Nov 2014 Murfreesboro Pulse by The Murfreesboro Pulse

MURFREESBORO

Vol. 9, Issue 11 November 2014

FREE For You!

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

NEWS

PROBATION FOR PROFIT:

Providence Community Corrections fleecing Rutherford residents for millions

FOOD Bradyville Pike is becoming Murfreesboro’s culinary district, if you know where to look

ART Customize your Christmas at Lime Tiger Emporium

LIVING DISCOVER DINOSAURS, GEMS AND FOSSILS AT EARTH EXPERIENCE, THE MIDDLE TENNESSEE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Crazy Clown advertises local café by the side of the road, and it’s working

DEAR READERS:

CONTENTS

8 EVENTS

November Community Events Simply Free, Borodash, 19 Days of Activism, Share the Light, charity auto show, Season of Wonders and more

COVER STORY

14 ART

your Christmas with Lime Tiger f Customize The Maynards can create custom cards, dollhouses.

SOUNDS

7 8 9 0 w

NOVEMBER CONCERTS Entertainment Calendar Karaoke, Bingo, DJs and Live Trivia Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra 2014–15 MSO season to commence Nov. 7 at FUMC. Album Reviews Glade City Rounders, MR. NASTI. Refinersfire Murfreesboro-based label helmed by McMurtry and the Lintons focuses on classical style. The Hardin Draw to Debut Full-Length Album New release by Boro group produced by Morgan Jahnig.

LIVING

to the Past: Dinosaurs, Gems and Fossils r Invitation Middle Tennessee Museum of Natural History now open. Crazy Clown y Get to know the Crazy Clown who hangs out on Old Fort.

Gardening Keep those leaves, they are gifts from the trees.

FOOD Special Dining Section: The Jewels of Bradyville Pike

p a s

CREW

PULSE

MexiVen Try this place for tacos, sopes, grilled chicken, horchata. The Hidden Jewels You may find your new favorite eatery in these little stores. Oriental Express Wonderful Thai cooked in the back of Bradyville building. Brewsboro: Some Standout Brews Annual event was a great place to sample many beers. Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo Art Director: Sarah L. Mayo Advertising Reps: Jeff Brown, Don Clark, Jami Creel, Jamie Jennings Copy Editor: Steve Morley

Contributors: Dylan Skye Aycock, Hunter Barry, Gloria Christy, Sarah Clark, Mai Hamric, Chris Goebel, Tony Lehew, Zach Maxfield, Chuck Norwood, Cameron Parrish, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard, Sam Stockard, Edwinna Shannon, Christy Simmons, Norbert Thiemann, Phil Valentine, Scott Walker, Zach Ward, Chris Wells, Emily West

Craft Fair Etiquette Don’t tell an artist “I can make that.” November Art Happenings Art Studio Tour, Local Artist Trunk Show and much more

REVIEWS

k Movie Fury

Video Game Destiny Living Room Cinema Whatcha Lookin’ For? November Theater Schedule Tommy, Hamlet, A Doll’s House

ONLINE AT:

BOROPULSE.COM

SPORTS

Talk with Z-Train ; Sports A bummer of a season for the Titans

NEWS

for Profit x Probation Providence Community Corrections fleecing area residents for millions.

OPINIONS

The Stockard Report v Employee loses it over a new computer system;

b n ,

county settles Trammel’s lawsuit against Sheriff Arnold. Phil Valentine Of course businesses create jobs. Music Through the Decades The 1970s, Charlie Daniels and Volunteer Jam LaPalabra The Brown Mountain Lights: An Appalachian Mystery

To carry the Pulse at your business, or submit letters, stories and photography: bracken@boropulse.com 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 (615) 796-6248

Copyright © 2014, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130. Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed by Franklin Web Printing Co. The Murfreesboro Pulse is a free publication funded by our advertisers. Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378X

THE PULSE IS FOR THOSE WHO SAY “there’s nothing to do in Murfreesboro.” Whatever! You just need to know where to look. There is plenty to do. Visit some artists in their natural habitats during this month’s Art Studio Tour, check out The Who’s Tommy, try some food you have never had before, get all of the low end you can handle at a Bass Off for a good cause, take in an MTSU basketball or football game, hear the symphonic sounds of the MSO, visit a natural history museum . . . experience some time and exceptional customer service as a client of Providence Community Corrections. JK. I really enjoy this month’s food section, shedding a little light on some of the hidden culinary treasures of Bradyville Pike. Now, if there were only proper sidewalks along Bradyville Pike leading to these fine establishments, those in that neighborhood would have it made. Happy Thanksgiving, however you and yours choose to celebrate it. Don’t feel like cooking? Let Nobody’s cook the feast for your family. Interested in a little outdoor celebration the weekend following Thanksgiving? Mix and mingle while the music plays up on Hippie Hill. Shop local, people. Keep the money in Murfreesboro and support your neighbors. Nearly anything you crave, you can find it from a local merchant. And there’s a good chance you can find what you desire from one of the fine businesses who place an ad with us in the Pulse. Whether you desire a gyro, nutritional supplements, a hydroponic grow system, a rocking chair, doggie daycare, an ATV, coffee, all-natural soap, hypnosis, a printer/copier, pro-audio gear, a vintage bicycle, a new dental career, a straight-razor shave, Chinese food or a taco, look no further than the roster of Pulse advertisers. If you need these goods and services, please use and support those businesses who support the Pulse . . . but if you feel you have all that you need, which you very well may, don’t feel pressured to consume. (Consider giving something away, though!) There’s plenty of food and homes in the world for everyone, the allocation is just out of balance. Remember to make the holidays about something meaningful to you and your family. The holidays don’t have to be all about consumption. Celebrate the turn of the seasons, the harvest, the solstice, salvation, family, thankfulness (not necessarily the big sale, your gift list, candy, etc.). You can make every holiday, every day, special, meaningful and full of gratitude and peace, no matter how much certain businesses or advertising campaigns try to focus on consumption and commercialization. Ephphatha! Peace, Bracken Mayo Editor in Chief BOROPULSE.COM

* NOVEMBER 2014 * 3

EVENTS

compiled by ANDREA STOCKARD

Send event information to murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com on: Dealing with Depression, Freedom from Religion, The Power of Forgiveness, Anxiety & Fear, Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places, What Do You Believe About Yourself, Drug & Alcohol Addiction, Healthy Living and more. For more information, call Branches Counseling Center (1450 Battleground Dr. at (615) 904-7170 or visit branchescounselingcenter.com.

NOV. 8 LEARN•GROW•CONNECT CONFERENCE FOR WOMEN Keynote speaker Carol Aebersold, creator and author of The Elf on the Shelf book series, shares her story at Embassy Suites Murfreesboro Hotel & Conference Center (1200 Conference Center Blvd.) on Thursday, Nov. 6. Take the opportunity to network, shop and attend valuable professional development sessions. Tickets are $65 for members and $85 for non-members. For more information, contact (615) 893-6565 or lfletcher@ rutherfordchamber.org.

TURKEY TEE OFF The 4th annual Turkey Tee Off golf tournament will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8, at Cedar Crest Golf Course to benefit the Child Advocacy Centers in Rutherford and Cannon Counties. The Child Advocacy Center hopes that, through this event, families of abused children will learn about the Child Advocacy Center, and seek help. Proceeds from the golf tournament will fund services for child abuse victims. Child abuse affects a significant number of children in our community. In the last 14 years, the Child Protective Investigative Team has worked together to investigate and prosecute over 10,000 child abuse cases; the Child Advocacy Center helps children and families heal from the trauma. For more information on the event or the Child Advocacy Center, call (615) 867-9000.

NOV. 7

NOV. 8

MURFREESBORO SYMPHONY CONCERT: A SALUTE TO OUR VETERANS: LOVE AND WAR THROUGH MUSIC AND LETTERS Melt into stirring music conveying a wide array of emotions as the Murfreesboro Symphony brings to life wartime love letters written throughout American history. Enjoy selections by Dmitri Shostakovich, William Walton, Malcolm Arnold, Glenn Miller, John Williams, and more at First United Methodist Church (265 W. Thompson Ln.) on Friday, Nov. 7. For more information, call (615) 898-1862 or visit murfreesborosymphony.com.

TROUPE SURVIVOR PRESENTS WINE FOR SURVIVORS Troupe: Survivor presents Wine for Survivors at Through the Grapevine (630 Broad-

NOV. 6

NOV. 7 & 8 “SIMPLY FREE” EXPERIENCE RETURNS TO MURFREESBORO Simply Free returns with speakers, worship, and testimonies of recovery and restoration at The Family Worship Center (3045 Memorial Blvd.) Friday, 6:30–9 p.m. and Saturday, 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m. In addition, break-out sessions address topics 4 * NOVEMBER 2014 * BOROPULSE.COM

NOV. 11 SHARE THE LIGHT Share the Light invites practitioners in the healing, wellness and conscious creating arts as well as those interested in holistic and integrated healing modalities to Yoga on the Square (423 W. Lytle St.) from 7:30–9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11. Recognize, claim, cultivate, and share your own gifts while receiving the wonderfully nourishing gifts of others. These are free and held on the second Tuesday of each month. For more information, call (615) 904-9642. mor Blvd., Suite 190) on Saturday, Nov. 8, to benefit survivors of domestic violence with wines provided by Stones River Total Beverages. Admission is $25 for advanced purchase and $30 at the door. For more information, visit troupesurvivor.org.

NOV. 8 CHARITY DAY Twice a year, Belk (2615 Medical Center Pkwy., Suite 1600) holds special savings 20–70% off of rarely discounted brands (Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Lucky etc.) at the Avenue in Murfreesboro from 6–10 a.m. to benefit local charities and schools. Tickets are $5 at local charities, and shoppers then receive $5 off of the first purchase. For more information, call (615) 896-5003 or (615) 893-4207.

veterans and community members to attend and be recognized at Honoring Our Veterans at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9. Enjoy performances from the Fine Arts Department and guest speaker and scholar Steven Smartt. For more information, contact (615) 904-3780 ext. 23945.

NOV. 11 VETERANS DAY AT THE SAM DAVIS HOME United States Veterans and their families are welcome to attend the Sam Davis Home (1399 Sam Davis Rd.) for a free tour of the historic house, property, and museum. Hours of admission are from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. with the last guided tour leaving at 3 p.m. For more information, call (615) 459-2341 or visit samdavishome.org.

NOV. 11

HONORING OUR VETERANS Oakland High School invites all local

VETERANS DAY REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY Join a Veterans Day Remembrance Ceremony at 11:11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at the Gazebo by City Hall (5093 Murfreesboro Rd., La Vergne, TN). For more information, call (615) 793-3224 or visit lavergnetn.gov.

NOV. 20 EVIDENTIAL INSPIRATION AND CLIMATE HOPE Rev. Michael Dowd will visit Unity of Murfreesboro (130 Cannon Ave.) from 7–8:45 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, focusing on his most recent TEDx talk, “Reality Reconciles Science and Religion,” and his bestselling book, Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World. (michaeldowd.org). For more information, call (615) 907-6033 or visit unitychurchoflife.com.

NOV. 11 CODEPENDENCY SUPPORT GROUP CLASS Branches Counseling Center (1450 Battleground Dr.) invites the community to a free 10-week codependency support group class, also known as “relationship addiction,” every Tuesday evening from 7–8

p.m. beginning Nov. 11 for ten consecutive weeks (except for holiday weeks). For more information, call (615) 904-7170, email blessings-and-hope@att.net or visit branchescounselingcenter.com.

NOV. 11 OAKLANDS 55TH ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DINNER The Board of Trustees invite you to Oaklands 55th Annual Membership Dinner with social time at 6 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. in Maney Hall (900 N. Maney Ave.) on Tuesday, Nov. 11. The evening will include Rick’s BBQ and guest speaker Dr. Gregory Reish’s program on music of the Civil War, a tribute to both the history of Oaklands and all veterans in attendance. Admission is $25 per person; please RSVP by Nov. 7. For more information, contact (615) 893-0022 or info@oaklands museum.org.

NOV. 12 & 13 HISTORY DETECTIVES Students are invited to examine original artifacts and make deductions about the people depicted in the photographs and documents at Oaklands Mansion (900 N. Maney Ave.). Students are asked to “look” and make observations to spark conversations about the time period. This program also includes a tour of the mansion and scavenger hunt. This is open to large school groups and private schools with a minimum of 20 students. Reservations are required to mb@oaklandsmuseum.org with admission of $5 per student. For more information, call (615) 8930022 or visit oaklandsmuseum.org.

NOV. 14 LIGHTS UP! Kick off a joyous holiday season at Stones River Mall, in front of Bink’s Outfitters, (1720 Old Fort Pkwy.) at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, for spectacular live performances by MTSU’s School of Music and Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra, complimentary cookies and cocoa, giveaways from Stones River Mall and the grand arrival of jolly old Saint Nick himself. Watch the 25-foot-tall Christmas tree being lighted. For more information, call (615) 896-4486.

NOV. 14–16 FALL HARVEST HAYRIDE Enjoy live music as you toast marshmallows and eat s’mores around the campfire at an old-fashioned hayride along the Murfreesboro Greenway, General Bragg Trailhead (1450 W. College St.) from 5:30–7:30 p.m. Nov. 14–16. Admission is $2 per person; ages 2 and under free. For more information, contact (615) 893-2141 or mtate@murfreesborotn.gov.

