants in the county, make sure you choose wisely.

MURFREESBORO! T

story by BRACKEN MAYO

he Murfreesboro area certainly has no shortage of Mexican restaurants (or Mexican-themed, or Tex-Mex, or chip-and-salsa shacks . . . call them what you will, you know what I’m talking about). Every few years, as the city expands and new strip malls and neighborhoods are constructed, a new one will open to service the area with that popular style of dining and all of its standard favorites: burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, tamales, chimichangas, queso and guacamole are now all part of the American dinner vocabulary. Most of these restaurants are quite similar, offering nearly the same items on the menu. But each has its own specialties, environment and customers. A quick survey of 44 local diners revealed that Murfreesboro is far from united in its preference for Mexican fare. When asked the simple question “What’s the best Mexican restaurant in the ‘Boro?” 13 different restaurants were cited as being someone’s favorite in town, just in this small sampling group of 44 people. Carmen’s Taqueria led the way (with 8 votes out of the 44 individuals), and Blue Agave placed a close second. Mi Patria and Sal y Limon tied for third place in this informal poll. So while many have their spot where they frequent, and their seat or plate that they enjoy, perhaps venture out of your comfort zone the next time you go for something spicy or south-of-the-border, and you may discover a new dish, server or special that will keep you going back for years.

THE KING

Carmen’s Taqueria has a legitimate cult following; many are rabidly loyal to this unique spot. Three types of salsa delivered to your table upon arrival, fresh-baked bread and a $6 chorizo torta (sandwich) and make this little jewel on Northfield worth giving a shot. It’s just a little different from all of the other Mexican joints in town: fresher, spicier, homemade. They offer black beans instead of the typical refried beans and we read online that their tamalles are some of the best around. The tres salsas served at Carmen's Taqueria

“Nothing compares to Carmen’s,” said Danielle Danger. But others can get frustrated with elements of Carmen’s: it can be difficult to substitute ingredients, or to hold the jalapenos on an item, there’s no patio space, no margaritas nor full bar, they can charge for some items some feel should be complimentary (to-go boxes, side of sour cream) and some specials can be difficult to redeem. Still, the food is good enough to build a customer base that is passionate about Carmen’s Taqueria. HONORANLE MENTION: Across town, Garcia’s also offers black beans served with feta cheese as an alternative to the typical refriend beans. Others have fallen for the taste of Oscar’s Taco Shop. “Oscar’s is the only real one. The rest are Mexican-themed,” said Jason Galaz. The Z-Train echoed those sentiments. “The fajitas at Oscar’s are banging,” Zach Maxfield said.

BEST PRESENTATION

Blue Agave gets some style points for their tableside guacamole cart, where a server will

16 * MAY 2013 * BOROPULSE.COM

. . . the server provides a little flair with fire.

create fresh and delicious guacamole made to order right in front of your eyes. Tell them what you like or don’t like and get jalapenos, cilantro, lime, onion, tomatoes, and more in your personalized guacamole. They also offer flaming fajitas; the server dousing your fajitas with tequilla and lighting them on fire right in front of your eyes sets this common dish apart from a lot of the other local Mexican restaurants (En fuego!). Blue agave can also boast one of the best tequila collections around, for those who enjoy

the fermented nectar of the agave plant. HONORABLE MENTION: Nachos has a nice fountain in the center of the restaurant with some beautiful, fun, guitarplaying metal frogs.

MOST AUTHENTIC

MexiVen, located in the heart of Murfreesboro’s “Hispanic District” on Bradyville Pike, offers some of the best tacos, grilled chicken, horchata and tamales around.

Some of the excellent food from MexiVen includes (clockwise from above) horchata; grilled chicken with tice and beans; a fish taco; and a chorizo torta.

Ok Jose offers a potato loaded with shrimp, steak, chicken and bacon.

A chimichanga from Sal y Limon

MURFREESBORO MEXICAN RESTAURANT ROUNDUP Blue Agave

1935 S. Church St. Blue Cactus

2805 Old Fort Pkwy. Camino Real

FRIED ICE CREAM; MARGARITA AND CHIMICHANGA PHOTOS BY CHRISTY SIMMONS; ALL OTHERS BY BRACKEN AND SARAH

105 Lasseter Dr. 301 NW Broad St. 3205 S. Church St. 2628 Rideout Lane Carmen’s Taqueria

352 W. Northﬁeld Blvd. Chuy’s

801 NW Broad St. Fried ice cream

. . in fact I think they would also win for their beans, sauces and desserts as well. The sopapillas are crazy good,” she said.

HOUSEHOLD NAMES

A visit to this establishment is a much different experience from one to any other restaurant in town. Over the past few years, this still-modest eatery has added such amenities as picnic tables, walls and air conditioning, and though it’s still small and rustic, the fresh, flavorful food earns many loyal followers. “It’s the most authentic in town. Literally, like stepping off Bradyville and into Mexico,” said Sarah Mayo. “Best fish tacos ever. They're grilled and they top it with the most delicous slaw they make homemade when you order.” But it’s not for everyone, evidently. “MexiVen is far from authentic. Their chips are like baseball game nachos. Yuuuck,” Danger said. The outdoor grill loaded with chicken pouring smoke into the air calls to the hungry man. “I don’t know about the nachos, but I can highly endorse MexiVen’s tacos, grilled chicken and horchata. I encourage everyone to go into MexiVen, order ‘grilled chicken plate and a large horchata,’ and enjoy,” Bracken Mayo said. Timothy Hawkins, meanwhile, recommends the tamales at MexiVen. HONORANLE MENTION: Chris Nichols cites Sal y Limon as his favorite in the area. “Best shrimp dishes in town,” he said of

To many, the margarita makes the Mexican meal.

Sal y Limon, located just off of the Square on Broad Street.

BEST FREE DIP

Mi Patria earns a mention for its Patria Dip, which it serves every customer in lieu of plain salsa. While one can expect chips and salsa to be served immediately upon entering most of the area Mexican eateries, Mi Patria kicks their dip up a notch by adding cheese and sausage to their complementary dip. But know, only the first dish is free and they charge you for refills on this one after getting you hooked on a taste, but many diners find the flavor worth it. “Mi Patria is the place I like to go to drink. Their specials are always great,” said Jenna Maxfield. “To eat, I usually go to the Camino Real on Broad Street. The staff is really great at both; I usually go where I know the people and like the people. HONORANLE MENTION: Christy Simmons said Chuy’s, and its creamy jalapeno dip, deserve some recognition, even if it isn't free. “Chuy’s tortillas are completely delicious .

Camino Real is quite popular among the people of Murfreesboro. Reportedly, the food among the four locations in the city remains consistent, but each location offers a slightly different atmosphere. The one adjacent to the MTSU campus is often largely filled with students socializing and drinking on the outdoor patio, while the one in the Indian Hills area on Church Street, offers more of an upscale, family atmosphere. Some of the less common dishes the Caminos offer include ceviche (shrimp and tilapia cured in lime juice), Entomatadas (corn tortillas stuffed with grilled chicken topped with tomatillo sauce), Choriqueso (cheese dip with chorizo) and Pollo Rotissere (rotisserie chicken). “The Caminos are the best,” said Ben Spjut “Liver tacos? Yum.” HONORANLE MENTION: “I’ve been a regular at La Siesta for years. Need to try these others,” said local diner Everette Brown. “La Siesta always gives friendly service; that’s important as well as the cuisine . . . Fajitas Texanas is my favorite.” Cassie Hollywood said “the guys at La Siesta make my ‘ritas crazy strong.

Cozumel

277 N. Lowry St., Smyrna Don Ramon

2069 Lascassas Pike El Pueblo

210 Country Village Dr., Smyrna Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant

4183 Franklin Rd. La Loma

2658 New Salem Hwy. La Siesta

1111 Greenland Dr. 1608 NW Broad St. 2424 S. Church St. 421 Sam Ridley Pkwy. W., Smyrna Las Palmas

2450 Old Fort Pkwy. MexiVen

1706 Bradyville Pike Mi Camino

1890 Almaville Road, Smyrna Mi Cancun

536 Enon Springs Road E., Smyrna Mi Patria

230 Stones River Mall Blvd. Mi Pueblito

409 Smyrna Square Dr, Smyrna Mi Tierra

579 Almaville Rd., Smyrna

THE HONORABLE POTATO AWARD

Margarita House

OK Jose may just have the best potato in Murfreesboro (and how many restaurants have an entire potato section on the menu, spud lovers?). For $8.99, one can experience what the Potato Deluxe is. A potato topped with bacon, steak, chicken, cheese, shrimp, sour cream, peppers and onions, served in a skillet fajitastyle is enough to satisfy the heartiest appetite. Pay OK Jose a visit and Vincente and Sergio will take good care of you.