NOV. 1–19 19 DAYS OF ACTIVISM Nineteen local agencies are partnering for 19 Days of Activism. The Women’s World Summit Foundation is sponsoring the fourth annual 19 Days of Activism for the Prevention of Abuse and Violence Against Children and Youth. This worldwide event is held every year between Nov. 1–19. This is the second year that organizations in Rutherford and Cannon Counties have been partners in the international event. The theme of the 2014 19 Days of Activism event is addiction and substance abuse and the impact on children and youth, and the resources that are available to assist children and families. The 19 Partner Agencies are: CADCOR, CASA, Centerstone, Child Advocacy Center, Department of Children’s Services, Domestic Violence Program, Exchange Club Family Center, The Guidance Center, Kids on the Block, Kymari House, La Vergne Police Department, Murfreesboro City Schools, Murfreesboro Police Department, Our Kids Center, Rutherford County Schools, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, Smyrna Police Department, Solutions Education Center The Child Advocacy Center will also be sponsoring 19 “Darkness to Light” trainings to educate parents and grandparents how to protect children from child sexual abuse. “Darkness to Light” training times and locations include: Nov. 4, 9:30–10:30 a.m., Cedar Grove Elementary Nov. 4, 3–4 p.m., Cason Lane Academy Nov. 5, 7:15–7:45 p.m., Center for the Arts (Tommy Dress Rehearsal) Nov. 6, 6–8 p.m., Tot’s Landing on River Rock Blvd. Nov. 7, 7:30–7:45 p.m., Center for the Arts (Tommy Opening) Nov. 8, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., Murfreesboro City Schools ESP Nov. 10, 5–7 p.m., Hobgood Elementary PTO Nov. 11, 9–11 a.m., Northside Christian Academy/Barfield Academy Preschool Nov. 13, 5–7 p.m., Lancaster Christian Academy Nov. 15, 6–8 p.m., The Learning Nest Nov. 17, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Franklin Heights Nov. 18, 6–8 p.m., MTSU Social Work Forum Nov. 19, 6:15–8:15 p.m., Meg’s Playhouse For more information on the project, call (615) 867-9000.

NOV. 15

NOV. 21

CHARITY AUTO SHOW Stokes Motor Company (1950 N.W. Broad St.) hosts a charity car show to benefit The Journey Home from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, with cars of all makes, models and years. The entry fee for the participants will be a frozen turkey that will be donated to The Journey Home. Free food and raffle items will be available. For more information, contact (615) 9003461 or sales@stokesmotorco.com.

SEASON OF WONDERS HOLIDAY EVENT Wondering how to make your holidays special? Be at Lane Agri-Park (315 John R. Rice Blvd.) from 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, for gifts, crafts and ideas for decorating your home. Author and TV personality Tammy Algood will demonstrate holiday cooking and gift ideas, and lunch will be sold by RC FCE Clubs. Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 898-7710.

beans—to help provide a Thanksgiving meal for families in need. The community is invited to come out and sign up for a turkey giveaway, or to come out and volunteer on Saturday, Nov. 22 from 9 a.m.–noon. Items can be dropped off Nov. 21 from 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Please share with any families you feel would appreciate this initiative. For more information, call (615) 494-0499 or visit greenhousemin.org.

NOV. 22 & 23–21 ANNUAL ART STUDIO TOUR Murfreesboro and Rutherford County craft artists open their studios to the public offering a unique, wide selection of artwork and demonstrations from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 848-1079 or visit artstudiotour.org.

NOV. 25 SMYRNA CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING Come out for the Smryna Christmas Tree Lighting at Smyrna Town Centre (100 Sam Ridley Pkwy.) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25. For more information, call (615) 459-9773.

NOV. 27 BORODASH Borodash is a 4-mile Thanksgiving Day run through historic Murfreesboro including MTSU and the historic Courthouse square beginning at MTSU’s Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium (1500 Greenland Dr.) on Thursday, Nov. 27. For more information, contact info@borodash. org or visit borodash.org.

NOV. 21 AND 22

NOV. 19 ADULT BINGO Join other adults at Patterson Park Community Center (521 Mercury Blvd.) for a lively game of Bingo with small prizes and the chance to play pool or walk the fitness track. Adults and Senior day is the third Wednesday of each month in the PPCC Dining Room from 10–11 a.m. Admission is $2. Call (615) 893-2141.

GREENHOUSE MINISTRIES TURKEY DRIVE Greenhouse Ministries (309 S. Spring St.) kindly asks for donations of turkeys with all the fixins—dressing, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, corn, green

NOV. 29 HOLLY TROLLEY CHRISTMAS Visit historic downtown Murfreesboro from 1–5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29 for free trolley rides, refreshments and more. For more information, call (615) 8951887 or visit downtownmurfreesboro.com. BOROPULSE.COM

* NOVEMBER 2014 * 5

IF YOU GO:

SOUNDS NOVEMBER CONCERTS

Send your show listings to listings@boropulse.com

THURS, 11/6

SUN, 11/9

BONHOEFFER’S Lauren Lieu, Mountains Like Wax BUNGANUT PIG Joe West NACHO’S Ivan LaFever THE BORO Open Blues Jam hosted by Stuart Montez WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Salsa Band

TFG PRODUCTIONS Bowling Green WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU String Studio Recital, MTSU Concert Chorale: Haydn’s Creation

FRI, 11/7 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG My July Band COCONUT BAY CAFÉ Zone Status CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra MAYDAY BREWERY Maradeen THE BORO Middle Tennessee Bass Off THE GREEN DRAGON Uncle Don Clark WALL STREET Jen Hodges and Spurge, Forrest Brown, Young Wayf, Cooley Cool

SAT, 11/8 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG Zone Status CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West MAYDAY BREWERY Sheldon Clark TFG PRODUCTIONS Ashes of Folly, Chasing Lights, Ground Water Mafia, Lieutenant Dance THE BORO Strength WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Andrea Dawson, violin; Christine Kim, cello; Henry Haffner, viola; Adam Clark and Eunbyol Ko, piano

MON, 11/10 WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Larchmere String Quartet, Kyle Smiley

TUES, 11/11 BUNGANUT PIG The O’Donnells

WED, 11/12 BUNGANUT PIG Sabrina and Tony LEVEL III Ryan Coleman’s Writers’ Night THE BORO Terry McClain Songwriters Night THE GREEN DRAGON Levi Massie and Company WALL STREET Carinne Carpenter WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Percussion Ensemble

THURS, 11/13 BONHOEFFER’S The Strumms BUNGANUT PIG Masses Beware NACHO’S Ivan LaFever THE BORO Open Blues Jam hosted by Stuart Montez WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Wind Ensemble

FRI, 11/14 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG Phoenix Rising CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West COCONUT BAY CAFE Lugnuts MAYDAY BREWERY Smooth Hound Smith TFG PRODUCTIONS Caligulove, Belial,

View Concert Listings Online: 6 * NOVEMBER 2014 * BOROPULSE.COM

Rat Bastard THE BORO The Buscumies WRIGHT MUSIC BUILDING Eleana Seymour, Ashley Beasley (clarinet); Chancellor Dickens (cello) WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. (Room 173) Eastern Boundary Jazz Quartet

SAT, 11/15 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West BUNGANUT PIG Casual Exchange JOZOARA Brad Ewing MAYDAY BREWERY Kalob Griffin Band THE BORO Debi Lynn and The JR Brown Band WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Bethany Landers (vocal)

SUN, 11/16 BUNGANUT PIG Amber's Drive WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Chamber Orchestra, Aaron Stickley (euphonium), Kayla Allsop (vocal)

MON, 11/17 WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Faculty Jazz Recital

TUES, 11/18 BUNGANUT PIG CJ Vaughn Trio

WED, 11/19 BUNGANUT PIG JD Shelbourne Duo LEVEL III Ryan Coleman’s Writers’ Night WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Clarinet Choir, MTSU Guitar Ensembles

THURS, 11/20 BONHOEFFER’S nobigdyl., Exum, S-Wrap BUNGANUT PIG Charleyhorse NACHO’S Ivan LaFever THE BORO Open Blues Jam hosted by Stuart Montez WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Women's Chorale

FRI, 11/21 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos

Alfonso’s 179 Mall Circle Dr. 439-6155 Bonhoeffer’s 610 Dill Ln. 907-2890

PULSE PICK

Bunganut Pig 1602 W. Northfield Blvd. 893-7860

MIDDLE TENNESSEE BASS OFF FRI. 11/7 @ THE BORO

Bass guitar players will converge in Murfreesboro for the Middle Tennessee Bass Off 2014. The event, held Nov. 7 at The Boro, will feature a different bass player onstage every 10 minutes. All proceeds from the evening will go to Operation: Adopt a Hero, which provides assistance to U.S. military veterans. Special event T-shirts will be available for purchase and a bass from Rocklin Guitar will be raffled off. Find the event page on Facebook for a complete schedule of the more than 20 bassists who are scheduled to play. BUNGANUT PIG Junkbox CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West COCONUT BAY CAFE Backlit MAYDAY BREWERY Sherbert, Bad Star SAUNDERS FINE ARTS BUILDING Lund McVey Group WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Katie Johnson (horn), Kayla Holst (vocal)

SAT, 11/22 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG Fender Bender CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West MAYDAY BREWERY Thelma and the Sleaze, Omega Swan

SUN, 11/23 WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Brass Chamber Recital, MTSU Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1)

MON, 11/24 WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Elizabeth Chua, H. Stephen Smith; Woodwind chamber; Flute Choir

TUES, 11/25 BUNGANUT PIG Mark Brothers

WED, 11/26 BUNGANUT PIG Martin Rodriguez Duo LEVEL III Ryan Coleman’s Writers’ Night THE GREEN DRAGON Levi Massie and Company

FRI, 11/28 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG Amber’s Drive CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West COCONUT BAY CAFE Zone Status HIPPIE HILL Brian James and the Revival, Happy Goat Band MAYDAY BREWERY Birdcloud TFG PRODUCTIONS Random Conflict, Forsaken Profits, Rotten Stitches, Above Repute, The Commonwealth of American Natives THE BORO Once The Fallen, Dark Hound, Graven Souls

SAT, 11/29 ALFONSO’S Tony Castellanos BUNGANUT PIG The Pilots CARMEN’S TAQUERIA Joe West HIPPIE HILL Pink Floyd Appreciation Society, Whiskey Hickon Boys JOZOARA James Scott MAYDAY BREWERY Bentley Caldwell, Johnathon Dewveall

Carmen’s Taqueria 206 W Northfield Blvd. 848-9003 Coconut Bay Café 210 Stones River Mall Blvd 494-0504 First United Methodist Church 265 W Thompson Ln. 893-1322 Hippie Hill 8627 Burks Hollow Rd. 796-3697 JoZoara 536 N. Thompson Ln. 962-7175 Level III 114 S. Maple St. (615) 900-3754 Liquid Smoke #2 Public Square 217-7822 Main St. Music 527 W. Main St. 440-2425 Mayday Brewery 521 Old Salem Hwy. 479-9722 MTSU Wright Music Building 1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 898-2469 Nacho's 2962 S. Rutherford Blvd. 907-2700 Readyville Mill 5418 Murfreesboro Rd. Readyville 563-MILL TFG Productions 117 E. Vine St. The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 895-4800 The Green Dragon 714 F W. Main St. 801-7171 Wall Street 121 N. Maple St. 867-9090

SUN, 11/30

TUES, DEC 2

HIPPIE HILL The Stolen Faces

WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Symphonic Band

MON, DEC 1

WED, DEC 3

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH MTSU Concert Chorale, Handel’s Messiah WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Abi Coffer (faculty flute)

LEVEL III Ryan Coleman’s Writers’ Night WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Commercial Music Ensemble

ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

DJ, Bingo, Trivia & Karaoke NIGHTS IN MURFREESBORO

 MONDAYS BREW U Live Trivia, 7 p.m. BUNGANUT PIG Live Trivia, 7 p.m. THE POUR HOUSE DJ, 7–11 p.m.

 TUESDAYS IGNITE Karaoke, 8 p.m.–12 a.m. OLD CHICAGO Live Trivia, 9 p.m. COCONUT BAY CAFÉ Live Trivia, 7:30 p.m. THE POUR HOUSE DJ, 7–11 p.m. NACHOS Live Trivia, 7 p.m. NOBODY’S Bingo, 7 p.m. THE BOULEVARD Karaoke, 7 p.m.

 WEDNESDAYS BIG EARL'S GRUB & PUB Live Trivia, 7:30 p.m. CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

MELLOW MUSHROOM Live Trivia, 8 p.m. NOBODY’S Live Trivia, 7 and 9:30 p.m. SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Live Trivia, 8 p.m.

 THURSDAYS CAMPUS PUB Live Trivia, 8:15 p.m. COCONUT BAY CAFE Karaoke, 8 p.m.–12 a.m. LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.) Karaoke, 6 p.m. NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m. THE POUR HOUSE Karaoke, 9 p.m. WALL STREET Live Trivia, 8 p.m.

 FRIDAYS BIG EARL'S GRUB & PUB Karaoke, 8 p.m. NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m. LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.) Karaoke, 6 p.m.

MT BOTTLE Karaoke, 9 p.m.–3 a.m. BREW U Karaoke, 7 p.m.–10 p.m.

 SATURDAYS BIG EARL'S GRUB & PUB Live Trivia, 7:30 p.m. CAMPUS PUB Karaoke, 10 p.m.–2:30 a.m. NACHOS Live Trivia, 7 p.m. NOBODY’S Karaoke, 9:15 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

 SUNDAYS O’POSSUMS Live Trivia, 8 p.m. LA SIESTA (CHURCH ST.) Karaoke, 6 p.m. THE POUR HOUSE DJ, 7 p.m. WALL STREET Team Bingo, 5–7 p.m. SAM’S SPORTS GRILL Live Trivia, 8 p.m.

THIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS ALL MONTH LONG FOR JUST $60 CALL (615) 796-6248

To be included in the Pulse’s listings, contact zek@tnkaraoke.com

HEAR WHAT MURFREESBORO SOUNDS LIKE 

Want your band listed on our QR Classifieds? E-mail murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com

SOUNDS BY CHUCK NORWOOD

MURFREESBORO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA TO OPEN SEASON NOV. 7 THE NEW SEASON OF THE Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra holds great promise, with offerings ranging from traditional orchestral pieces to Symphony firsts like a coffee-infused concert series and its Family Concert Series. According to symphony leaders, the new Family Series hopes to engage children with “the magical world of the symphony orchestra.” The Fourth Annual Family Concert, will be performed at First United Methodist Church on March 14, 2015. This free program will feature members of the Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra alongside the MSO, accompanied by the winner of the Emerging Artist competition. In addition, the Siegel Foundation/MSO Musical Excellence Awards will be held on this night to recognize the highestcaliber local school music students. Next up on the seasonal schedule will be a tribute to the country’s veterans. The concert, A Salute to Our Veterans: Love and War Through Music and Letters, will be held on Nov. 7 at First United Methodist on W. Thompson Lane beginning at 7:30 p.m. “The church has a veteran’s dinner that precedes the concert,” stated Symphony Board President Phil Barnett. This should ensure a full stomach before enjoying “stirring music” of composers such as Glenn Miller and Malcolm Arnold. On Dec. 18, the symphony will offer its traditional holiday musical The Sounds of Christmas, featuring the Murfreesboro Symphony Chorus. During the concert, there is a portion

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where the audience is encouraged to sing along. This portion, said Barnett, brings out “talented and not-sotalented [singers].” But, in the end, he noted with a chuckle, “everybody sings.” This holiday presentation has sold out in previous years. On Feb. 8, at 2 p.m., the symphony offers its second concert in the Java Series, which began in early October. Tickets for the Java Series, held at the Center for the Arts, will be limited to around 120 to provide an intimate listening experience. The concert is titled A Sunday Afternoon Serenade. A month later, We Will Rock You: The Music of Queen, a classic rockmeets-classical performance paying homage to the great British band, will be held March 12, 7:30 p.m., at World Outreach Church. The Symphony’s performance will be augmented by guest performers Blue Jeans & Classics, in hopes to “bring Freddie Mercury’s Queen to Middle Tennessee.” The final performance of the 2014–15 subscription series is scheduled for April 16, 2015, at 7:30 p.m at FUMC. To begin the night, Murfreesboro native and musical guest Nicholas Zumbro will perform the “Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16” by Edvard Grieg. Other selections will be performed throughout the night, including “Intermezzo” from Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana.” The finale (for which the season-ending concert is named) will be RimskyKorsakov’s “Scheherazade,” described as “[an] epic orchestral warhorse.” This schedule would not be possible without the phenomenal group

of musicians that make up the MSO. Conducting the MSO is Maestro Joseph Lee, who is also the the Resident Conductor of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Huntsville Youth Orchestra and Artistic Advisor of the Orquesta Manuel Maria Gutierrez (in the United States commonwealth of Costa Rica). Lee, who has also served a onesemester appointment as an Adjunct Assistant of Orchestra and Conducting at Vanderbilt’s prestigious Blair School of Music, has directed the MSO since September of 2010. About 60 to 70 musicians make up the base of the MSO. An additional 20 to 30 musicians are added to this base number, depending on the piece of music performed, Barnett noted. The nucleus of musicians come mainly from the Southeast, with players from Alabama, Kentucky and in Tennessee from Nashville, Knoxville, Cannon County and Murfreesboro. For more on the MSO, visit murfreesborosymphony.com.

ALBUM REVIEWS

THE GLADE CITY ROUNDERS They’re After Us

MR. NASTI Truth Sounds

3.5 3.5

The Glade City Rounders’ new album, They’re After Us, will take you back in time with their old-time styles in string-band and jug-band blues music. The Middle Tennessee string band specializes in prewar music that is reminiscent of Uncle Dave Macon, who happens to be a big influence on the band. All three of the band members are known for their virtuosity on multiple instruments. William See sings and plays fiddle, kazoo and harmonica, Josh Smith sings and plays guitar and jug, and, lastly, Squirrel McLain sings and plays banjo and kazoo. They’re After Us displays the impressive musicianship of the band, most notable on the instrumental tracks “Darlin Honey,” “Glade City Rag” and “Let’s Hunt the Wild Horses.” In these three songs, McLain’s banjo holds down the beat while the other two work around him. “Darlin Honey” mostly gives See a chance to show off his fiddle skills, while “Glade City Rag” allows for See and Smith to take turns trading exciting solo after solo, and it even includes some human beatboxing. The first track on the album, “Sourwood Mountain,” is a short, fast-paced number that is a great starting point. It finds all three members singing the chorus in a grimy unison, talking about how there are too many pretty girls to count. The title track of the album is another exciting piece of work. It features a deep, raspy, scratchy singing voice that adds an extra edge to the song. It doesn’t provide any answers to who is after them, but it does specify that they are they objects of everyone’s desire. This is a well-rounded album by the highlytalented string band. Its sound is raw and natural, avoiding all the artificial sounds that are used on many contemporary albums. At the very least, the instrumentation will keep you entertained for hours, trying to figure out how The Glade City Rounders transition seamlessly from one instrument to the next. — ZACH WARD

RATINGS: AVERAGE

MR NASTI’s second full-length album, Truth Sounds, features a blend of lo-fi shoegaze and synth-infused dance tracks, all layered with lyrics that raise thought-provoking questions regarding human existence and the choices we make. Nicholas Naioti, the mastermind behind MR NASTI and once a Nashville-based musician, spent the past three years completing his sophomore album in Fairfield, Iowa, and continues to build upon themes of life and death captured on his self-titled 2012 release. Lyrics like I made a choice to conquer hate with art ring out on the opening track, its spacey, rhythmic beats setting the tone for the majority of the album. The song, “Always Believe,” is a psychedelic track that encourages the listener to live in the present and, as the title suggests, always believe in love. In retrospect, songs like “Change It,” featuring fellow Iowa artist Anna Gebhardt (Annalibera), and “Like a Wild Animal” lean toward the musician’s singer/songwriter acoustic roots and offer the listener a more stripped-down production. Other guest musicians include Joel Gettys and Ryan Stier (The River Monks), Adrien Daller (Trouble Lights) and Nashville’s own Spoken Nerd. Clear standouts include “Stand Up Straight,” a radio-friendly track featuring angelic vocals by Gebhardt and “Forge a Path,” a song affirming Naioti’s reoccurring mantra of living in the now. On the closing song, “Mating Call,” MR NASTI boldly captures the essence of the nine-track release in a single line with Are we really anything more than a series of experiences filtered through a formula designed in our childhood? The album, well produced and genuine, weaves powerful messages into its catchy beats and riffs, something not easily accomplished in today’s market. For more on MR NASTI, visit mrnasti.com or find him on Bandcamp and Facebook. — DYLAN SKYE AYCOCK

A CLASSIC BELOW AVERAGE

OUTSTANDING AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD BOROPULSE.COM

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SOUNDS

GREAT MUSIC MATTERS Murfreesboro-based record label Reﬁnersﬁre focusing on classical style artists. BY EMILY WEST

YEAR AGO THIS OCTOBER, MICHAEL LINTON AND CHRIS McMURTRY

decided that a decade was long enough to wait to start a classical music label. The two figured it correctly.

After their first year of business, the music they’ve recorded on their Refinersfire label has landed its artists concerts at Carnegie Hall, and the two are hoping to earn a Grammy nomination. Their names are on the initial ballot. >>>

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McMurtry didn’t think his new business venture would take off so quickly, but he has found that it was well worth the wait. “What we do is all very organic,” McMurtry said. “Part of the vision of Refinersfire is to communicate that great art exists all around us and communicate that classical music is art for all people. We are finding artists, and trying to help them realize their dreams.” But before they could ever record one track, McMurtry and Linton had to decide on a name for their brainchild. “You’re the king of bad names,” Karen Linton teased McMurtry. She is the label’s managing director and also Linton’s daughter. McMurtry, playing with his coffee cup sleeve, decided she was right, laughing at himself, too. “However, the name speaks to the grueling process of the artist,” McMurtry said. “Anyone who is an artist understands that they go to create and modify this thing, what it is you create, but when you are done, it’s youwho is changed by it.” During their first year as a label, the group has found some musical treasures among the mix. Linton finally finished composing 17 songs inspired by the poems of Cattulus, a Latin poet who lived in the Roman Republic. It’s this digital release, which Linton worked on for the last 20 years, that is on the short list for Grammy nominations. All of it was recorded in the Linton’s living room in Murfreesboro. Refinersfire doesn’t have a studio, and they recruited sound engineers from Middle Tennessee State University to pitch in and help. “You don’t need a physical location,” McMurtry said. “Just a large heart. Not having a physical location keeps the costs down. Plus, just like a hip-hop artist can record in their bedroom, so can classical artists. We just need a bigger room in the house.” Although Karen Linton didn’t write anything on her dad’s album, she made her own big splash with the label after she met Ultra Violet, who was one of Andy Warhol’s superstars, a group of personalities Warhol championed in the 1960s and 1970s. Violet (French-born artist Isabelle Collin Dufresne, who died in 2014) had found some tapes she wanted digitized, and she allowed Refinersfire to do the job for her. Among those tapes were phone conversations between her and Warhol, along with 60 of her own original songs.

“Their conversations sound just like they were kids sitting in bed with nothing to do,” Linton said. “Their conversations are completely candid. It was completely worth digitizing and especially getting to know Ultra Violet.” Violet’s collection of conversations and music are now sold as a box set called Self Portrait. They have also released music this year from Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Jason Paul Peterson and Daniel Shaw, who are classical and indie-rock musicians.

A LABOR OF LOVE

This business has become everything McMurtry does in his life, sometimes working up to 17 hours a day to make it function. “I will say it never feels like 17 hours of work,” McMurtry said. “But when you are consistent with your boundaries, you get stuff done.” Every day McMurtry wakes up at 4 a.m. He spends about an hour praying, reading and composing. By 7 a.m. he climbs the stairs to his home office to open emails from Karen, and, following the to-do list he made the night before, he divvies up the jobs between himself and Linton. The three-person team has learned that providing a business for artists is more about the administration side than it is about creating their own art. “We have learned a lot of interesting things about running a business, and none of us are businesspeople,” Linton said. “The world has never been set up to support artists, but we are trying to make it.” They spend parts of some days keeping tabs on their recordings that are played on iTunes and Spotify, dealing with receipts and expenses, and answering lots and lots of email. The two work together as a dynamic duo, usually emailing each other all day long and making jokes that “no one but them finds funny,” said Linton, who wore a red dress with a bleached jean jacket. They recognize they are quirky, but its part of what makes Refinersfire work as well as it has so far. “The longer we go on through the day, the more and more delirious we become,” Karen Linton said, laughing. “We joke all the time this label is small, but mighty. But really, I think we are that.” For more information on Refinersfire, visit reﬁnersﬁre.us.

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SOUNDS

HARDIN DRAW DEBUTS ALBUM

Old Crow’s Morgan Jahnig produces band’s debut album. BY ZACH WARD

t’s a Wednesday night. In a quaint-looking brick house on a normally quiet city street, a group of friends gather around a silver countertop in a kitchen with lime and olivegreen walls. They drink Michelob and OctoberFest while discussing the events of their lives, which at the moment are getting interesting. The friends make up the six-piece band known as The Hardin Draw, which has recently completed its first full album, produced by Old Crow Medicine Show veteran Morgan Jahnig. David Talley is vocalist and guitarist. Nearby is bassist Jason Dietz and vocalist/mandolinist Aaron Swisher. Then there’s Vic Avellino, who offers vocals and plays banjo, lap steel and keyboards. The only woman in the group is vocalist and fiddle player Laura Beth Jewel. The sixth member is Patrick Johnson, who sings and plays electric guitar.

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“It was a big accident,” says Talley, a short man wearing a gray flat cap and rocking a fullgrown brown neck beard, taking the lead to tell of the band’s origin. The band formed in 2011, he explained, but not as a serious venture, rather just for fun. There were parties at Dietz’s house where they would get together and play music. But members realized they wanted to write a song, and that’s when they got serious. “It just started as a joke,” notes Talley. “We forced [people] to sing,” adds Dietz, taller and lankier than Talley and with short, messy brown hair. Dietz is sitting stiffly on a bar stool, wearing a neck brace and a walking boot on his left foot due to a recent motorcycle accident. They started out playing what band members termed “cheesy bluegrass.” However, now their musical style has moved more toward the

Americana genre. They admit, though, that they’re still trying to figure out their sound. “It’s evolving,” says Talley. “It’s raw. We’re still trying to figure out bluegrass progressions.” “It’s straightforward and honest,” adds Swisher, whose clean-cut and shaven face is topped off with short black hair. The original name of the band was Engine No. 7, but this changed, oddly enough, due to an episode of Pawn Stars. Dietz was watching the show when a patron brought in memorabilia from the 19th-century outlaw John Wesley Hardin. “He invented the cross draw,” says Dietz, a move in which a gunslinger wearing a doublegun holster crosses his arms and pulls out both revolvers in one swift movement.” The Hardin Draw was born. For the first couple of years the band toured, traveling as far north as New York City, as far south as New Orleans and everywhere in between. “It’s been very difficult,” says Dietz. “A lot of hard work goes into booking your own tours. You have to email venues, and route the tours to have places to play every night.” However, the band did get a nice break early on in its career. At The Hardin Draw’s second show, the band met Morgan Jahnig, vocalist and standup bass player for the award-winning Americana band Old Crow Medicine Show.