Nacho’s

145 N. Lowry St, Smyrna 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd. OK Jose

2804 S. Rutherford Blvd. Oscar’s Taco Shop

1875 Memorial Blvd. 331 Sam Ridley Pkwy, Smyrna

Sal y Limon

521 NW Broad St. BOROPULSE.COM

MAY 2013

* 17

SOUNDS

THE ALPOCALYPSE IS UPON US

The master of the polka mashup, Weird Al, is still making fans laugh, and is still pretty flexible (below). A stop on his current tour contains more costume changes than a Lady Gaga show, he said (below right).

Legendary comedy artist Weird Al Yankovic hits Middle Tennessee, twice. interview by JUSTIN STOKES and BRACKEN MAYO | photos by BRACKEN MAYO

WEIRD AL YANKOVIC, now in his fourth

decade of making music fans laugh, and the highest-selling comedy artist of all time, will appear in Middle Tennessee twice over a couple of months: he was at Nashville’s TPAC on April 18 (view more images from that performance at boropulse.com) and will perform at Manchester’s Bonnaroo in June. Pulse reader Cody Moffit recently complimented Yankovic highly, calling him “the gateway drug to good music for young listeners.” Since the early 1980s, the artist has touched on hundreds of popular songs through his parodies and polkas, causing many to seek out the original material. The Murfreesboro Pulse recently spoke to Alfred about his upcoming performances in Middle Tennessee and his career in comedy. PULSE PUBLISHER BRACKEN MAYO: Is it

difficult to get the music industry and the average American to take you seriously as the accordion virtuoso you are, when so many simply perceive you as a sex symbol, just another pretty boy trying to get by on his good looks and cash in on his appearance? WEIRD AL YANKOVIC: Yes, my stunning good looks have been a curse through my career. No one wants to laugh at my material because they’re all so spellbound by my natural attractiveness. It’s a curse I’ve had to live with, and I’m dealing with it in my own special way. JUSTIN STOKES: The world of music has

evolved tremendously since you first started, from the days of Frank Zappa to now. Who in the world of comedy music do you currently follow? Are you an Epic Rap Battles of History fan? Is there someone you’re really actively listening to? AL: I try and keep my finger on the pulse, I listen to a lot of comedy, and there’s a lot of stuff online. You mentioned Epic Rap Battles, Key of Awesome does some great stuff, I’m a big fan of The Lonely Island, and Tenacious D and Flight

18 * MAY 2013 * BOROPULSE.COM

of the Conchords; there’s a lot of really great stuff out there that I find very intellectual. JUSTIN: You mentioned Tenacious D, which

brings me to my next question. You’ve been a part of several TV shows, Tenacious D was on Comedy Bang! Bang! with you. Are there any video projects you are working on? Could we expect a sequel to UHF anytime soon, a second sip from the fire hose? AL: I wouldn’t hold my breath on a UHF sequel. Although it has a rabid cult following it didn’t do well at the box office in 1989. So I don’t anticipate any major motion picture studio green-lighting a sequel on that. I’ve got several projects in various stages of development, but I’m unfortunately not at liberty to talk about them, because in Hollywood things can dry up and disappear. But hopefully there will be some things coming up in the not-too-distant future. JUSTIN: Tell us a little

about the Alpocalypse Tour. What level of weirdness are you bringing to the Nashville area. AL: I think the level of weirdness is going to be Code Orange. We’re bring in some pretty severe weirdness to the area. There’s going to be a ton of costume changes, I think we’ve got a few more than Lady Gaga at this point. A lot of production. We have some video bits going on on big LED screens. There’s going to be a lot going on. There’s never a dull moment. JUSTIN: We are just outside the capitol of country music; here in Murfreesboro we’re just a stone’s throw away from Music City. Can your fans expect a full country album anytime soon? When are we going to see you put on the chaps? AL: I’ve done the occasional country homage. I’ve done the "Achy Breaky Heart" parody a number of years ago. I probably wouldn’t do any full-on concept album like that because I like to keep things as eclectic as possible. I go from like a gangster rap song to a polka song to a reggae song to a zydeco song. Country is going to a part

of the mix, but I don’t think I’ll ever do a full country album. BRACKEN: And that’s sort of the concept behind Bonnaroo, where you’ll be appearing later this summer, and other festivals like that, where people can hear the Wu-Tang Clan and then Paul McCartney and then Weird Al all at the same location. It seems like you’re a fan of nearly every genre out there and enjoy music of all types, and don’t get hung up on one style of music. AL: That’s right, I feel very fortunate because a lot of artists are trapped in a very narrow genre and they’re not even allowed by their fans to go outside of that. Where I can literally do any style of music that I feel like. I can be very impulsive and try a lot of different things. I feel very free that way.

’90s when it was more like musicians playing real instruments and the garage rock and indie scene and all that. A lot of the parodies we do now, my band doesn’t even come with instruments, they come with discs, and say “I did this on the computer at home, here’s my part.” So that’s probably going to go for a while longer. Hopefully it will revert back sometime in the future to a different style of music. That’s the thing about pop culture, it’s always changing and if you wait long enough it will be something different. BRACKEN: Who is your favorite person who

has sought legal action against you? AL: Ha! Hmm, I can’t think of anybody who’s

sought legal action against me. I always get permission before I do a parody, so there’s never a reason for anyone to seek legal action.

JUSTIN: Do you find yourself doing more

digital stuff now? Where do you see yourself in a few years with your comedy albums, and how do you think music is progressing? AL: I think we’re in a cycle with a lot of pop music these days where we’re doing a lot of synthesized music, and sequenced and heavily autotuned [music]. It’s not my favorite, I mean, I appreciate it, but I like the music of the ’70s and the

BRACKEN: So if you don’t get permission,

you just kind of drop it and say, “Well, I can’t do that one” and move on to the next person rather than risking any sort of costly lawsuit? AL: Yeah, that’s exactly right. Because of fair use, and since the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of parody artists, ostensibly I could get away with doing whatever I wanted to do,

but it’s been a personal policy of mine that if the artist does not want me to do a parody I’ll just back off because I don’t want that kind of drama, I don’t want those ill feelings. I think one of the reasons I’ve been able to hang around as long as I have in the industry is that I don’t like to step on people’s toes. I want to make sure everybody’s OK and gets the joke. As it turns out it’s very rare these days that an artist will say no, because most artists actually look at it as an homage, as a tribute. BRACKEN: It seems

like throughout your career you want to laugh with people, you’re kind of a nice guy, you don’t want to be hurtful with your comedy. You make fun of everyone in the world pretty much, but it’s all about laughter and having a good time, rather than being hurtful. It seems like collaboration and working with the artists are important to you. AL: I’ve had critics take me to task because my parody isn’t all that biting, it’s not like really hard satire. It’s not about taking somebody down a few notches. I think it’s more of a challenge to be funny and to laugh without cutting somebody off at the knees. I like to think of my humor as more a poke in the ribs than a kick in the butt.

JUSTIN: Are there any genres with which you feel uncomfortable doing a parody? AL: I’ll try anything. I’m pretty shameless. I know my band is very talented and they can do anything I throw at them. I never thought I was a rapper until I tried rapping. I’m willing to try anything and give it my best shot. And sometimes that’s where the humor comes from. I think when a lot of people responded to the Eat It video in 1984, here’s this lanky white guy trying to dance like Michael Jackson. And I was really trying! I wasn’t trying to look goofy, that was me trying the best I could. JUSTIN: Is there anything else you’d like to plug or promote? What would you like to say to our readers? AL: Oh, well, the album’s been out for a while. The one thing I’d have to say is that I have a kids book coming out on June 25 called My New Teacher and Me from Harper Collins, it’s available for pre-order on Amazon or wherever you like to buy your stuff. And I’m very excited about it, it’s my second kids’ book and I’m very proud of it and hopefully some kid will be able to relate to that.

Paul McCartney

Bjork

CATCH WEIRD AL AT BONNAROO 2013 WEIRD AL recently performed at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 18, but you can still catch him at the 2013 Bonnaroo festival, June 13–16, joining TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS, PAUL MCCARTNEY, NAS, EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS, WU-TANG CLAN, THE POLYPHONIC SPREE, BJORK and many more. View the full lineup at BONNAROO.COM. Nas

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

BOROPULSE.COM

MAY 2013

* 19

SOUNDS really respond to it, and we started working on it together. Next thing you know, we had three or four songs. It was a few songs in before we realized we were making a record. I was just doing it for my own personal enjoyment. I just don’t think it could have happened that way if we hadn’t made Embryonic first and had two years of making all this extra music for all these different releases and Heady Fwends and the 24hour song and the 6-hour song.