“He was there to see The Hackensaw Boys,” said Dietz. “I met him backstage, and we became friends.” “He’s an awesome guy. . . . He heard something in us,” says Talley. The friendship progressed to the point where Jahnig called the band on tour with ideas. After a couple of years getting to know its members, Jahnig decided to record and produce the band’s first album, Burn This Town. They started recording the album in January 2014, and they finished in May. “It was super-easy,” said Dietz. “He has his vision. He’s very patient, but he wants it done right.” “He killed me vocally,” interjects Talley. “He heard what it was supposed to sound like.” Since finishing the album, the sextet made a video for their song “California.” This month, they will be making a video for the album’s opening track, “Southern Queen.” Their album will be released for sale later this year. “We will put it out or someone else will,” says Dietz. The band is concentrating on writing new material while Dietz recovers from his motorcycle accident and Johnson recovers from a wood shop accident that caused damage to his finger. Members say they enjoy getting together every week. Making music is what they love to do.

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LIVING Invitation to the Past Murfreesboro’s Natural History Museum now open on Old Salem.

VERY KID LIKES dinosaurs, but I was never obsessed,” says Alan Brown, founder of Murfreesboro’s brand-new natural history museum. The Earth Experience Middle Tennessee Museum of Natural History, as it is known, opened this fall—but it was a long time coming. Brown studied geology in college and considered a focus on paleontology, but, he says, “I was told repeatedly that there were no jobs in paleontology.” Instead, he worked for an environmental company out of college, but “got the bug” for dinosaurs after moving to Tennessee. There he met Jerry Jacene, who was then running the Highlands Prehistoric Museum in Cookeville. Brown began volunteering at the museum, and then in 2007 started going with Jacene on his excavation trips to Montana. “Once I got out to Montana and dug dinosaurs for the first time—that’s what really got me hooked,” says Brown. As for the new Middle Tennessee museum, Brown says simply that he loves living in this area, but he’s missed having a natural history museum to visit since the Highlands Prehistoric Museum closed in 2008. “It kind of struck me one day that if I wanted to go to a natural history museum, I needed to start a natural history museum,” he says. That was more than two years ago. After about a year of planning, registering as a nonprofit and learning about organizing a 14 * NOVEMBER 2014 * BOROPULSE.COM

STORY BY SARAH H. CLARK PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO

museum, Brown spent almost another year looking for the right space to house his project. He found that space in February of this year, and then the process of collecting and organizing the displays could begin. The museum opened its doors for the first time on Sept. 25. The Earth Experience is located in the center of a long warehouse building, with a bright white sign bearing a globe to let you know that you’ve arrived. Just inside the door is a sculpted herbivorous dinosaur wearing a real leather saddle. A sign tells patrons that for a small fee, they are welcome to climb up on “Greedy’s” back for a ride. Next comes the gift shop, offering T-shirts, posters, and plush dinosaurs—as well as authentic casts of dinosaur bones crafted in the museum’s workshop. Once you’re inside, there are displays for pretty much every interest in the natural history

Feed the dinosaur to support the museum. (Left) Alan Brown discusses geology and great lizards. (Below) Minerals on display under a blacklight.

realm: dinosaur bones, rocks and minerals, shells and more. Though Brown is definitely the spearhead of this project, the community has come alongside him in numerous ways. A shell collectors’ club in Nashville has promised to come out and provide information on the shells Brown is already displaying, while many of the minerals on display are on loan from the collection of Murfreesboro resident Louis Elrod. “We’ve had stuff donated every week,” says Brown. “The collection keeps growing and growing.” And of course, many of the fossils, minerals and casts on display are from Brown’s own collection, too. In the furthest room comes the biggest surprise: though not yet fully assembled, the bones of Tyrannosaurus Rex (better known as T-Rex) wait to awe all comers with their enormous size. The Earth Experience’s T-Rex is a cast of the Fort Peck Rex, discovered near Earth Experience displays minerals from all over the world, but come to ﬁnd out, a wide variety of gemstones and fossils can be found in Tennessee.

Fort Peck in Montana. It’s a huge bonus for a newly starting museum—in more ways than one—and is on long-term loan from an anonymous donor. In the same room are casts and sculptures of other dinosaurs, as well as dinosaur footprints from Texas and an enormous bone bed where more than five full skeletons were found. Brown describes the museum’s funding as “less than a shoestring budget.” Everyone who works there, including him, is volunteering their time. They’ve received one small grant and did a small drive to ask individuals to donate funds for their display cases. Otherwise, the generosity of the community and a small entrance fee are supporting the venture for the time being. The hours are currently limited to when Brown isn’t working, but he’s hoping to extend the hours when a little more funding allows him to hire someone to keep the doors open. The Earth Experience is open to children and adults of all ages. However, Brown notes that the displays are generally more suitable for kids in middle school or older. “There’s a lot of neat stuff to look at, and there’s also a lot of information for those who want to take a little time and learn,” says Brown. “I’m constantly adding more and more information throughout the museum.” Located at 816 Old Salem Road, just a few minutes from the Square, The Earth Experience Middle Tennessee Natural History Museum is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free for kids under 12, and $5 for adults. For more information, visit facebook.com/midtnmuseum.

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LIVING

The Cafe the Clown Built Crazy Clown promotes local restaurant on the streets of Murfreesboro STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO PHOTOS BY SCOTT WALKER

an orange outfit I got in Vegas. I never wore it, it was just in the closet. . . . I first put the clothes on myself, and put the clown mask on.” Akbari hit the streets to promote his business, but soon realized the bulk of his time needed to be spent in the restaurant and, soon, another individual assumed the role of

the clown. From there, the character took on a life of his own. “He is one of my good friends,” said Akbari. “I told him if I open another store, it will be his; he is working for his own store.” The clown has attracted a lot of attention to the restaurant over the years. “People would come in and say, ‘Who’s that crazy clown?’” relates Akbari, who came to the U.S. from Iran in 2001 with only $11 in his pocket. “So customers put that name on him, Crazy Clown, and he accepted it.” The clown’s identity is a secret. Among the few details Akbari provides about the man in the makeup is that he has seven years of acting experience.

any Murfreesboro residents have at some time traveled Old Fort Parkway near the I-24 overpass, done a double-take and said something to the effect of, “What is that crazy clown doing?” upon first seeing Crazy Clown. The kooky character is the advertising plan for All American Cafe, and he can often be spotted in the general vicinity of the restaurant riding his tricycle, dancing and waving or displaying a sign promoting the burgers and breakfast plates offered at the establishment. “Action advertising was always on my mind,” said Ron Akbari, who opened the All American Cafe with his wife about five years ago. “I had 16 * NOVEMBER 2014 * BOROPULSE.COM

Ron Akbari cooks in All American Cafe, while the clown is hitting the streets to attract customers

“He’s a character, this is his passion. . . . And he won’t talk to you; that’s his policy,” Akbari said, adding that the clown can communicate a great deal without using language. It’s not always easy being the clown. “Sometimes people throw stuff at him— rocks, ketchup,” Akbari said. He’s been in a fight once; someone gave him the finger and he reacted. But he is generally a good-natured clown, peddling over the Interstate, stopping to wave, listening to music, dancing around. “When the weather is good, it’s good to go out,” Akbari said. “This is the fourth bike we’ve bought for him,” Akbari continued, pointing to the newest three-wheeled pedal-powered vehicle—the clown’s trademark mode of transportation—sitting in the cafe next to the doughnut counter. The All American Cafe staff emphasizes their place is not just all about the clown, though. “We want people to enjoy the food. Come and try it,” Akbari said, encouraging some cafe visitors to try a grilled doughnut before giving them a sample of the cranberry-walnut-celery chicken salad. “His job is to bring the people in, our job is to cook the food,” Akbari said. So stop into the All American Cafe sometime, grab a doughnut, a Philly cheesesteak, a chicken salad or a breakfast burrito, and tell ’em Crazy sent you.

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LIVING

FARMERS’ MARKET EDUCATION SERIES by EDWINA SHANNON

NOVEMBER GARDENING LOOK AT THOSE FALLING AND FALLEN leaves as a garden enhancer. Yep, decomposed leaves add substance and nutrients to the soil. An easy way to create leaf mulch is to corral them into a contained area and let them sit over the winter. Periodically, stir up the pile. The leaves will decompose and add a wonderful compost to your spring gardens.

Don’t toss those leaves. They are gifts from the trees. great for a spring planting. If you start this at the start of the gardening season, you can plant your garden right away. Just dig a hole by moving the layers, add a little compost to the hole, insert the plant and replace the layers, firming the layers up against the roots and stem of the plant. Another option is to plant seeds. Place the seeds in the top layer of peat moss, covering to the appropriate depth, following the directions on the package. Finally, this lasagna garden could be part of a long term plan. Allow the layers to decompose and create great soil over several seasons. You can expect the height to decrease by one-third to one-half of the original height as the material decomposes. (The Rutherford County Farmers Market class on lasagna gardening and the UT Extension Service publication were great resources for this information.)

Don’t rest just yet, get that soil prepared for next year’s garden.

Next Year’s Garden

If you know you want to have a new garden next spring, the fall is an excellent time to build a fertile soil for next year’s plantings. There is very little effort involved in a lasagna garden preparation, and the result far outweighs any effort. Your plants have the benefit of healthy, productive soil. There is no digging or tilling to create this soil! Lasagna gardening is known by many names: layer gardening, sheet composting, instant gardening, layer cake gardening. The idea is to create great soil for your garden through a layer method.

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The method reduces weeding, watering needs and pests. The concept of balancing “brown” and “green” organic matter is similar to creating good compost, which also decays into fertile soil. The idea is to build a garden of organic matter in layers that break down over time creating vibrant, rich soil. Layers are comprised of either “brown” or “green” material. Samples of brown materials to use for layering are shredded newspapers (no slick, magazine-type paper), farm-animal manure (not dog or cat), worm castings, compost, chopped dried corn cobs, chopped dried leaves, hay, straw, peat moss, aged sawdust (not cedar), chopped stalks and wood ash. Samples of green materials to use for

layering are eggs shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, chopped green leaves, seedless weeds, garden trimmings such as stalks, deadheaded flowers, etc. Do not use human waste, bones, meat products (including fish), dairy products, diseased or insect infested plants, grease, oils or fats, mature weeds with seeds or whole eggs. To get started, choose a site that gets 6–8 hours of sun each day. The site will suggest the size of your garden. You will want to be able to reach within the garden to weed and harvest. The site should have good drainage. Lay down a layer of cardboard or newspapers. Water it and then add a brown layer with three inches of material; water again. Now add a green layer. The green layer should be about one inch high; water. Alternate brown and green layers until the layers are about 18–24 inches high. You want to water after adding each layer. You can top with phosphorous for healthy roots and/or blood meal for nitrogen (green leaves). Top everything with a layer of peat moss or mulch. The wet layers should be the consistency of a wet sponge. As the layers break down, the height of the soil in the garden is decreased. You can always add more layers to the garden with the next planting. You can cover the layers with black plastic, which will expedite the breakdown of the materials. Weigh the edges of the plastic with rocks or soil. After six weeks, the process will mostly be finished. This will be

Proposals for Classes

Rutherford County Extension Agent Janie Becker is collecting proposals for classes and teaches at the very popular and free Rutherford County Farmers Market classes, which are offered throughout the open market season. If you have, or know someone who has, a special interest in farming, gardening, landscaping or a food facet, you may propose a one-hour class for consideration. Reach Janie at (615) 898-7710 or jbecker8@ utk.edu.

Master Gardener Certification

Applications are now being accepted for the 2015 Master Gardeners Certification class, which begins Jan 20 and goes through March 4. This year it is a Tuesday evening class from 6–9 p.m. Applications are due by Dec. 1. For an application or more information, visit the Rutherford County Extension Office on John Rice Boulevard, call (615) 898-7710, email mastergardeners.rc@gmail.com or visit mastergardeners-rc.org. A payment of $150 will be due upon acceptance to the program. Another option is the Garden Basics class, which will be held on Thursday nights from 6–9 p.m. Cost is $45 per person and the class run from Jan. 22–Feb 19. Enrollment is limited and is now open. Either class would be a great gift! Need extra newspapers for your lasagna gardening project? E-mail the Pulse at murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com.

FOOD SPECIAL DINING FEATURE:

The Jewels of Bradyville Pike

Hispanic Comfort Food

MexiVen sits on the corner of homemade and delicious.

story and photos by CHRISTY SIMMONS

here is no shortage of Mexican-ish restaurants in Murfreesboro. Anytime you have a craving for chips and canned salsa, or drippy white cheese dip—or overcooked fajitas served on the ubiquitous sizzling hot plate—the good people of Murfreesboro usually need to go no farther than five minutes in any direction. I haven’t bothered to count exactly how many MexicanAmerican restaurants are actually here (mainly because I would run out of fingers and toes before I ran out of places to count), but suffice it to say, there are plenty. But, if you want authentic Mexican/Venezuelan food, head over to MexiVen on Bradyville Pike. I never have a reason to go down Bradyville Pike, so honestly, I had no idea this place even existed. I’m so glad the Mayos insisted that I visit. It’s a brightly colored shack, golden yellow with bright green trim. Inside, there’s not a lot of seating and it’s not the prettiest place in the world, but don’t even hesitate—walk up to the counter and order anything. You won’t be disappointed. We went for lunch one day and just ordered a plethora of items from the menu. We got two types of tacos, chorizo and fish. Both were amazing. The chorizo was flavorful and topped with lots of fresh cilantro and onions. The fish was sauteed, not fried and heavy like most fish tacos, and topped with a crunchy cabbage slaw and crema. Both came with little wedges of lime to squeeze over for extra acidity; the chorizo especially needed it to cut through the richness of the sausage. Another entree that we had was Pabellon Criollo, a Venezuelan dish that consisted of tender shredded beef on a plate with white rice, black beans and roasted plantains. Simple comfort food at its finest. We also tried a sope: a big, round handmade corn tortilla topped with pinto beans, chicken or beef (your choice), lettuce, tomato and sour cream. I added generous amounts of the delicious salsa verde that 20 * NOVEMBER 2014 * BOROPULSE.COM

Chicken Sope

Quesadillas

Fish Tacos

Pabellon Criollo

THE DISH NAME: MexiVen LOCATION: 1706 Bradyville Pike HOURS: Daily 10 a.m.–10 p.m. PHONE: (615) 890-4184 COST: Tacos: $1.50; Sopes: $3.50; Quarter chicken plate: $7

was on the table. I actually added that salsa to almost everything I ate. It was that tasty. The authentic quesadillas, which were meatless, actually reminded me more of crunchy tacos. The thick, handmade corn tortilla actually reminded me more of soft masa from a tamale than a traditional tortilla.

The pinto beans were also the best I ever had. This was my favorite dish of the day. The desserts we tried were the cherry-lime cheesecake, which was delicious, and the handmade flan, which wasn’t my favorite. It was thin and watery and had a gelatin-like consistency that didn’t sit well with me. (But I don’t like

Jell-O either) They also offer fresh squeezed juices; I had the hibiscus juice and loved it. The horchata that they offer is homemade and addictive. I left there with a huge to-go cup full of this drink, a delicious rice milk flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. The owners are a husband-and-wife team; he is from Mexico and she is from Venezuela (hence the name) and they are sweet as they can be. You can tell that they really care about the quality of the food. Since everything is handmade, it’s not as quick to be served as at other places. But just sit back, relax, sip on some horchata and believe me when I say it is worth the wait!

Spice Up Your Dining Routine With These Hidden Gems THE ETHNICALLY DIVERSE STRETCH OF BRADYVILLE PIKE BETWEEN Tennessee and Rutherford boulevards remains untouched by the cookie-cutter corporate chain restaurants. But fear not, this area may actually be one of the most fabulous culinary districts in town. Behold, the hidden dining treasures of Bradyville Pike:

TAQUERIA LUPITA

1629 BRADYVILLE PIKE Though housed in the gas station/convenience store known as USA Mart, some local diners proclaim Lupita as having the best, and most authentic, Mexican food in Murfreesboro. The former operators of a food truck now cook out of the store and offer burritos, gorditas, tacos, sopes, quesadillas and more. Lupita offers four different salsas to dress up the Chicken Quesadilla dishes; “We make everything here. We make the sauces, we cut the lettuce,” said Luis, as he holds a magic Ziplock bag containing “some of the hottest peppers in the world,” in addition to habaneros (“those are nothing,” he says). In addition the store also carries a large variety of fruity flavored Mexican beverages and sodas, including the American favorite, Mexican Coca-Cola.

MERCADOS MARIAS

1820 BRADYVILLE PIKE Mercados Marias is not only a grocery where you can get that avocado, cactus, dried shrimp or tripe, the market also has hot food available. A generous portion of barbacoa borrego (lamb) can be had, along with rice, beans and authentic corn tortillas, for just $7. Single tacos, in double-corn tortillas topped with cilantro and onion, are available in chorizo (with some tasty potatoes cooked in with the meat), carnitas and more. These are served BBQ Beef Tacos with some delicious sauces a little on the hot side, so you may want to grab one of the tropical Hispanic beverages in the cooler, such as guava nectar, coconut water (our new favorite, with little pieces of coconut floating in the beverage—delicious!) or aloe yogurt to accompany your meal. Various other meats (some quite uncommon to the Murfreesboro area) are available prepared, or raw from the extensive meat counter for your recipes at home.

INTERNATIONAL GROCERY

1622 BRADYVILLE PIKE Another Bradyville Pike grocery store houses an excellent spot for hot meals, this one of the Oriental persuasion. International Grocery serves excellent pho, pad Thai, stir fry and rice dishes, and is becoming one of the favorite Thai spots in the ’Boro for many a discerning diner. The cafe provides a good amount of food for the money, and one satisfied customer says the staff is so friendly, it is like dining at a friend’s house. CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 >>> Pho

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Shredded Papaya; (Left) Yum Beef; (Below) Ginger Chicken

FOOD

Tasty Thai Oriental Express is another hidden treasure on Bradyville Pike. Try its Thai home cooking.

THE DISH NAME: Oriental Express LOCATION: 1617 Bradyville Pike HOURS: 11 a.m.–7 p.m. PHONE: (615) 890-8949 COST: Yum Beef: $8; Shredded Papaya: $5.50; Pad Thai: $8; Pork Dumplings: $4; Basil Tilapia $10

story by TONY LEHEW photos by SARAH MAYO

should start this by telling you that I am not a critic. Truth be told, I never really understood why anyone listens to critics. Just because I like a movie does not mean you will. A food that is too spicy for me might be just right for you. So, what follows is not a critique but a story about a really cool restaurant that is off the beaten path. Matter of fact, its so far off, that if you don’t already know about it or find out from a patron, you would most likely never know it exists. And for me, that is part of the charm. Not to sell the food short—it’s very good too . . . at least I think so. So, you’re hungry and tired of the same old cookie-cutter chain restaurants that clump together along Broad Street or at the Avenue, where do you go? If you are an adventuresome soul and like oriental food, I suggest Oriental Express, located at 1617 Bradyville Pike. If you have lived here any length of time

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and know the area, you might be thinking, “Wait a minute, I know that area and there aren’t any oriental restaurants there. . . . Oriental markets, yes, but not restaurants.” I can see why you would think that, but you are wrong. Oriental Express is on Bradyville Pike, in the building at the corner of Minerva and Bradyville. It’s easy to miss because they don’t have a sign out on the road and they are on the back side of the building. Plus, it’s not visible from Bradyville nor from Minerva. Not only that, but there is an auto shop next door that does not do much to add to the ambiance. In fact, if you did stumble onto it, you might pass it by, just based on the surroundings. Now, put all that together, and it does not sound like a formula for a successful restaurant. But, once you open the door to Oriental Express, all of that changes. It is a bright, surprisingly modern-looking interior, complete with really cool steel tables and an aquarium.

The counter, where you will meet the always-smiling Jeremy, is sparsely but nicely decorated with the familiar trappings of an oriental restaurant; you know, the lucky cat and bamboo plant. But, you will also notice the almost intimidating variety of available sauces and sides (crushed peanuts come alongside a selection of hot sauces and more on each table). Now, this is a small family business and this place, despite its hidden nature, is often busy. So, be patient if Jeremy is stretched thin. Now to the meat of this story, the food. Oriental Express specializes in Thai home cooking. So again, I say this is not what you would expect at most oriental restaurants. Also, I must warn you, if you are not familiar with Thai food, you might not want to try it spicy. When you ask for spicy in a Thai restaurant, they take it personally. The heat scale goes like this: No Spice, Medium Spicy. Hot, Extremely

Hot and Native Thai. Consider yourself warned. For most of us who like a little heat with our food, medium will do just fine. I have tried several dishes at Oriental Express and liked them all, but my favorite is Yum Beef with the Papaya appetizer. I highly recommend the Papaya, it’s very good and much different than what you think it’s going to be. Their menu is well rounded, featuring everything from curry to noodle and seafood dishes. As much as the food, what I really like about Oriental Express is the feeling of the place. It’s not the norm as far as restaurants go. There are no car bumpers or deer antlers hanging on the wall. It’s just a simple family restaurant that serves good food. Every time I have been there, I catch a glimpse of the little oriental woman in the back who I imagine has been cooking these recipes most of her life. Once, I

Pork Dumplings; (Below) Basil Tilapia

Lots of Great Beers Presented at Brewsboro 2014 THE TIME-HONORED AND WORLDWIDE TRADITION of celebrating the great month of October has come and gone, and with it has passed one of Murfreesboro’s most entertaining events: Brewsboro! Beer ﬂowed by the ounce-full into tiny cups, and some truly excellent breweries paid us a visit, including (but certainly not limited to):

FAT BOTTOM – A relatively new brewery from Nashville, these guys have progressed quickly and have canned beer available locally. The quality is excellent as well and has me excited for their future. Their two big sellers are the Ruby Ale, which is an excellent red ale at 5% alcohol, and their IPA at 6%. The IPA has an nice balance of cascade and pacific hops tucked under a medium malt body. LAGUNITAS – If you enjoy pale ales or IPAs, you should absolutely taste some beer from this fine craft brewer from Chicago. At the Brewsboro, they brought out their IPA, Pale Ale and Little Sumpin’ Extra, which checked in at 7.2% alcohol and yet was absolutely delicious.

managed to make eye contact with her and told her how much I enjoyed the food. I am not sure she even understood what I said, but the satisfied smile on my face was universal. She quietly nodded and shyly smiled and then disappeared back into the kitchen. That might not mean much to you, but to me, that was really cool. In my humble opinion, Oriental Express is

A generous tray of condiment selections gives diners many ways to dress up their Oriental Express.

a culinary hidden treasure waiting for you to discover it. There are several places like that in the Bradyville/Minerva area, if you are adventurous enough to seek them out. This city has grown exponentially in the last couple decades, but there are still traces of the small-town, family-oriented America I grew up in. You just have to go treasure hunting.

TURTLE ANARCHY – These guys are a Middle Tennessee brew that people should be excited about. They are not afraid to test new waters in their brews and are known for some great darker beers. At the festival they brought out their Set Phasers to Squash and their What the Fudge. Set Phasers to Squash was a pumpkin beer with creamy flavors of honey, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, and of course pumpkin. What the Fudge brought a blast of chocolate and coffee, with cocoa nibs from Nashville chocolatiers Olive and Sinclair. MAYDAY –The ’Boro’s own Mayday brewery brought out an impressive selection of brews and a friendly crew. Their offerings included their Evil Octopus, which is a mediumbodied India Black Ale, their Angry Redhead which is a smooth red with a nice malt base, their Boro Blond which is a light bodied brew with a hint of citrus and hop, and lastly their Velvet Hustle, which is a big bodied malty pale ale with very light hops. If you haven’t tried Murfreesboro’s brewery yet . . . do it now! Just head to the brewery and sample all their brews. CALFKILLER – These guys win a few awards for the night. First, they win the most awesome tap handle award, as all their tap handles were interesting and appeared to be homemade. Next, they win the award for the most attractive booth. With flamboyant personalities and awesome colorful shirts, these

guys were doing presentation right. Their beer was good too; their Brown Recluse, The Dead Horse and The Beacon were all worth drinking. Their Beacon is brewed in conjunction with Yazoo and is a direct statement to the Tennessee taxman that the state’s tax laws relating to beer are overbearing and ridiculous. LIPMAN DISTRIBUTION – Lipman, while not a brewer, still brought us two great beers, including possibly my favorite of the night. The beers were the 5% alcohol Oatmeal Stout from Howe Sound Brewing, and the 7.5% alcohol Salty Scot from Parallel 49. Both of these beers were unique and excellent. The Oatmeal Stout from Howe Sound was just phenomenal with a excellent balance of density and creamy texture. It reminds me somewhat of the qualities of the Sammy Smith Organic Chocolate Stout, but is even better. ATWATER – This brewery from Detroit brought out three beers, including their extremely popular Vanilla Java Porter, which I would highly recommend. This porter has an excellent light creaminess which balances out a hint of vanilla and a very subdued hint of java. For a person who doesn’t really like coffee, this beer still was good and for a person who likes a bit of coffee and doesn’t mind just an ever-so-slight hint of residual sugar remaining in their beer, this is world class. MID STATE BREW CREW – Since 2006, Murfreesboro’s brew club has been meeting every first Saturday of each month at Liquid Smoke at 3 p.m. They have over 100 active members, and at the Brewsboro festival they brought out 13 kegs, mostly excellent, and creative in composition and style. If you are interested in brewing, go hang out with these guys. PANTHER CREEK BREWING – The winner of my personal best brews award for Brewsboro 2014, Panther Creek is a group of guys who have come out of the Mid State Brew Crew who have decided to take the craft to the next level in branding and commercializing their brews. Saying which I liked best would be impossible. However, some specifically notable beers were the Pizza Beer, the Kamacitra, the California Common and the Cannonball Pale. Read more about the brews at boropulse.com. BOROPULSE.COM

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Craft Fair Etiquette: Never Tell an Artist “I Can Make That”