Oh “The Terror”! A conversation with Flaming Lips’ Steven Drozd  BY JESSICA PACE

he Flaming Lips are coming to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena May 3 with special guests The Black Keys. Later that weekend they will join the Keys, along with Smashing Pumpkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Roots, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Bassnectar, Public Enemy and others in Memphis for the 2013 Beale Street Music Festival. Steven Drozd, Flaming Lips songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, speaks to the Murfreesboro Pulse about the upcoming show, writing songs with bandmate Wayne Coyne and the Lips’ fifteenth studio record, The Terror, which was released last month. What response have you gotten from fans so far regarding The Terror? Well, there are the fans, and there are the hardcore fans, you know? I don’t know if the hardcore fans are bummed out by it, but maybe they’re reading too much into it. “Wayne and Steven must be really going through some dark times to make this record.” Generally, people seem to be excited about it. It seems like some-

20 * MAY 2013 * BOROPULSE.COM

thing different. It seems like we tried to make a different record that wasn’t another Embryonic or Soft Bulletin or Yoshimi or something. I think, overall, the response has been really good. The two records are so different, but you’ve said you see The Terror as a follow-up to Embryonic. In what way? I don’t think we could have made this record if we hadn’t made Embryonic first. We got done with At War With the Mystics, and in hindsight, it seems like that was us trying to go as far into pop songwriting as we could. Pop songs, big production, and Embryonic seemed like a big “fuck you” to The Mystics, like, let’s just jam for an hour and turn 10 minutes of recording into a song. To me, The Terror is like the hangover from Embryonic. If you spend all night jamming from Embryonic, when the sun came up in the morning, and you were coming down from LSD or whatever it was you were on [laughs], that would be the sound of The Terror. Musically, when we started, I wasn’t thinking we were starting a record. I just thought we were making some music, but Wayne seemed to

The Terror is thematically dark. Why did you decide to focus on those concepts in this record? A lot of times, if I’m working on some music, Wayne will either respond to it, or he won’t, and if he doesn’t respond to it, I just throw it into a pile to use for something else, or maybe I’ll play it for him later. If he does respond to it, we work on it together. When he responded to something called “You Are Alone” in such a way that told me he must be on the same kind of wavelength that I am . . . like, he was having doubts about whatever life is, or new doubts about life, or what you do when you’ve been in the band for . . . I’ve been in the band 21 years, the band has been going for 30 years. Us being on the same wavelength created the energy that made the record. It just seemed like a good time to do a record that said there’s not just the “Do You Realize??” Flaming Lips, and not just this band that has people in costumes dancing onstage and Wayne in a bubble floating over the crowd or whatever. There’s another side to the band that’s bleaker or more depressing . . . we’re always out there doing this other stuff that seems like a lot of gimmicks; our live show is this big party. When we got done with this record, I was the happiest with this record that I’ve been with any of our records in years. Maybe since the The Soft Bulletin, you know. It was the record that we should have done at that time. Do you approach a record as one idea, or several smaller ideas on the same record? It varies from record to record. I feel like At War With the Mystics was almost to a fault just a collection of songs, not that every record needs to be a concept record. But that one just felt like all these different pop productions thrown onto one record. Early on, when we started talking about this record, we wanted it to be a uniform or, what’s the word people use, cohesive statement. I would say with this record, as much as with The Soft Bulletin or any of our “concept records,” we wanted it to be one statement. We talked about releasing it as one whole download instead of individual songs. But then we backtracked and thought it might be really pompous, pretentious and presumptuous [laughs], so we decided not to do it. They’re individual songs, but they serve the

purpose of one continuous idea. Embryonic, even though it’s a double record, is like little blasts of different ideas, peaks and valleys. To me, The Terror is, probably more than any of our records, a continuous, similar hum of despair. Would you make “traditional” records if not for the fans and keeping the audience engaged? It depends on what a traditional record is. We have years of great traditional music. Rock and roll in the ’70s – to me, how can you top what Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Stones, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath did? You’ve got Sex Pistols and The Clash and what happened after that, Sonic Youth and all those bands. There’s just years and years of traditional records, and I feel like we’ve got plenty of those, so I don’t know. To me, The Terror isn’t that weird. It’s not like it’s Zaireeka where you have to have four different CD players to play it. It’s just our trip right now. Who knows, our next record could be 10 perfectly produced pop songs. I doubt it, but we could. It just depends what we’re thinking at the time. What would you consider traditional at this point? It’s 2013. Some 18-yearold kid somewhere with GarageBand can make a record that might blow our minds, so it seems like all bets are off. Can you describe your songwriting role with Wayne on this record and the process? When I first joined the band, I played drums. Pretty quickly, we’d work on music together, and I’d have a song idea, and he would write the lyrics for it, or he would have a song where he wanted a couple chords different, and I’d help him with that. By the time we were doing The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi, we were writing songs together, and it was very comfortable. On this newest record, instead of him coming to the studio with a song or me coming to the studio with a song and helping each other, we would just get together with literally no idea. We’d go to the studio, turn the synthesizer on and record the first sound we thought was really cool and evoked some mood, and we would record that and put sounds on top of it and start riffing with melody ideas, and he’d start writing lyrics, or I’d sing one line, and he’d start writing words. I felt more connected with him when we were working on this record than probably any other record. We were both sitting there and both reacting to what we were hearing for the first time. That was pretty cool. It happened very fast . . . It was like we were discovering music again in a real positive way. You do a lot of covers and collaborations. What compels you to do that? I feel like we love music, and most people who play music, love music. We like to show how much we love other kinds of music and show how much

we appreciate it, and that’s one of the reasons we do these covers and stuff. The collaborations show we’re interested in what other people are doing . . . and we want to tap into whatever it is they do. If you can get together with Kevin Parker from Tame Impala, who are one of my favorite bands from the past three or four years, and he’s interested in doing something with you, that’s really exciting. Covers, we just want to show we are excited about all kinds of music we’re interested in. As a band with such an emphasis on video, why do Flaming Lips do few “traditional” videos? I guess I don’t know what a traditional music video is. I guess the videos for Embryonic suited the music pretty well. Last time we did a “traditional video” was “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” in 2006. We did that with this team called Traktor. They’re high-tech, cutting edge, and I hate to use that term, video guys, and it was a really fun experience, and the video is pretty funny and suits the songs really well. Wayne is the de facto video director of our group, and I’d say nine times out of 10, the video he comes up with suits the music. With Christmas on Mars, I thought the music and video went hand-in-hand pretty well. Maybe we’ll make a traditional video this year, I don’t know. What can people expect from the Nashville show? Will it be like your SXSW show? Let’s see, that’s with The Black Keys, right? At SXSW, we played the new record from top to bottom. That was kind of an experiment in front of 20,000 people. By the time we play Nashville, I think we’ll work out some of the rough edges of that. I don’t think we’ll play it top to bottom, but we’ll play three or four songs from the record. By then, we’ll have

worked out some video stuff more and lighting stuff. We don’t want to completely turn off the people that like the big Flaming Lips show, but we definitely want to change the show, so we’re not just doing the dances on stage and the bubble. You’ll see something between what the Austin show was and our big festival show. Darker and heavier and not so joyous, but it won’t be whatever Austin was, which was a sustained, “Oh my God, what are these guys doing?” show. Somewhere in between, I hope. What inspires the theatricral aspect of your live performance and stage setting? That’s a good question for Wayne. He saw Alice Cooper when he was really young. That did some brain damage, like, to him; [a show] could only be really intense if there was a visual element to it [laughs]. Maybe that’s exaggerating the situation. Even before I joined the band, when I saw the Flaming Lips, you couldn’t see the band. It was smoke machines and strobe lights. I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen, that level of smoke and strobe lights in a club for 200 people, and they were playing, like, 130 decibels. It was just crazy, and I think its always been a part of the Lips trip. We’re going to play music, but you’re not just going to be assaulted with music, you’re going to be visually fucked with. I’m glad that aside from the music hitting you, you’re getting pummeled with an image on the giant video screen. That’s all it is, making a rock and roll concert more extreme, more memorable. I’ve seen a million bands that play really well. They’re really intense, and that’s enough for me sometimes, but sometimes you see a band, and they have all that, but also a crazy light show, and you walk away never forgetting that.

ANOTHER MEMPHIS IN MAY AFTER THE FLAMING LIPS' MAY 3 PERFORMANCE IN NASHVILLE, they'll head to West Tennessee to join the festivities at this year’s Beale Street Music Festival, just one component of the Memphis in May programming. This year's festival presents a noteworthy lineup on the mighty Mississippi including (clockwise from top left) Jerry Lee Lewis, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Bassnectar and the Smashing Pumpkins. For more information, visit memphisinmay.org.

May Means Main Street JazzFest Jazz players and fans of all ages converge. story by ELIZABETH SCOTT

he Main Street JazzFest is returning May 3–4 on the Square in Murfreesboro. The free two-day event will feature local students and professional musicians. Friday night will display local high school bands showing off their up-and-coming talent and offer these young players the chance to show off their skills. The Murfreesboro Youth Jazz Orchestra, MTSU Jazz Ensemble I, and MTSU Faculty Combo will be performing on Saturday alongside the Marcus Finnie Band, Dara Tucker and Quintet, and the 129th Army Jazz Band, among others. This family event will have something for everyone. Earlier on Saturday there will be activities for the children in attendance, however, the music will be the focus.