ART Customize Your Christmas at Lime Tiger Emporium

DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON,

BY MAI HAMRIC TRAVIS AND ALICIA MAYNARD OF Lime Tiger Emporium are no strangers to the pages of the Murfreesboro Pulse. They are staples in our local art community, providing us with all of the unique, artsy treasures their shop has to offer. Still, you may not be aware of just how much they have to offer in the area of Christmas gifts. If you have someone on your shopping list who enjoys dark and twisted oddities, Lime Tiger’s inventory will give you a plethora of options, including commissioned artwork and custom gifts that could very well take care of everyone else on your list. Some people may be afraid to ask for commission prices from artists because they are concerned it will be over their budget, but Lime Tiger’s pricing will surprise you. Their everyday prices are already low, but if you have a specific budget, they will work with you. “People can come in and say, ‘I have this much money to spend and I want something like this,’ and we will make something for you. It may not be as elaborate as a higherpriced item would be, but we’ll work with your budget,” Alicia Maynard explains. Not only is it all extremely affordable, the Maynards work extremely fast and can get your custom work back to you quicker than you’d probably expect. “We can take custom orders possibly up to a week or two before Christmas, depending on how busy we are. You might come in one day and order something when we don’t have a lot of other stuff going on, so we could have it finished within the week.” One of the great custom items available from Lime Tiger are Alicia’s Christmas card illustrations. For around $50 you will get an 8×10 illustration of your family, which you can then have printed onto cards, shirts, or whatever else you desire, and still have your own copy to frame and keep. If you don’t live in the area, the illustration can be mailed to you (provided you pay shipping costs). You can give Alicia an exact layout of what you want, or you can give her general ideas about what kinds of things your family is into and see what she comes up with! If you look at examples of these illustrations, you’ll see that she has a talent for really bringing the personality of people out in fun and creative ways. Another great gift option offered is Travis Maynard’s custom dollhouses. These dollhous24 * NOVEMBER 2014 * BOROPULSE.COM

es can be constructed around whatever theme you can dream up, but a few examples of what he has done so far include Alice in Wonderland and a fairy dollhouse. Alicia explained that Travis would really like to do a play set for boys, so perhaps someone out there can place such an order soon. A smaller dollhouse could be as low as $80, the price increasing depending on materials and how elaborate you’d like the house to be. But once again, they will work with your budget. So don’t hesitate to run an idea and a figure past them. Other items available include custompainted nesting dolls starting at $70–$100, and hand-painted stools, furniture, and keepsake boxes starting at $40–$50. Pretty much anything that can be painted on, Alicia will customize it for you. That includes shoes! Not to mention all of the other accessories she specializes in crafting: hair pins, fascinators, jewelry, etc. She is also a certified make-up artist and

a talented stylist for those of you who may be interested in a new look for the holidays. They offer commissioned portraits with pricing depending on the size and number of people in the picture. You will also find a variety of finished paintings by Alicia, Travis, and other local artists scattered throughout their shop. Stop in and discuss your Christmas shopping needs with them at Lime Tiger Emporium, 619 N. Maple St. Give them a call at (561) 685-3808 or find them on Facebook. They are just one of many options for shopping local and supporting Murfreesboro’s flourishing community of artists this Christmas.

many are on the hunt for original, unique gifts for friends and family. However, some shoppers may not quite understand the best way to communicate with artists at craft fairs, art shows and other events. Most artists agree wholeheartedly that art shouldn’t be this intimidating thing that only a small percentage of the population can access and understand. It should be accessible to all people, and craft fairs are a great way to expose new people to art. Many who wouldn’t necessarily seek out a gallery to visit will attend a festival, and maybe it’s that unfamiliarity with the art world that makes some people forget their manners when browsing through booths. It can take months of preparation and a pretty considerable investment of both money and time for an artist to participate in a craft fair. But after all of the hard work of producing enough handcrafted inventory to fill a booth, and setting up the display, not to mention the bravery it takes to invest so much into something with no guaranteed return, many artists have to smile and bite their tongues as shoppers say things like, “That doesn’t look hard . . . I can do that!” It is actually very hard. “I could make that” is probably one of the most common phrases heard by artists at fairs, far more frequently than any compliment or praise for their work. For some reason a lot of people don’t seem to consider this line to be rude. Beyond rudeness, it is actually pretty ridiculous. When you’re walking down the produce aisle you don’t refuse to pay for your groceries because you could have grown the stuff yourself. Growing a garden takes a lot of time and investment, just as making art does. As local artist Dawna Kinne Magliacano puts it, “People who say this generally have never made one of the things they say it about, and won’t. Even if you can and will, don’t talk about it in the artist’s earshot.” Magliacano also adds that customers should never ask how something is made. Artists don’t go through all of that work to give you a tutorial on how to rip off their ideas. What is acceptable to do, however, is to ask if they offer workshops on the particular process you are interested in. Or ask an artist why they did what they did. “Ask the artist questions about their inspiration for a particular piece. Artists generally like to share about the work they have created,” says Magliacano. Michelle Sweatt works in sculpture and three-dimensional mixed media work; strongly inspired by Dia de las Muertes CONTINUED ON PAGE 33

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 NOVEMBER ART EVENTS

Stones River Craft Association. This exhibit will feature a sample of work from each studio on the tour, giving you an early taste of what’s to come on the weekend of Nov. 22.

ERIC THE DOLL ART SHOW

Friday, Nov. 14, 5 p.m. Moxie Art Supply 302 W. Vine St., Murfreesboro Come see art created by the one and only Eric the Doll (a creation by Sarah Growden). He’s probably the best artist in the world and his artwork is probably the best you’ll ever see! Learn more about this character at Whoever Said ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ Obviously Never Met Me, an art show dedicated to Eric the Doll at Moxie Art Supply. Follow him on Instagram @ericthedoll.

 MURFREESBORO CREATIVE GROUP MEET-UP

First Wednesday of each month, 5–8 p.m. at Two Tone Art Gallery 113 W. Lytle St., Murfreesboro The Murfreesboro Creative Group will now be meeting the first Wednesday of every month from 5–8 p.m. Local creatives gather to work on projects, make connections, and get more familiar with the local art community. Feel free to bring something to work on and/or some snacks!

PORTRAIT PAINTING WORKSHOP

Friday, Nov. 7, 7–9 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. (Held at the private studio of Mai Hamric) This step-by-step workshop consists of 2 two-hour sessions that will give beginners the perfect introduction to drawing and painting, while giving more experienced painters new methods and techniques of tackling the portrait. Even if you’re already

an experienced painter, this workshop will give you insight into a different style of painting, and perhaps inspire something new to incorporate into your work. $40 for both sessions, all materials included except you will need to bring your own 16-by-20inch canvas. Contact maihamric@gmail.com for information on how to sign up.

SUGAREE’S LOCAL ARTISTS TRUNK SHOW

ART STUDIO TOUR SAMPLER

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 5–7 p.m. Center for the Arts: 110 W. College St., Murfreesboro Visit the CFTA Gallery to check out a sneak peek of what you can expect at the 21st Annual Art Studio Tour, brought to you by the

CENTENNIAL HOLIDAY SHOW

Saturday, Nov. 22, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 23, 12–4 p.m. Centennial High School 5050 Mallory Ln., Franklin More than 170 artisans from 12 states will all meet in one location, offering affordable handmade crafts for your entire family. Begin your holiday shopping early. Admission is $4 for a one-day pass or $5 for weekend pass. For more information, contact Centennial High School’s Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) by either calling (615) 472-4271, ext. 2335 or sending an email to centennialholidayshow@gmail.com.

Friday, Nov. 7, 5–8 p.m. at Sugaree’s 122 S. Maple St., Murfreesboro Meet local artists, admire their work and have some fun! Participants will include clothing designer Liz Kelly Zook of I’m Jewelry by Evane Diane Stoner

Unparalled, jewelry designer Ashley Massey of The Gypsy Fawn, painter Beth Bourdeaux of Jaded Jack Gypsy, jewelry designer Evane Diane Stoner of Little Imaginary Girl, and photography and ambiance by Rick Hawkins. The evening will include refreshments and mingling with these talented artists. They make some cool stuff!

THE MISTLETOE MARKET

Saturday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Franklin High School 810 Hillsboro Rd., Franklin Warm up for the holidays with a festive holiday market. Shoppers can enjoy exceptional and unique holiday gifts, while they revel in the vision of delightful displays, sweets and holiday treats. This event is a fundraiser for Project Graduation, an all-night, alcoholand-drug-free party exclusively for FHS 26 * NOVEMBER 2014 * BOROPULSE.COM

graduating seniors. Graduation night and prom night are statistically the two most deadly nights for high school-aged teenagers. For more information, email MistletoeMarket2013@gmail.com or visit facebook. com/FHSMistletoeMarket.

ART STUDIO TOUR

Saturday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. The Art Studio Tour is an annual event established in 1993 that invites the public to visit working artists and their studios in Murfreesboro and the surrounding area. Artist studios are open to the public and host a variety of guest artists, creating a rich experience at each location. The event is held to engage with the public, and showcase processes, operations, locations and artistry of creative professionals working in our community. The event, presented by the Stones River Craft Association, is fun for the whole family and provides an exciting look into the diversity and abundance of the creativity available in our area. Visit artstudiotour.org for a map of the tour and more information.

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LIVING ROOM CINEMA

REVIEWS

column by NORBERT THIEMANN

facebook.com/livingroomcinema

FURY

between Collier and Ellison, the former a war-hardened veteran trying to ready the latter, a scared, idealistic pacifist, for the harsh realities of their kill-or-be-killed lot. Never one to shy away from the darker sides of humanity, Ayer captures their almost father-son relationship through a couple of harrowing scenes. In the first, Collier goes all Staff Sergeant Barnes in Platoon on the inexperienced new fighter, forcing him to make his first kill—an unarmed member of the SS—as Ellison’s fellow soldiers circle around them, laughing. After this “war makes monsters of

us all” sequence, Collier’s menacing shadow looms over the next harrowing set piece, one in which Collier and his reluctant protégé abscond from the post-victory revelry of their compatriots to the relative quiet of a frightened German woman’s apartment where Collier quietly orders her to make them some eggs while Ellison and her niece relieve themselves of the unbearable tensions of war. It’s during these two moments, on the periphery of combat, where Ayer’s take on the effects of war is most poignant, holding Ellison and Sergeant Collier up as a before-

and-after of each other. The film is less successful where other characters are concerned. The obligatory brothers-in-arms can be succinctly summed up as: the Christian, the Mexican and the redneck. The first two, Shia LeBeouf and Michael Peña actually enhance what were likely stale characters on the page, but The Walking Dead’s Jon Bernthal (he played Shane) continues his trend of playing despicable d-bags, and by the end, the film asks you to sympathize with him in a Hollywood finale that seems counter to the film’s previous tone. Ayer is a deft director, but he stumbles as a writer. He wants both unflinching realism and superhuman heroics, grey-zone human-against-human atrocity and black-and-white good vs. evil. And while he’s trying to have his cake and eat it too, what we’re unfortunately left with is a really well-made, half-mangled cake. — JAY SPIGHT

its core, Destiny is one of the most fun and enjoyable games I’ve ever played. The weapons list reads like a Halo’s greatest-hits album with the mighty Pistol from Halo 1 and the Rocket Launcher headlining the set list. Additionally, the gameplay is fantastically balanced. In contrast to Borderlands 2, the game is equally manageable on co-op as it is in single player mode. Naturally, co-op is going to be more enjoyable since slaying time-traveling robots is always more fun with friends. Bungie deserves credit for trying threeplayer co-op as the standard instead of four-player. Having reached the point in life where my friends and I can’t spend all our time playing

video games (also known as “adulthood”), it’s been substantially more challenging to find friends available on any given evening. The setting of Destiny is fantastic, easily my favorite thing about the game. The setting—a “hightech dark age where a small group of elite soldiers serve as humanity’s best defense in an endless struggle with hostile and unforgiving aliens, robots and space zombies while trying to recover powerful relics of a bygone Golden Age”—is also my favorite thing about the Warhammer 40,000 series, but Destiny has the benefit of familiarity by setting the game in the inner ring of the Solar System. While the setting is brilliant, the story is confusing and meandering with an inescapable air of cynicism. While Destiny does a good job of setting the stage for the conversation that would give exposition and world building, that conversation never comes. In the course of the game’s 12-hour story, you are informed there isn’t time to explain (no less than three times) and

never get an explanation for what exactly is happening. There are a lot of cool ideas in play, but they never get fleshed out. The game “ends” with the characters talking about how the fight is far from over (So the ending is more like “there will be many great battles to come for just $20 this December.”). A lesser disappointment comes in the form of the vehicles in Destiny. There are exactly two vehicles (three if you count the Sparrow, which has no weapons and is used to make travel around the map quicker) and they’re used in exactly two campaign levels. And one vehicle, the Pike, is a dead ringer for the Ghost from the Halo series. It’s a minor thing, but a disappointment seeing how vehicles distinguish Halo from the rest of the pack even to this day. Despite those disappointments, I’ve still played Destiny almost every day since its release. I’ve got friends who still log in every day. It’s fundamentally a well designed, fun game which makes for an excellent evening of entertainment. — HUNTER BARRY

3.5

Starring Brad Pitt, Shia LeBeouf, Logan Lerman Directed by David Ayer Rated R Fury, the new film from writer/director David Ayer, falls in lockstep with his previous work. Perhaps best known for penning Training Day, Ayer’s IMDB profile reads like Maxim’s top ten ‘dude flicks’ of the 2000s: all guys, guns and grit. Nothing could epitomize Ayer’s interests more than a war movie. Pushing into Germany towards the end of WWII, Sergeant Don Collier (Pitt) and his four-man crew helm a Sherman tank dubbed “FURY”. Having just lost their front gunner and brother-inarms, Collier and Co. are saddled with the battle-green desk jockey Norman Ellison (Lerman). From there, the film splits perspectives

MOVIE

GAME DESTINY 4

Destiny is an open-world shooter developed by industry darling Bungie and published by industry juggernaut Activision. With a name like Destiny and the developer of the Halo series teaming up to create it with the publisher of the Call of Duty series (perhaps the two most popular shooters of all time) expectations for the game were understandably high. Critical reaction has been all over the spectrum. There are times when Destiny is simply incredible and other times when it seems comically inept. At

RATINGS:

A CLASSIC

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OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

WHATCHA LOOKIN’ FOR?

f you’re looking to get immersed in something, you might consider playing a game or joining a cult. These selections are ordered on a river’s scale: from being chained to the bottom with the waterline just above the eyes, down to just toeing in ankles deep.