Dara Tucker

SATURDAY, MAY 4 EAST STAGE

Marcus Finnie

JAZZFEST SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FRIDAY MAY 3, 2013 6:00 p.m.

Eagleville High School Jazz Band

12:00 p.m.

Murfreesboro Youth Jazz Orchestra

1:00 p.m.

MTSU Jazz Ensemble I

2:00 p.m.

Marcus Finnie Band

3:15 p.m.

MTSU Faculty Combo

4:30 p.m.

Dara Tucker

5:45 p.m.

Joe Davidian and Friends

7:00 p.m.

Joe Johnson

8:15 p.m.

29th Army Band

WEST STAGE 11:00 a.m.

Smyrna Middle School

11:30 a.m.

Siegel Middle School

12:00 p.m.

Eagleville Middle School Seymour High School (Knoxville)

6:30 p.m.

MTCS Jazz Band

1:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

LaVergne High School Jazz Band

1:40 p.m.

St. Rose Middle School

7:40 p.m.

Central Magnet School Jazz Band

2:10 p.m.

Stewart’s Creek Middle School

8:20 p.m.

Siegel High School Jazz Band

2:40 p.m.

Tennessee School For the Blind

9:00 p.m.

Riverdale High School Jazz Band

3:10 p.m.

All Rutherford County Jazz Band

9:40 p.m.

Oakland High School Jazz Band

3:30 p.m.

Clinic presented by

10:20 p.m.

Blackman High School Jazz Band Smyrna High School Jazz Band

3:50 p.m.

11:00 p.m.

Marcus Finnie Rockvale Middle School

4:30 p.m.

Blackman Middle School

5:15 p.m.

Music City Swing

BOROPULSE.COM

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DUANE ALLMAN PHOTO BY JOHN GELLMAN

The recorded legacy of Duane Allman captured in new box set collection. story by STEVE MORLEY

The first time Duane Allman’s name ever appeared on a nationally released album, the occasion was the 1967 Liberty Records debut by Hour Glass, a band featuring both Duane and younger brother Gregg Allman—names that meant little then, but ones which would rise to the ranks of rock’s best-known within a mere few years. And, speaking of a mere few years . . . in retrospect, there’s something eerily prophetic about the band’s name. Duane Allman’s brief and brilliant career can be likened to that of a sand-filled timepiece, ticking off a small and finite number of minutes. Indeed, the release of Hour Glass’s less-than-auspicious debut in October of 1967 marked the beginning of Duane’s final four years. Within that brief period, he would become a blues guitar hero, The Allman Brothers Band would emerge under his leadership to record a small but essential body of work (including one of rock’s finest live albums), and he would lose his life in a motorcycle accident, just short of his 25th birthday. Of course, Duane lives on through his work. A new generation of Allman Brothers fans has come of age since then, though many have heard only a fraction of Duane’s sprawling musical legacy. Serious students of the guitarist—and they are legion—are aware of his role in dozens of late ’60s/early ’70s recordings made predominantly in Muscle Shoals, Ala., but a broad overview of his session work has never been made available in one package until now. Rounder Records’ Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective is a seven-disc set with extensive liner notes detailing the guitarist’s fast-rising fame. The most obvious audience for this almost obsessively comprehensive package is guitar players. Initially, the Skydog box set is being produced in a run of 10,000 numbered copies, and if no one were allowed to buy it except cardcarrying six-string slingers, there’d be no problem moving the inventory. Few musicians can claim to have influenced

22 * MAY 2013 * BOROPULSE.COM

as many guitarists as Duane Allman has done, most of them post-mortem. Two musicians who have felt Duane’s tug shared their thoughts about the great bluesman with the Murfreesboro Pulse: Nashville native Pat Murphy and Scott Rath, who landed in Music City via Boston and L.A. The fact that neither one’s name is probably familiar testifies to the wealth of under-sung musical talent around Nashville (where Duane Allman himself was born and would put in time as a working musician gigging at school dances throughout Middle Tennessee). Rath still waxes rhapsodic about the day he was forever Allmanized by a friend’s brother who owned the record of the Allman Brothers' selftitled 1969 debut (included in its entirety on Skydog). “We put it on and my life changed. The instrumental that starts it—‘Don’t Want You No More’—leads into possibly one of the greatest blues guitar licks of all time, at the beginning of ‘It’s Not My Cross to Bear,’” recalls Rath. “I was slayed, and still am every time I hear that song.” Murphy relates a story about being a youngster who had begun hearing about “the blues” but didn’t understand what they were; he happened to hear two consecutive tracks sizzle through a small radio: Derek and the Dominos’ “Have You Ever Loved a Woman,” featuring Duane on slide, and “Mean Town Blues” by Johnny Winter, the other premier slide player at the time. “I knew this was the blues, without anyone saying that it was,” remembers Murphy. “Duane spoke the language.” Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective may tell a more detailed story than the typical Allman Brothers fan needs to hear, but it’s a tale that deserves to be told. The 129 tracks on Skydog are simply too important—and most of the time, too good—to let slide. (Read the full exploration of Skydog, plus more of the conversations with Rath and Murphy, at boropulse.com.)

ALBUM REVIEWS

BY JESSICA PACE

THE MOST AMAZING CENTURY OF SCIENCE

CLASSIC WILLIAMS Epic Win

Please, Fill Your Bindle!

The Most Amazing Century of Science describe themselves as “a modern music ensemble focused on the reconstitution of musics, compositional conciseness, harmonic expressionism and confounding melodic contours. It’s artsy fartsy and one big inside joke. You wouldn’t get it.” That pretty much sums up their latest release, Please, Fill Your Bindle! If you don’t know, a bindle is a hobo’s stick-and-bag carrying device, and MACOS’ record is a layered, zig-zagging hodgepodge of jazz, smatterings of metal, electronic glitches, hiccups and effects, determined to lose you if you try to keep up. There’s no denying it’s inventive. If you listen to music to hear distinct songs that follow structure and formula, Bindle! is not for you. It forgoes choruses and verses for free-form expression and experimentation. The 10 tracks are brief, one-shot clips of sound whose brevity MACOS attributes to the fact that their ideas aren’t rooted in repetition like so many popular songs, but are more like experiments, comparing their composing to scientific research or laboratory testing. And there’s no refuting that the genre-bending, shape-shifting Please, Fill Your Bindle! is as far away from repetitive as it gets. They incorporate 5-string bass, glockenspiel, sitar, saxophone, clarinet and sarangi, to name just a few. This instrumentation clashes, producing effects that range from the weird feel of the Twin Peaks score to the jarring and clownish sound effects of a ’70s horror flick made more bizarre with their song titles, like “Arriving Fashionably Late Only to Find The Lot of Their Throats Slit” and “I Put a Pig in the Ground.” To hear Bindle! it may initially sound improvisational; however, the band says the songs are not composed at random but are premeditated, with as many as 10 performers executing it or as few as three. What gives the record its free-form sonic spirit are the individual performers who each interpret the music differently as they play. Moreover, in order to preserve the integrity of their performances, little was done to tweak and add to the songs once recorded. Check out the release at themostamazingcenturyofscience.bandcamp.com.

RATINGS: AVERAGE

A CLASSIC BELOW AVERAGE

I’m not being snide when I say Classic Williams has some of the best produced and most humorous, whether intentionally or unintentionally, local rap. As far as Murfreesboro rappers and hip-hop artists go, there are a lot of records passing through that are forgettable at best. An MTSU graduate, Classic Williams is a Nashville artist who has opened for Ying Yang Twins and released four records since 2011, the most recent being Epic Win. The 13-track album has three bonus tracks and three tons worth of comical self-promotion (I’m so epic, **tch, and Baby, I’m so damn dope). That’s one of the oldest rap/hip hop tricks in the book, but you can’t say Williams’ lyrics aren’t creative, and at times they’re so stupidly simple, they’re brilliant. And props to him, because it sounds like he’s perpetually having the greatest night of his life. While I did like the featured artists on Classic Williams’ album #SMH, Epic Win’s beats are interesting and fun, and Williams’ lyrics never get stale, switching from raunchy to ridiculous to occasionally earnest and heartfelt. Sample a few pearls of wisdom below: **tches in my dojo, they’re ﬁlling my mojo, – “Tokyo Lights” It must be your a**, cause it ain’t your face, in that case, turn around and shake, – “Finna’ Shake” If death comes quick and life is a **tch, than label me a son of a **tch — “21st Century” All I do is eat sushi, f **k bitches, stack money and repeat — “Repeat” Tell me what it’s like to always be a loser, because I don’t know a thing about it cause I’m too epic, – “Catch Sum Z’s”

We’re working hard to promote good music in Middle Tennessee. Bands: Send your albums and promotional materials to The Murfreesboro Pulse, 116-E North Walnut St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130.

OUTSTANDING AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD BOROPULSE.COM

MAY 2013

* 23

IF YOU GO:

SOUNDS Send your show listings to listings@boropulse.com

THURS, 5/2 3 BROTHERS Rajhi Gahler, Megajoos, Roman Polanski's Baby BUNGANUT PIG Dennis & the Menace JOZOARA Rik Gracia THE BORO Wild Minds, Ill Patriot, Sexx WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Flute Studio String Chamber recital

FRI, 5/3 3 BROTHERS The Secret Commonwealth BUNGANUT PIG Junkbox FANATICS The Steve Paul Band LITTLE SHOP OF RECORDS Rob Parker Record Release THE BORO The Sandwich (with Denny Presley), Absinthe Junk WALL STREET The Hardin Draw WILLIE’S WET SPOT Tempted

SAT, 5/4 BUNGANUT PIG Nathan Thomas Band FANATICS Ivan LaFever JOZOARA Stop Motion Radio READYVILLE MILL Johnny B & the Balladeers ROOSTER’S BBQ Wendy Lee Stephenson, T-Baum & the Tallboys THE BORO Inglewood WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & the Money Makers WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Murfreesboro Community Men’s Chorus

TUES, 5/7 3 BROTHERS Breakdown In The Boro BUNGANUT PIG CJ Vaughn JOZOARA Songwriters Night

WED, 5/8 BUNGANUT PIG Franklin & Farris ROOSTER’S BBQ

Writers Night with Mike Short & Lindsay Jurek WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & Lenny

THURS, 5/9 3 BROTHERS Langoliers, GT JOZOARA Rik Gracia THE BORO Sam West Trio, Daniel Harry

FRI, 5/10 BUNGANUT PIG Phoenix Rising FANATICS Pimpalicious THE BORO Japanese Cowboys, Johnny Gowow WILLIE’S WET SPOT Evil Twin

SAT, 5/11 BUNGANUT PIG Trevor Finlay Band FANATICS Greez Monkeez JOZOARA Bedhed & Blondy MAYDAY BREWERY Mayday Malone READYVILLE MILL Johnny B & the Balladeers WALKING HORSE HOTEL The Midnight Special WALL STREET The Water Fight, Thunder Brother WILLIE’S WET SPOT Sucker Punche

SUN, 5/12 WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra

TUES, 5/14 3 BROTHERS Breakdown in The Boro BUNGANUT PIG CJ Vaughn Trio JOZOARA Songwriters Night

WED, 5/15 BUNGANUT PIG Franklin & Ferris ROOSTER’S BBQ Writers Night with Mike S hort & Lindsay Jurek WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & Lenny

View Concert Listings Online: 24 * MAY 2013 * BOROPULSE.COM

Aura Lounge 114 S. Maple St. 396-8328

THURS, 5/16 3 BROTHERS Creature Comfort, Josephine, Bearknuckle BUNGANUT PIG Kyle Kraft Band JOZOARA Rik Gracia MAYDAY BREWERY The Wilhelm Brothers

FRI, 5/17 BUNGANUT PIG Rockafeller FANATICS Zone Status ROOSTER’S BBQ Eric Stuart THE BORO Strange Planet, BearKnuckle, Creature Comfort, Langoliers THE TRAP HOUSE Xanthi Diamond, Carter Routh WILLIE’S WET SPOT My July

SAT, 5/18 BUNGANUT PIG Backlit FANATICS Markey Blues Band JOZOARA Justin Kaleb Driggers LITTLE SHOP OF RECORDS Linear Downfall, Christlove READYVILLE MILL Johnny B & the Balladeers THE BORO Culture Cringe presents Bucket City Bop, A Night of The Ramones WALL STREET Mize & the Drive, The Langoliers, Shy Guy WILLIE’S WET SPOT Atomic Trunk Monkeys

TUES, 5/21 3 BROTHERS Breakdown In The Boro BUNGANUT PIG CJ Vaughn JOZOARA Songwriters Night

PUL SE PICK

Bonhoeffer’s 610 Dill Lane 202-3517 Bunganut Pig 1602 W. Northfield Blvd. 893-7860

ROB PARKER ALBUM RELEASE FRIDAY, MAY 3 @ THE LITTLE SHOP OF RECORDS

Fairways Golf & Grill 127 SE Broad St. 962-7853

It’s a free show tonight at Little Shop of Records for Rob Parker’s album release. There will be a complete playthrough of Parker’s new album, Fathomer, which dabbles in multiple genres, a live DJ set from Parker, plus a poker tournament. Winner gets 50 dollars store credit.

SAT, 5/25 BUNGANUT PIG My July FANATICS The Eclectics JOZOARA Stick Figure READYVILLE MILL Johnny B & the Balladeers THE BORO LOBO WALKING HORSE HOTEL The Midnight Special WILLIE’S WET SPOT Greez Monkeez

TUES, 5/28 3 BROTHERS Breakdown In The Boro BUNGANUT PIG CJ Vaughn Trio JOZOARA Songwriters Night

WED, 5/29 BUNGANUT PIG Franklin & Ferris ROOSTER’S BBQ Writers Night with Mike Short & Lindsay Jurek WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & Lenny

THURS, 5/30 3 BROTHERS Megajoos, Rajhi Gahler, Roman Polanski's Baby, Little Moses

Fanatics 1850 Old Fort Pkwy. 494-3995 First United Methodist Church 265 West Thompson Lane

BUNGANUT PIG Rock Me Blue JOZOARA Rik Gracia

JoZoara 536 N. Thompson Ln. 962-7175

FRI, 5/31 BUNGANUT PIG Stretta FANATICS Junkbox THE BORO Beet Poet presents: Let Them Eat Kale, Fallopian Tube Tops, Unkle Skunkle, Scott Fernandez WILLIE’S WET SPOT Milkbone

Liquid Smoke #2 Public Square 217-7822 Main St. Live 527 W. Main St. 439-6135 Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Hwy. 479-9722

SAT, 6/1

MT Bottle 3940 Shelbyville Hwy. 962-9872

FANATICS John Salaway READYVILLE MILL Johnny B & the Balladeers

MON, 6/3

New Life Christian Church 343 Rucker Rd. 977-3770

THE BORO The Boro 28th Anniversary Party

Nobody’s Grill & BBQ 116 John R. Rice Blvd. 962-8019

TUES, 6/4

Readyville Mill 5418 Murfreesboro Road 563-MILL

3 BROTHERS Breakdown In The Boro JOZOARA Songwriters Night

Rooster's Lonestar BBQ 223 W. Main St. 867-1836

WED, 6/5

Social 114 N. Church St. 904-7236

ROOSTER’S BBQ Writers Night with Mike Short & Lindsay Jurek

Temptation Club 2404 Halls Hill Pike 217-0944

WED, 5/22 BUNGANUT PIG Franklin & Ferris ROOSTER’S BBQ Writers Night with Mike Short & Lindsay Jurek THE BORO Tennessee Scum, Friends of Cesar Romero, Megajoos WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & Lenny

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

THURS, 5/23 JOZOARA Rik Gracia

FRI, 5/24 BUNGANUT PIG Corbitt Brothers FANATICS Jon Gower

MIZE AND THE DRIVE

PUL SE PICK

SATURDAY, MAY 18 @ WALL STREET

The guys in Mize and the Drive know how to write a solid song and hook, with a big sound that's a little Rusted Root, a little Dave Matthews. They join the punk-flavored Langoliers and Shyguy (a Deep Machine/Penicillin Baby hybrid) for what should be a great mix of rock.