Children of God: Lost and Found (2007) is directed by former childhood cult member Noah Thomson. David “Moses” Berg was the leader of the Children of God Cult. The lifestyle and doctrines he prescribes feel very extreme, especially considering the strong accusations of child abuse that have been lodged against them. Children of God: Lost and Found is fascinating in a very disturbing way.

The Source Family (2012) is directed by Jodi Wille and Maria Demopoulos. California entrepreneur-turned-vegetarian guru Father Yod started the Source Family Cult around the early 1970s. The entertaining documentary chronicles the organic beginnings to its eventual demise, with lots of authentic footage. The film includes their infamous music production, which is a tasty bonus.

The Institute (2012) is directed by Spencer McCall. San Francisco was the home for a live interactive game in which people were coaxed into seeking mode, and prompted to go deeper within their obsession. Say no more. AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD

ONSTAGE IN NOVEMBER A DOLL’S HOUSE

Nov. 5–8 at 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. Tucker Theater MTSU campus mtsu.edu/tuckertheatre

HAMLET

Nov. 7 and 8 at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. Murfreesboro Little Theatre 702 Ewing Blvd. mltarts.com

 THE WHO’S TOMMY

Nov. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9, 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. Murfreesboro Center for the Arts 110 W. College St. boroarts.org THE STORY OF THE WHO’S Tommy, the November production at The Center of the Arts, has its roots in the abuse that the title character experiences as a young boy. With that as a backdrop, the cast and crew has joined with One With Courage, a recent national initiative centered on the courage it takes to talk about child sexual abuse. Based on the 1969 rock concept album by The Who, Tommy is the Tony award-winning story of a pinballplaying “deaf, dumb and blind kid” who triumphs over adversities. Tommy is traumatized into catatonia as a boy, then suffers abuse at the hands of sadistic relatives and neighbors.

Neva Redman, Andrew Clark and Sarah Oppmann, the three actors who will portray the title character during the production’s Nov. 7–23 run at the arts center, appeared in a public service video announcement for One With Courage, which can be seen at tinyurl. com/TommyOneWithCourage and on the Center’s Facebook page. For more information about One With Courage, visit tncac.org/owc, or twitter.com/1WithCourage. Oppmann, an eighth-grader at Blackman Middle School, said the One With Courage movement encourages people of all ages to “push fear and discomfort aside and talk openly about the problem. The first step in ending child abuse,” she said, “is bringing it out into the open and talking directly about the issue.” For tickets for Tommy, visit boroarts.org.

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SPORTS

THE BAD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

SPORTS TALK

column by Z-TRAIN

titanman1984@ yahoo.com

cus Mariota. OK, I get it, always play with pride, so here is the other idea. The Titans have three rookies worth finding out about: QB Zach Mettenberger, RB Bishop Sankey and OT Taylor Lewan. The coaching staff would be wise to roll with them as often as possible, find out what they have or don’t have. In Zach’s first NFL start he was allowed to drop back 48 times in a loss to the Texans. He completed 27 of 41 passes for a couple scores and a single he Train Daddy is bringing sexy back, and that’s a pick, not a bad debut as far as numbers are concerned, fact! As always, bringing you sports news and life and it was encouraging watching Zach not give up. Teach lessons, my way! When I write my articles I don’t him, train him and give him all the reps. It’s in your hands think about what’s politically correct, or what some now, Zach. Vince Young, Smelly Collins, Old Rusty Smith, deem offensive and others don’t. Listen people, the Train Matt Hasselbeck, Fittzy Patrick, Charlie “Clipboard Jesus” Daddy truly loves all the little children, all the children of Whitehurst, Jake “The Snake” Locker, and now it’s Zach the world, black and yellow, blue and white, they are preMettenberger. Yikes! The strength of the 2015 NFL draft cious in his sight, or something like that. And just like Jay appears to be at defensive end, receiver and running Z spits rhymes, the Train Daddy spits sports knowledge. back. But, supply and demand could put both Marcus My readers are the good people who drive up to LP Mariota and the Moron Jameis Winston in the Top 5 Field and use an entire bag of charcoal come game day. come this year’s draft. I understand that the signal caller They’re MTSU fans who are at the stadium every Saturposition isn’t the only problem, but day dreaming of a day when MTSU it starts there, I believe. truly can sell out their stadium and The running back situation is make real noise. Or they’re them a combination of something with good old Eastern Tennessee boys, Sankey, Greene and McCluster strugup in the Smoky Mountains howling gling to produce. I was most excited with Smokey the Dog, also dreaming about the receiving corps prior to of brighter days. the season, but their numbers are Well, Tennessee Titans fans, I am all down also. Justin Hunter was sorry; I dread doing this article. predicted to have a breakout season; It seems like a very long time he’s had moments, but has been held since the days of Steve McNair, Eddie to three catches or less in all but one George, Frank Wycheck and Derrick game this season. Kendall Wright is Mason. There was hope and pride in on pace for a 700-yard season after the way that past team played week posting over 1,000 last season and in and week out. The late Steve “Air” Nate Washington, old reliable, is on McNair played with every bone in pace for 474 yards, his lowest since his body bruised, and made fans root 2007. Tight End Delanie Walker has with a true passion. The days when at least been a bright spot, one of the Jeff Fisher led the Titans, the excitefew. He leads the Titans with 475 rement of the Music City Miracle and a ceiving yards and four touchdowns. glorious Super Bowl appearance seem ZACH METTENBERGER Way to go Delanie! The offensive line long behind us. While it may not be fair to compare any current or future Titans teams to this has been overwhelmingly disappointing and penalized far too often. Taylor Lewan has been great, guards Andy past team, it is fair to wish for a brighter future when Levitre and Chance Warmack have struggled, and Blind things will not be in the disarray they currently are. Side superstar Michael Oher sucks! I won’t say anything In the last article I released I put all the blame on about the defense except I miss Bernard Pollard. My Coach Whisenhunt for the Titans current QB situation. favorite hard-hitting troublemaker is out for the season. Prior to the season I knew the Titans were in trouble The Titans, sadly, are in the conversation of the unless they handcuffed a solid backup to an injury-prone Jake Locker. I personally wouldn’t have let go of Ryan Fitz- worst teams in the league along with the Jaguars, the Raiders, the Buccaneers and the Jets. It’s still a must for patrick. The signing of Charlie Whitehurst was without a fans, such as the famous Me-Ma and other true code doubt the dumbest move made in a long time for the Tiblue-bleeding fans, to not let this destroy your faith. No tans. This move made little to no sense and the Titans are fair-weather fans here. paying up to $8 million over two years for a quarterback The only thing I am looking forward to as a Titan who has made four starts in an eight-year career. During fan right now is watching Zach Mettenberger. Come on those starts he threw 3 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and kid, play well, and fans will get pumped up. It’s not like was sacked 13 times. In the end this move was made by we expect a playoff run, just progression at the signal Whisenhunt, and the notion that Charlie was already caller position. familiar with his system doesn’t jive with me. Let’s end this with a happy birthday shout-out to the So what should the Titans do now? I have two ideas: Me-Ma, the greatest Titan fan out there. The Me-Ma just as the Colts Sucked 4 Luck, the Titans could Suck 4 and the Train Daddy were both born on Nov. 5, a great the Duck. Just go ahead and blow the rest of the season in day to birth a true Titans fan! anticipation of landing Oregon Ducks Quarterback Mar-

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NEWS

LONG SHADOW OF THE LAW Probation is for profit at Providence Corrections.

STORY BY CHRIS WELLS

f you have ever had the misfortune of dealing with Rutherford County’s finest, you may have experienced the even deeper misfortune of finding yourself an unwitting client of Providence Community Corrections. For those of you out there fortunate enough to not have become acquainted with the organization, Providence Community Corrections is a private, for-profit probation company that the Rutherford County courts contract with to handle their misdemeanor probation cases. Providence is part of the larger Providence Service Corporation (Nasdaq: PRSC), a nationwide corporation that local government institutions outsource work like foster care, rehabilitation services or, in this instance, probation work, to. When compared to their felony state probation counterparts these contractors run a much stricter system for their clients, even though

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they were convicted on far lesser charges. Providence (back then it was known as Maximus Solutions) was brought in at a time when the County Clerk’s office could no longer keep up the pace with all the probationers it had on paper. The county was already losing revenue in the form of unpaid probation costs and was going to need to hire more probation officers. The clerk’s office opted to outsource and brought in Providence to save the county money on benefits and pension costs. Providence had a corporate, streamlined approach to processing and monitoring probationers and during its tenure here the company has raised millions of dollars for the county. Despite popular rumors to the contrary, all dues paid to Providence actually go back to the county clerk’s office. If the probationers were not convicted of a drug offense and are paying

their dues on time, Providence doesn’t make any money off of them reporting. Among the most common offenses that could cause people to find themselves on misdemeanor probation include drunk driving and simple possession. All convicted offenders have 30 days to get their affairs in order before their probation officially begins. Drug offenders and others who do not get their fines and court appointed services (rehabilitation classes, trash pick-up, etc.) completed within the first 30 days of reporting will also be required to take a drug test. It is important to note that not every offense carries with it the option to move to unsupervised status after the fines are paid off. For instance, many drug offenders are required to report in for drug testing and not allowed to go on to unsupervised probation. Drug offenders are where much of the money is made in this business because they are required to pay for their drug tests at a huge profit for the company. The other big staple of the for-profit law enforcement industry are the court appointed services, like DUI school and anger management classes. These usually happen once a month and are also usually full. (Recently, the anger management class was priced at $85 and the DUI school was running for 12 hours at $125.) Providence is a for-profit institution that has been granted a monopoly where misdemeanor probation is concerned; the probationers have little choice but to deal with them. The probation officers work banker hours and won’t return your calls even if it could mean jail time for you. Being a place where all their clients are required to attend by court order, the company has little incentive to deliver a positive customer experience. While interviewing former clients I heard many complaints and allegations ranging from the unprofessional manner of some of their staff to having people thrown in jail on false positive drug test results. If you are a longtime reader of the Pulse, you may already be familiar with the case of one Jerry Fleming. Fleming was a writer for the Pulse who shared his story of the time he spent in the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on 940 New Salem Highway for multiple DUIs and violations of probation. The sad irony of his story is that after he was almost done with his probation sentence, he was run over by a sober driver while mowing a lawn and was hospitalized with multiple injuries. Fleming had to return home to his family in Ohio for care, and as a result of doing so, Providence violated him on the grounds of leaving the state. The sober driver, despite critically maiming someone with his negligence, served no jail time, but did find himself contracted into the Providence system. Another former client of Providence’s that

I interviewed described her experience in harrowing detail. A woman named Sharonda Taylor who had been with Providence in recent years, told me about how she had to leave her apartment in Nashville because of the 2010 flood and go stay with her family in Jackson, Tenn. She was a client of Providence at that time and she did the due diligence of providing her probation officers all of the necessary paperwork from FEMA and the Red Cross. While failure to report is grounds for violation, the probationer had communicated her situation to all the proper channels and received assurance she wouldn’t be violated. She then came to find shortly thereafter that they violated her, just like Mr. Fleming. The county has invested a great deal of power in these probation officers. Imagine if you were dealing with a customer service representative for the big cable company. Now imagine there was problem with your bill and the customer service rep did not like your attitude so they tried to throw you in jail. If you get upset about the poor service and lack of customer care with a company such as Comcast, you can leave and just not have Internet service, which may be pretty bad, but it’s not jail time. One of PCC’s former clients that I interviewed described her experience as her probation officers doing anything and everything to violate her, not unlike a customer service representative that is only allowed so many cancellations on the calls they take each month fighting hard to keep you a customer. Providence is a for-profit company, it is in their best interest to create violations and thus retain their customers, that is the nature of the beast. While working on this story, I found that a common belief held by many of the probationers that I spoke with was that Providence was a privately held company and that our judges were being paid off by it. This theory was meant to explain why so many people that go through our court system end up on probation. Providence is not a privately held company. Providence is a subsidiary of the Providence Service Corporation (PRSC on the Nasdaq) and anyone can invest in it. The parent company has a website, and provcorp.com will show you all the various other entities that make up the Providence Service Corporation, mostly firms offering rehabilitation services and quasi-governmental operations. I spoke with Providence’s affiliate in Davidson County, Camelot Care Centers, they were mostly focused on foster care. Nevertheless, as private, for-profit interests creep into our law enforcement sector, so shrink our personal freedoms. Providence is but just a piece in this very complicated and tangled web of interests that are trying to fleece you and put you in jail for their own profit.