PHOTO BY TODD SMITH

MAY CONCERTS

3 Brothers 114 N. Church St. 410-3096

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

SPORTS

With their ﬁrstround pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Titans take Alabama's Chance Warmack

DOCTOR'S DIAGNOSIS: TRUE TITANS FAN!

hoo choo. the Train Daddy is rolling out the station once again, and ready to share some sports knowledge with you punks! We have a lot to talk about this month, but I am going to keep it basic and pretty much keep with my roots, Titans football, baby! As much as I love basketball and the playoffs, I will save that talk for the next issue. This issue is only for the most passionate of Titans Fans, the ones that would bleed for the cause, the ones who pee Code Blue as I do! About 12 years ago, I woke up one morning and realized I was urinating a color that was not normal, a light shade of blue. I freaked out, thinking I had some sort of infection, so I went to see a doctor and the diagnosis was loyalty. I had been diagnosed with a rare disease named Titans Tinkle, and as long as my passion for the Titans remained at a high level, there was no cure for the color of my pee. For the rest of my life I will tinkle a light shade of Code Blue. It’s a high price to pay, but worth every tinkle, knowing my passion and love for the Titans will one day result in a Super Bowl victory, I promise! The NFL draft has passed and I am proud to say I was happy with the moves the Titans made. They were solid picks, unlike the Dallas Cowboys’, who were just awful! Let’s start with the Tennessee Titans’ first-round pick Chance Warmack. The 6-foot-2 guard, who weighs in at 317 pounds has rare power; he can explode with his hips and get movement against larger players. This is what sets Chance apart from other offensive lineman the power to anchor, the power to explode against larger people. Warmack made it no secret he was interested and

SPORTS TALK column by Z-TRAIN

titanman1984@ yahoo.com

wanted to play for the Titans; he will be coached by two Hall-of-Fame guards, Coach Munchak and O-Line coach Bruce Matthews. This is comparable to a rookie quarterback getting drafted by a team and being coached by Dan Marino and John Elway. Warmack gets a special opportunity to soak in knowledge from two of the greatest at his position. Warmack will join former Bills guard Andy Levitree as likely starters in the Titans revamped O-Line; this duo is primed to be one of the best in the league from the get-go. The Titans gave up 471 points last season, the most in franchise history, and yet the first two picks were on offense. With the second pick in the draft the Titans moved up six spots in the second round to grab former Vols wide out Justin Hunter, marking the second straight year the Titans drafted a receiver early. The Titans did mortgage a bit of their future to get Hunter, trading a 40th overall pick, a 7th round pick and a 2014 third-round selection to the 49ers, to nab the receiver at the 34th spot. Hunter has obvious upside due to his combination of size and speed. Hunter was outshined this past season by Cordarrelle Patterson (who was drafted by the Vikings at 29th overall), but many believe he has some serious untapped potential and was the most intriguing receiver in the draft. Jake “the Snake” Locker has got to make huge strides and improvements this season or be prepared to sit on

some other team’s bench. I like the kid, but I don’t trust him yet! With a better crop of receivers and a new guard to help open holes for Chris Johnson, the Titans should be able to move the ball better. Justin Hunter has a big frame and should be a red-zone threat and reliable target for Jake. It’s time to put up or shut up for Jake. The Titans organization has given Jake the tools to get better; I didn’t say he had the tools to dominate the league, but to get better. In the third-round at the 70th overall pick, the Titans finally addressed the defense and selected cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson. The Titans needed help and size at secondary; the 6-foot-1 corner has the versatility to play inside and out and has the length to play press with wide receivers at the line. I praise all of the Titans’ draft picks up until the fourth pick, where they wasted a pick on Zaviar Gooden, a small linebacker out of Missouri built on only speed. Bad pick. The Titans needed depth at safety and defensive end, plus the Titans used second-round picks past two drafts on linebackers; Gooden was drafted as a backup. So, getting away from the Titans, could the New York Jets have hated Tebow any more? They ended the awkward relationship by dumping him on the first Monday after the NFL draft, knowing other teams’ rosters would be filled and Tim’s chances of finding a job, well they don't look easy. I get that Tebow is unconventional and a wreck when it comes to fundamentals, but the man is a team player and I believe there is something he can do to help a team, just not behind center. All I am saying is fat boy Rex Ryan issuing a statement saying thank you, Tim, for staying in shape is a slap in the face. Tim went to

New York, where Rex runs that circus act, and wasted a year of his life, being treated like a donkey. Onto another story; on the same day Tebow was let go, history was made. Jason Collins, a 34-year-old NBA center, has publicly come out of the closet, becoming the first openly gay athlete to be playing a major American team sport. He chose sausage and I can’t knock him for it. It’s not my cup of tea; I have always loved the ladies, they’re

so lovely, but some people choose to live the way they want, and no one has a right to judge. We all have a right to live free the way we feel, so good for him. OK, it’s time to wrap this thing up, like I always say a great idea for all you gentleman: safety first! All you die-hard Titans fans who have Titans Tinkle as I do, don’t be ashamed that you urinate Code Blue. There are others out there like you, we are a brotherhood of dedicated Titan-loving passionate fans. Jake Locker better be preparing and working as hard as Peyton Manning, because it is time to put up or shut up. The Titans made the offense around him clearly better, so it’s time for a season where progression is the key word!

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OPINIONS Nazi Explorers of the Amazon

Nazi Exploradores del Amazon

IN ENGLISH: Nazi Explorers of the Amazon sounds like the title of a cheesy pulp adventure story or a bad B-film. Unfortunately, it isn’t. On a tiny island situated on a tributary of the Rio Jari of Northern Brazil stands a large wooden cross decorated with a swastika, the unmistakable symbol of the Third Reich. The eerie memorial says that Joseph Greiner “died of fever in the service of German Research Work.” This was three years before WWII officially began in 1939 and over a decade before Nazis began making their infamous exodus to South America to escape prosecution for war crimes. So what were the Nazis doing so deep in the Brazilian jungle in 1936? Well, it just so happens that the Nazis were up to all kinds of stuff in many parts of the world well before they made the expedition and after review of Kampfany military efforts at world domination. henkel’s report by his superiors, the plans to Secret installations in Antarctica and even expand into Brazil were shelved because of Southern California were known to have bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of immedibeen developed. The exploratory mission in 1935 by Nazi Germany to the Amazon region ate interest. “Given time, the plan may be submitted again,” wrote of Brazil demonstrates Heinrich Himmler in reagain just how expansive sponse to Kampfhenkel’s the Nazis imagined their Una columna del idioma español por report. empire would become. CAMERON PARRISH Little physical evidence The expedition was led remains today of this by an elite S.S. officer, ambitious effort to colonize the jungles of Otto Schulz-Kampfhenkel, and his staff, Brazil. There are the graves of those who which included a significant number of died in pursuit of this goal and some bricks hired locals who participated. Secretly it was from an old building that bear swastikas. known as the Guayana Project and was a However, the true impact of the Nazi foray highly classified effort by Nazi intelligence to into the jungle may be incalculable. Accordproduce data on the feasibility of establishing ing to local accounts it appears as though a bridgehead against American influence in the project employed a significant number of Amazonia. The project was conducted under slave laborers obtained from local orphanthe auspices of collecting samples of the ages. Some of these former slaves are still indigenous flora and fauna of the region. alive and seeking restitution for this sinister Kampfhenkel even produced a film about his legacy left behind by the Nazi cohort. adventures called Rätsel der Urwaldhölle, but The vast reach of the intelligence netthe secret project wasn’t mentioned. works of the Third Reich and the scope of At the conclusion of the study, Kampftheir ambitions are only now being aphenkel submitted a report with details about preciated as we continue to unearth secret how the Nazis might infiltrate and begin Nazi projects from around the world. Such colonizing the country for themselves. He projects were kept secret from all but a few included details on how German soldiers people within the Reich. should live and adapt to the environment. It The secrets of defunct empires leave was suggested that since there was already fascinating pieces of hidden history everya significant German population in several where. Stories like these serve to remind us South American countries, it was feasible to that there is always more to the story than establish a South American extension of the what lies on the surface and that eventually Third Reich’s Empire. all sins are discovered. The mission was overall less successful What will they find out about us when our than its leader had hoped. Greiner and antime has expired? other S.S. officer died of malaria while on

La PALABRA

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EN ESPANOL Los Nazi exploradores del Amazon suena como el título de una película cursi. Por desgracia no lo es. En una pequeña isla situada en un afluente del río Jari del norte de Brasil se destaca una gran cruz de madera decorada con una cruz gamada (esvástica), el símbolo inequívoco del 3er Reich. El fantasmagórico memorial dice que Joseph Greiner “murió de fiebre en el servicio de trabajos de investigación alemanes.” Esto fue tres años antes de la segunda guerra mundial, que comenzó oficialmente en 1939, y más de una década antes de los Nazis comenzaran a elaborar su famoso éxodo a América del Sur para escapar de la persecución de los crímenes de guerra. Entonces, ¿qué fueron los de los nazis en la selva brasilera en 1936? Así, lo que sucede es que los nazis estaban presentes en muchas partes del mundo mucho antes de que ellos comenzaran sus operaciones militares de dominación mundial. Se sabe que se han desarrollado instalaciones secretas en la Antártida e incluso del Sur de California. La misión exploratoria en 1935 por parte de la Alemania Nazi a la región amazónica del Brasil demuestra una vez más cuán amplio los Nazis se imaginaban su imperio. La expedición fue conducida por un oficial elite del S.S. Otto Schulz-Kampfhenkel y su personal que incluyó un número significativo de vecinos contratados que participaron en esta operación. En secreto, era conocida como el Proyecto de Guayana y era un esfuerzo de la inteligencia nazi para producir datos de la viabilidad de establecer una cabecera de

puente contra la influencia americana en Amazonia. El proyecto se condujo bajo los anuncios de muestras que se reúnen de la flora indígena y fauna de la región. Kampfhenkel hasta produjo una película sobre sus aventuras llamado el Rätsel der Urwaldhölle, pero el proyecto secreto no se mencionó. En la conclusión del estudio Kampfhenkel presentó un informe con detalles sobre cómo los nazis podrían infiltrarse y comenzar la colonización del país por sí mismos. Incluye detalles sobre soldados alemanes y sobre cómo deben vivir y adaptarse al entorno. Se sugirió que, puesto que ya existía una importante población alemana en varios países sudamericanos, era factible establecer una extensión del Tercer Reich en Suramérica. La misión tuvo en general menos éxito del que su líder había esperado. Greiner y otro oficial del S. S. murieron de malaria en la expedición y después de una revisión del informe de Kampfhenkel por parte de sus superiores, los planes para expandirse a Brasil se cerraron debido a obstáculos burocráticos, y la falta de interés inmediato. “Con el tiempo, el plan podrá ser presentada de nuevo” escribió Heinrich Himmlera Kampfhenkel en respuesta a su informe. Con escasa evidencia física sigue siendo hoy de este ambicioso esfuerzo para colonizar la selva de Brasil. Se encuentran las tumbas de aquellos que perecieron en la búsqueda de este objetivo y algunos ladrillos de un edificio antiguo que llevaban cruces gamadas. Sin embargo, el impacto real de la Nazi de incursión en la selva puede ser incalculable. De acuerdo a las cuentas locales aparece como si el proyecto empleó un número significativo de trabajadores esclavos provenientes de los orfanatos. Algunos de estos esclavos siguen vivos y desean solicitar la restitución de este siniestro legado del cohorte Nazi. El vasto alcance de las redes de inteligencia del Tercer Reich y el alcance de sus ambiciones están ahora siendo apreciados como consecuencia a descubrir los proyectos secretos de todo el mundo. Este tipo de proyectos se mantenían en secreto excepto para unas pocas personas dentro del Reich. Los secretos de los imperios difuntos dejan piezas fascinantes de la historia oculta en todas partes. Historias como éstas sirven para recordarnos que siempre hay más historia de lo que se encuentra en la superficie y que eventualmente se descubren todos los pecados. ¿Qué se encontrará sobre nosotros cuando nuestro tiempo haya caducado?

Bombings Work of Muslim Terrorists

e’ve all been captivated by the events that transpired in Boston since the Marathon bombings took place. I know it sounds cliché, but it was like something out of a movie. Almost immediately, news outlets like MSNBC were leaning toward a right-wing nut theory. After all, it was tax day and, to be sure, this was the work of some government-hating Tea Party type.

Still the commentators warned us not to jump to any conclusions about his religion. Had the two brothers been middle-aged white guys from the South and had ever voted for a Republican and even taken a sip of sweet tea they would immediately have been labeled as Tea Party terrorists, yet we were constantly urged not to connect the dots between their religion and the terrorist acts they committed in Boston. There was plenty of misinformation during the course of the week. CNN at one point reported that an arrest had been made. Later, red-faced, they were forced to retract. NPR was reporting the two held up a 7-Eleven in Cambridge. That, too, turned out to be false. One commentator even went so far as The left-wing news outlets had no problem to publicly wish it would turn out to be a going to air with flimsy intelligence about Tea Partier. As the week unfolded and the breaking news, or what their sources were pictures of the two suspects were released, speculation began to swirl. They were young telling them was news, but they could never bring themselves to state the obvious: This white males. Could it be the left-wing mewas the work of Muslim terrorists. dia’s dream was coming true? Even after the younger brother was But soon those dreams were dashed with captured hiding in a boat, CNN continued the revelation that the two brothers were the search for a motive. It Muslim. I happened to be seems the network that had traveling from WashingVIEWS OF A desperately tried to regain ton, D.C., to Pennsylvania relevance with a breaking by car as the dramatic column by news story that ended up beevents were breaking. PHIL VALENTINE ing false couldn’t even bring The only source of news I philvalentine.com itself to report the one piece could find was NPR. The of news that, by then, was obvious to everyone. hosts were constantly reminding us that just Even as of this writing, some are still feignbecause we had learned they were Muslim ing an attempt to “understand” why these didn’t mean their religion had anything to brothers did what they did. Even as the FBI do with the bombings. Of course, common was raiding terrorist sleeper cells, some news sense told us otherwise. outlets were still begging us to believe the two NPR invited on various experts and reportacted alone and we still don’t know why. ers who had discovered more and more details What go unreported are the stories of immiabout the brothers. The older one, we learned grants, legal and illegal, who have no business from his aunt, had become deeply religious in America. There are people sent here to kill over the last four or five years. We learned us and still some news outlets are in denial. they were both Chechen. We learned the older The trouble with media bias is not so much brother had traveled to Russia, specifically what they tell you, it’s what they don’t. Dagestan, which is known as a hotbed of radical Muslims, for six months. Then there were the details of his domestic Phil Valentine is an author and nationally abuse charge for slapping around a girlfriend. syndicated radio talk show host with WestWe were told he had posted anti-American wood One. For more of his commentary and pro-radical Muslim videos to YouTube. and articles, visit philvalentine.com.

CONSERVATIVE

“

They were young white males. Could it be the left-wing media’s dream was coming true? But soon those dreams were dashed with the revelation that the two brothers were Muslim.

”

BOROPULSE.COM

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OPINIONS

column by FRANK SHEPARD

frank@boropulse.com

Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself? TAMERLAN AND DZHOKHAR TSARNAEV, the unafraid. How is this possible? Consider how much trust Boston bombers, were afraid of something. They hated that will require. But what do we trust? I say: REALITY— something. It’s clear that fear is the absence of love. They things really are what they seem; people, deep down, all felt backed into a corner. They must have felt their options want the same things. were few to have made such a vile choice. The same can Practically, I’m talking about loving humanity and the be said of Lanza (Newtown), Holmes (Colorado movie world in all our ugliness, absurdity and flaws. This begins theater), and all such overreactions—even if the fear is with loving one’s self and one’s circumstances. A holistic delusional or fabricated by mental illness. We all experience love for what is muffles the voices of fear long enough to fear and often overreact. But is it true, as FDR said in his take a breath, detach from future/past expectations/regrets first inaugural address, that “the only thing we have to fear and be. We look around and see that we are in a mortal is fear itself?” What options do we have when cornered by body and that this body is what it is (resist the temptation fear? The answer will scare you. to use adjectives; even good ones are judgments). We are in There’s so much to fear in America—terrorism, crime, a place and that place is what it is, in a country, in employthe economy, the future, climate change, seclusion, etc. ment (or not), in relationships, etc. acknowledging that evMany of us find ourselves backed into a corner; we feel erything is what it is, at least at this moment, releasing any threatened and are poised to come out fighting if necessary. desires that things be different. What choice do we have? These acts of fear are so senseless: thousands of Americans Sure, we do what we can to avoid pain and suffering; I’m mourn their lost loved ones; survivors are scarred for life, not talking about passivity. But not all pain and suffering often maimed, and for what? Additionally, the faltering is avoidable. If we can learn to love the form the moment economy scares us. We wonder if is taking, even the most difficult “The greatest hearts and we will ever recover “the land of things—even death—before minds of all time, including we know it, we’ll have no fears. opportunity.” Personal financial struggles back us into a corner. Imagine if we were able to come Jesus, teach that the way The Internet has us scared. out of our corners, and rejoin for humanity to deal Conspiracy theories seem to be honestly with the challenges reality. I think we’ll be amazed at everywhere. Media profits off how much larger we’ll live. of this life is by everyone of our fear. Ultimately we fear The greatest hearts and minds seeing themselves as the unknown, and the greatest of all time, including Jesus, teach connected and responsible that the way for humanity to deal unknown is death. for everyone else.” No matter how confident we honestly with the challenges of are in our beliefs, a heightened curiosity will surge upon this life is by everyone seeing themselves as connected and us in those few seconds before we know we’re going to die. responsible for everyone else. There is plenty of money and The time has come, the ultimate moment of all moments. resources for everyone to have food and shelter. The only All mysteries will be unveiled. In those moments we will thing that prevents us from creating a world that works for find absolutely no comfort in all the reassuring thoughts everyone (even those who can’t work) is making choices out we’ve clung to throughout our lives (i.e. I have the right reli- of fear and immaturity. We have not fully understood that gion; millions of people agree with me; I read Heaven Is for we humans are never happier than when we are denying Real; I’ve been a good person; I believe in reincarnation). ourselves and serving others. We exchange our fear-driven So whether we admit it or not, the underlying haunting love of money and comfort and our immature obsession fear we all carry around is the fear of death. Look at how with sparkly toys and fantasies for a love of what is real intensely the energy recently flared around protecting the and we join the human race. This scares us. Hence, we hide Second Amendment. “Don’t take away my only protecfrom it. We censor out the ugly realities of life so we don’t tion!” People distrust their government and thus insist on see them. Our trash is hauled out of sight. We even make maintaining a militia. Suspicion and paranoia consume our our excrement disappear. We have created a virtual fantasy logic and we’re off to battle. I think getting over fear, startlife. But the truth is, it’s all there waiting for us to steward it. ing with the fear of death and working backward, opens us “The earth groans and waits for the children of God to be up to eventually embrace reality. But it’s a long, brave trek revealed.” There’s nothing to be afraid of, our brokenness is from hatred to love. We have to believe it is possible to love our beauty, our need for one another is our salvation, and the unknown, to embrace pain and suffering, and even die our challenge is our overcoming.

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RECOVER RUTHERFORD:

Step 4: We Made a Searching and Fearless Moral Inventory of Ourselves column by GLORIA CHRISTY

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS? YOU CAN COME CLEAN AND GET REAL! Only moments before, he had arrived to the flashing, lighted marquee of the palace of entertainment venues, known as the Million Dollar Theater. His fantasy had become reality as he stood alone, wiping the sweat from his brow on the stage under the proscenium flanked with columns. The orchestra began to play and the stage lights were on him, his hands clammy and his heart pounding, and he was scared. There were ghosts screaming in his head: “Go back to New Orleans. Go back into your shell. This is all made up. What do you think you are doing?” But he began singing forcefully and with volume. The audience roared with excitement, clapped, and stood to their feet. It had happened. In 1945, right there in the Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los Angeles, 21-year-old Roy Brown, a shouting gospel singer from New Orleans, had crossed racial lines, singing a song by his favorite singer, Bing Crosby and won the singing contest. When you draw up a short list of the rhythm & blues pioneers who exerted a primary influence on the development of rock ’n’ roll, respectfully place singer Roy Brown’s name near its very top. Brown’s 1947 DeLuxe Records waxing of “Good Rocking Tonight” in its jump blues style is considered by some music historians and fans as the first rock ’n’ roll recording. Brown fused the shouting gospel sound with an up-tempo jump blues into a completely new genre of music. His lyrics were celebratory in nature, full of braggadocio. Subsequently, the song has been covered by Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis and many more artists, from white-pop practitioner Pat Boone to proto-metal-rockers Montrose. Clearly, Roy Brown was an innovator, but in the early 1950s, popular music belonged to the realm of wholesome white performers. Music was designed to be pure, innocent, and inoffensive as possible. Gradually to the chagrin of their parents, songs by black artists such as Roy Brown and his “Good Rocking Tonight” began showing up on jukeboxes where white kids congregated. In rock’s ascension to mainstream success, what was needed was the reversal of the Roy Brown effect—“a white boy who sings like a black man” to make it more palatable to a pre-Civil Rights America. Roy Brown once recalled that Elvis, this “cracker punk” kid, snuck on the stage in one of Brown’s shows in Tupelo, Miss., singing and playing along while no one was paying attention. A few months later, in 1954, Elvis recorded on Sun Records, “Good Rockin’ Tonight” in rockabilly style. Older white audiences were more and more mystified by the emotional impact and energy of the musical style, but Brown was unable to cash in on the musical idiom he helped to create. He is a

critical link between the post-war orchestral, big band sound, R&B and rock’s initial rise, but still unknown and underappreciated by the masses. But America has certainly gotten up close and personal with our rock idols, placing each star on a pedestal. Unashamedly, we exalt, embrace and emulate our idols. Idolatry has become an accepted part of the musical landscape. Early on in the 1950s, as rock ’n’ roll and the teen culture emerged, so did the concept of teen idols. There needs to be a revolutionary paradigm shift in the creative process. We need to “come clean and get real” about what happened to us. We have yielded to these destructive patterns— exalting, embracing and flaunting human talent into god-like figures. Our vanity has turned us toward darker and darker places of greed and selfindulgence. Somehow, our performance-oriented culture has distortion our perspectives, even about God. In order to please God, we wrongly feel we must “do perfect to be perfect.” So, just like Roy Brown, with our performance anxiety searing in our guts, we stand alone, afraid, on the stage of life, wondering if we can ever be good enough for God, much less each other. On this side of heaven, let us tear down our idols and pursue what really matters. There is “Good News Tonight and Forever!” Let God’s everlasting Love, flowing out of eternity, direct our steps. As we are fearlessly drawn into His Presence, the God who spoke the universe into existence declares, “I am your strength and your song. I want to share My Joy and Peace with you. Join Me in singing My song!” Celebrate Recovery is that safe-place where people can remove the mask of denial and be open and honest. If you are interested in dealing with the pain of your past, there are people who will stand with you. There are now three Celebrate Recovery meetings in Murfreesboro, one every Monday at North Boulevard Church of Christ, 1112 Rutherford Blvd. at 7 p.m.; one every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Belle Aire Baptist Church, 1307 Rutherford Blvd.; and another every Thursday at 7 p.m. at New Vision Baptist Church, 1750 Thompson Lane. For more information, call (615) 896-6288. BOROPULSE.COM

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ART Growden’s Luchadores at Moxie THE POCKET GALLERY AT MOXIE ART SUPPLY is pleased to announce

its inaugural exhibition: ¡Viva Las Luchadores!This show features new paintings by Murfreesboro artist Art Growden. The work will showcase a variety of “luchadores” or Mexican wrestlers. The vivid paintings celebrate the bombastic nature of the sport as well as the culture from which lucha libre wrestling originates. Art Growden earned his BFA from Middle Tennessee State University. Growden is an award-winning graphic designer. His studio, Art Growden Creative, has local clients that include the City of Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, MTSU, the Chamber of Commerce and many local businesses. One of his more visible projects is on the Murfreesboro Rover buses. Graphic design is Art Growden’s day job. By night he breaks out the paint brushes! Moxie Art Supply is located at 316 N. Maple St. in downtown Murfreesboro. For more information call (615) 849-1131 or like Moxie on Facebook.

Home Hosts Art Exhibit First Weekend in May LOCAL ARTIST PAULA FRANCIS will host an event at her

home featuring the work of talented artists, as well as live music, from 12–8 p.m. Saturday, May 4. Artists exhibiting work include Francis, Carolyn Riess Dodson and others. Francis is the proprietor of Paula Francis Designs, offering residential, commercial and kitchen design, home staging and more. She graduated from O’More College in Franklin, Tenn., and says she always remains conscious of design principals when creating her one-of-a-kind art pieces, and wants her works to be a colorful, exciting, sometimes whimsical addition to any home décor. Dodson, one of Middle Tennessee’s premiere abstract artists, has taught her unique painting style to students for years. She’s been featured in several prominent art galleries and her works are hung and enjoyed by many from New York to Tennessee. This one-day show is an opportunity to view and purchase her original abstracts, landscapes and still lives, and meet this artist, and others. The home is located at 415 E. Main St., Murfreesboro. For more information on the art show, call (615) 788-2078 or e-mail paulafrancis.1@comcast.net.

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Edges and Angles, Contours and Reductions/ Quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns COMBINING STUDENTS FROM ADVANCED DRAWING, ceramics, and art history classes, the MTSU Department of Art’s Student Gallery Committee announces a two-exhibit extravaganza to say goodbye to the semester of Spring 2013. Scheduled May 6 – 24, the exhibits will open with a reception Monday, May 6, at 6 p.m. Entitled Edges and Angles, Contours and Reductions, the collective work of advanced drawing and ceramic students will be on display in the Todd Art Gallery. According to Ashley Cook, a Drawing III student in Meghan O’Connor’s class, “Each student has approached the theme [of the exhibit] with different media, subject matter, and dimensions to create work that truly pushes the boundaries of the theme . . . works with literal edges . . . boundaries of light and dark, and also societal edges, including what we construe as normal and natural.” Collaboration will also be a theme as the advanced ceramics students of Professor Marisa Recchia work in conjunction with the drawing students to incorporate work produced from the recently completed wood-fired kiln. According to Laura Brake, a ceramics student and advocate, “Each [student] will individually present themes based on their submitted body of work.” Concurrently, Todd Art Gallery 210 will display the work of students in Dr. Laura Cochrane’s Italian Renaissance Art History class. Explaining the exhibit, Quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns, student Victoria Belser states, “We shall each produce an artwork that employs either a Renaissance art technique and deals with a modern theme or an artwork in modern style and technique that deals with a Renaissance theme.” The exhibit is based on a recurring debate that seeks to determine the greater of two art history components: the authority of ancient artists or the innovation of modern artists. The work will reflect efforts to investigate the interplay of Renaissance tradition and contemporary invention hoping to illuminate the ideas and concerns of each period. Displayed work will represent fresco painting, panel painting, book arts, mosaic and oil painting and are expected to address such issues as gender, artistic identity, religion and politics. All exhibits and receptions in the Todd Art Gallery are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. For more information, visit mtsu.edu/art or call (615) 898-5653.

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