CONTINUED FROM 24 (Day of the Dead), her work features a lot of skulls, bones, recycled doll parts, and other imagery that some may consider dark. At this year’s Greenway Arts Festival, Sweatt had to suffer through a great deal of insulting remarks about her work, including “Wow . . . your stuff is really morbid . . . kind of sick.” While the patron’s attempt at understanding and engaging with the work is certainly admirable, there were definitely better ways to phrase that. Most artists consider their work to be pieces of their soul—extensions of themselves. It takes a great deal of courage to put something so deeply personal and meaningful out there for the whole world to see. Being told it’s “morbid” and “kind of sick” isn’t exactly a confidence booster. Artist Amy Raven says she has often heard unsolicited advice like, “Your work doesn’t appeal to everyone so if you want to be successful you should make things that are nice,” or, “Why don’t you make anything pretty?” Most artists do compromise occasionally and make pieces they feel are more appealing to the general public because they have to make a living. But artists who choose to stick with creating only what truly moves them certainly shouldn’t be chastised for doing so by their community or other artists. Our world can be a scary place, so it really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone why some art is so dark. Creating art is how some artists cope with their fears

and worries, and if you look at it with an open mind you might find that a piece may in fact help you to feel better about your own fears and worries. Magliacano points out that such an experience is why you should buy art, not because of how it will look in your home. “If you are buying something for yourself, buy it because of how it makes you feel, not whether it matches the paint color on the wall, or a duvet. If it moves you, and you make all your choices based on what you ‘feel’ rather than what ‘matches,’ trust me: it will be at home someplace in your home. You don’t have to explain yourself or worry about what anyone else thinks about your choices,” she said. There are tons of lists and memes floating around the internet telling you what you should never, ever say to an artist. They all basically encompass these things: don’t insult or question what the work is priced at, don’t ask how it’s made, and overall just follow the rule of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Next time you’re strolling through a craft fair, keep this quote in mind: “When you buy something from an artist, you’re buying more than an object. You’re buying hundreds of hours of errors and experimentation. You’re buying years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You’re not just buying one thing . . . you’re buying a piece of a heart, a piece of a soul, a small piece of someone’s life.” — MAI HAMRIC

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OPINIONS COMPUTER CRASH, SETTLING WITH THE SHERIFF AND A MISTRIAL LIFE IN THE INFORMATION AGE isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Just ask the Circuit Court clerk’s office. Not only is a $737,000 computer installation project more than seven months past its projected completion and making life difficult for the clerks who serve General Sessions and Circuit courts, it cost one woman her job. Lisa Dunn, a 35-year employee who started working in the clerk’s office in 1979, was fired Sept. 12 for harassment, workplace violence and unsafe work habits after she got frustrated with the new system and the vendor installing it, according to her personnel file. Dunn, who took retirement rather than contest the firing, let her dislike for the NewDawn Technologies system show too easily and wound up getting terminated by new Circuit Court Clerk Melissa Harrell less than two weeks after Harrell was sworn in to the post. She replaced Laura Bohling, who oversaw the computer change but little of its start-up. Installation of the new system has been, to say the least, a challenging process for the clerk’s office, according to county officials who are calling it the most challenging computer project in the Information and Technology Department’s history. “Throughout the transition, Lisa has expressed her dislike. She acted unprofessionally in front of the office staff and customers in her communication with and to the NewDawn group,” her dismissal letter states. “She demanded they leave the office for a meeting without approval of supervisor. The next day she grabbed a chair that one of the NewDawn employees had been using and flung it across the room . . . This behavior is a violation of Employee Handbook and is considered violent, aggressive behavior,” the dismissal states. Though I’ve heard that’s not exactly the reason Dunn got fired, it was enough to get rid of her. The document says that the incident was witnessed by NewDawn employees, General Sessions employees and customers. Dunn could not be reached for comment for this column. Let’s be honest, though, how many of us have gone through a computer switch that didn’t take a toll? If you’re like me and grew up in the ’70s when computers were few and far between, they can be a challenge. You learn how to work them one way, and next thing you know the bosses are telling you another system is needed. Not that I’m against technology, but if you

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believe all computer systems make things more efficient, I’ve got some ocean-front property in Leanna I’ll sell you. We went through a computer change at my former workplace a couple of years ago, and I reacted about like Dunn supposedly did. Previously, it took two steps to open a file. The new system required about 10 steps for the same task. We had a few hours of training and— bam—we got thrown into the fire. My first day live, I thought I was having a heart attack. It took two months of bloodpressure pills to calm me down. As it turned out, the new system was designed to incorporate the business into the corporate structure and remove all autonomy. Of course, I learned to use it, but it took about two years off my life. Anyway, this NewDawn deal is still going on at the clerk’s office. It was described recently as a “work in progress.” Eventually, it’s supposed to allow attorneys and others who subscribe to be able to access court records by going online. Maybe someday. Eloise Gaither, who was defeated by Bohling more than four years ago in the Republican tide, was set to replace the old system through General Services Automated. Instead, this is what we’ve got, and it could take some time to figure out if we’re saving any money or running more efficiently. Ask Lisa Dunn, though, and she’d probably tell you, “neither.”

TRAMEL SETTLES WITH SHERIFF

Speaking of wasting money, Sheriff Robert Arnold may have gotten rid of a political liability when he fired Detective Jim Tramel in June 2013. But it wound up costing the county nearly $330,000 in legal fees and a lawsuit settlement reached in early October. Broken down, that’s $275,000 for the settlement, according to county officials, who disclosed the amount to be paid after receiving three open records requests. Nearly $60,000, possibly more, went to legal fees.

ARNOLD

TRAMEL

The

STOCKARD REPORT BY SAM STOCKARD

When Arnold, a former jailer and school resource officer, won the election over longtime Sheriff Truman Jones during the Republican sweep of 2010, it didn’t take long for him to start upsetting some people within the department. Tramel disagreed with how Arnold was spending money within the drug fund and several other areas, in addition to hirings and firings. When he let it be known he was going to run for office, Arnold’s staff accused him of harassment based on a one-to-one conversation with a supervisor, then also claimed he was giving out information to the local media to make Arnold look bad. Not long after that, Tramel was fired. It was handled clumsily, and local attorney Terry Fann didn’t have much trouble tearing Arnold to shreds in a deposition. The case was set for a jury trial in late October, but the judge had already turned down the county’s request to dismiss the case. And, though neither side will say anything other than it was “resolved,” I’m willing to bet that Tramel is satisfied with what he got. Otherwise, he would’ve gone to trial. Ironically, Tramel’s lawsuit was about free speech, but county officials initially thought the settlement amount was confidential. Tramel, his attorney, the sheriff and county officials declined to disclose the figure until I filed Open Records requests with the Risk Management Department, Finance Department and County Mayor Ernest Burgess. According to the state’s Open Records counsel, who advised them on the matter, county officials believed the documents containing the settlement figure was a public record. They just weren’t sure if they were allowed to disclose it because of a confidentiality agreement between the county’s attorney and Tramel’s attorney. Fortunately, the Open Records Act prevailed. Unfortunately, county taxpayers are out $330,000; meanwhile, Tramel won’t be choosing between souse meat and liver cheese for supper.

CHILD RAPE TRIAL TURNS BIZARRE

Laural Hemenway prosecuted child abuse and child sex abuse cases for years with the district attorney’s office here. But neither her conviction rate—reportedly 95 percent—nor her determination meant little after she accused Circuit Court Judge Keith Siskin of running a “sexist” courtroom. It happened Sept. 18 on the seventh day of a child rape trial for Christopher Hernandez, who is charged with raping a young girl. When Hernandez took the stand, Hemenway aggressively questioned the defendant, asking him everything from how he paid child support and company employees to whether he knew women in his life were running sex-related businesses and whether his uncle, who accompanied him on

jobs, was with him when he went to women’s homes to have sex with them. She contended her questioning went to his character. Defense attorney Mark Scruggs objected to several of Hemenway’s questions that day, and Siskin sustained most of them. Yet even though the judge denied two of Scruggs’ requests for a mistrial, when Hemenway brought up a domestic violence charge against Hernandez, Siskin decided he’d had enough. In fact, he said he’d had enough of the entire proceeding. “Calm down. Don’t make me have the marshal arrest everybody now. I have never had any attorney thrown in jail before,” the judge said. He called the situation a runaway train that was being steered off the tracks and even admitted that he might have been too patient with the attorneys as they yelled “at the top of their lungs.” After researching a ruling he made that morning, Siskin determined that the domestic violence charge, in which Hernandez allegedly held a gun to a woman’s head, was not to be brought up in court. He declared a mistrial, which led Hemenway to launch into claims that she was being “disrespected” and that the “entire court proceeding has been a violation of my constitutional rights as a women to be treated fairly.” Siskin filed complaints, and DA Jennings Jones fired her after she refused to resign. There are a lot of dynamics involved here. First, Hemenway is an aggressive prosecutor. She had to be to protect the rights of children. Siskin, who served in Juvenile Court for years, is an extremely polite judge. He’s no stone-face, and the transcript didn’t show any signs of sexism. Hemenway may have gone through some burnout in dealing with child-rape trials for many years. That’s a tough job. Apparently, she had filed a worker’s compensation complaint with the office. All that aside, she should be lauded for fighting for abused children for so many years. It’s too bad things ended the way they did. Or did they? The DA is concerned she might take legal action over the firing. Of course, there’s no way she could ever argue a case before Siskin again. She didn’t use the word, but she accused him of sexism. Siskin, meanwhile, has moved to Circuit Court’s civil docket, and Judge Royce Taylor is taking over the criminal docket, including the Hernandez trial. Assistant DA Nathan Nichols, who ran for a judge’s seat this year, will prosecute the case and get a shot at taking over all child abuse and child sex abuse cases. But Scruggs is likely to seek dismissal of the charges against Hernandez using a double jeopardy claim. We’ll see how Taylor handles it.

Of Course Businesses Create Jobs

hich came first, the chicken or the egg? It’s a question that’s been pondered for perhaps thousands of years. We may never have a definitive answer. There’s another question that’s been broached by the liberals in this country. Who creates jobs? Hillary Clinton recently stated, “Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s corporations and businesses that create jobs.”

Oh, really? Then who creates jobs? Hillary didn’t elaborate, but some of her apologists did. Bob Beckel on Fox News said consumers create jobs. Beckel, and those who echo this sentiment, have a basic misunderstanding of how the economy works. Consumers don’t create jobs. Consumers create demand, which may or may not result in a job. Let me give you an example. Consumers for years demanded airplanes. Inventors dating back to da Vinci had dreamt, even sketched, flying machines. It wasn’t until the Wright Brothers came along and made it happen that the first job in the aircraft industry was created. By the way, consumers have been demanding flyVIEWS OF A ing cars since before I was a kid. There still aren’t a lot of jobs in that industry. column by So, why would Hillary make such a ridiculous PHIL VALENTINE philvalentine.com statement? To answer that, one has to realize that she’s not alone in her belief. Remember President Obama’s famous “you didn’t build that” line? Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts made similar comments. That’s probably why Hillary was making hers in Warren’s backyard of Boston. It was Warren who said, “There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody! You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for.” It doesn’t occur to these shallow thinkers that if these people didn’t have jobs they wouldn’t be able to pay the taxes that provide all these services. I guess a more important question is, which came first, the job or the taxes? The answer would be the job. Whoever the first person was to hire the first employee changed economics forever. It’s certainly possible to have an economy without jobs. In the early days, a farmer and his family would trade corn or cattle with someone else who made whatever they needed. Once currency came along it became possible to sell your goods for cash and hire someone to help you produce them. Those were the first businessmen and they created the first jobs. To say that businesses don’t create jobs is foolish but Hillary said something even more outrageous. In that same speech, she said raising the minimum wage creates jobs. Yes, she said she had voted to raise the minimum wage several times and her husband had raised the minimum wage and each time it created jobs. Now, let’s study on that for a second. No matter your position on raising the minimum wage, there’s no way you can argue that raising it creates jobs. In fact, the vast majority of studies show it kills jobs. Again, you’re talking about a fundamental misunderstanding of how the economy works. With people like this already in charge, is it any wonder that our economy continues to struggle years after it should’ve recovered? Hillary was attempting to exploit that innate dislike people have for the boss. She sought to demonize businesses and convince people that they were responsible for creating jobs all by themselves. In the process, she demonstrated just how unqualified she is to be president of the United States.

CONSERVATIVE

“It doesn’t occur to these shallow thinkers that if these people didn’t have jobs they wouldn’t be able to pay the taxes that provide all these services.”

Phil Valentine is an author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host with Westwood One. For more of his commentary and articles, visit philvalentine.com. BOROPULSE.COM

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Murfreesboro’s Music Through the Decades

by GLORIA CHRISTY

The 1970s: Volunteer Jam 40 Years Later, an Interview with Charlie Daniels

nder a dimly lit Tennessee flag wafting above a smoke-filled arena, music was flooding through every vein in our excited minds and bodies. Onstage were the musical heroes of our day—a bearded Charlie Daniels, his band, and friends that included members of the original Marshall Tucker Band and even a guest appearance by Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band. In September 1975, I was one of those nameless thousands at Volunteer Jam II at Murphy Center on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. It was one of the most memorable moments in my concertgoing years. Spontaneously, the crowd roared with exhilaration as Charlie’s red-hot fiddle squealed and stirred the crowd like a hot rod burning rubber. . . . Be proud you’re a Rebel . . . the South’s gonna do it again! “The South’s Gonna Do It,” from the album Fire on the Mountain, was riding high on the charts. The song became a perennial anthem on FM radio. At Volunteer Jam II, the band was enjoying a peaking period of popularity that would continue building for a time. With Charlie producing 16 music festivals over the course of three decades, Volunteer Jam became known as a genre-blending musical extravaganza. As a new tradition surfaced out of Nashville, future Jams began taking on a life of their own. Guest artists were never announced, creating a buzz around the event. In those days, it was all good! As Charlie exclaimed in his song “No Place to Go” at the first jam in 1974, Ain’t it good to be alive, and be in Tennessee! A pair of live performances from that inaugural Jam were featured on the 1974 triple-platinum album Fire on the Mountain. Volunteer Jam had become a happening, one of the first multi-band events to be staged. At the dawn of the 1970s a new musical stance was emerging from the American South and styles were fusing into a brand-new sound—Southern rock. The cross-pollination of country and rock had occurred, with rhythm-and-blues blending with rockabilly, folk and bluegrass. With a sold-out audience of 13,000, the second Volunteer Jam at MTSU had become a symbol of unity. Young Southerners in their early 20s had united in ideology through the music of the day. Whether real or imagined, many contemporaries felt that the South had been misunderstood, maligned and underappreciated. Prevalent among young adults of the day was this question: “How could a culture produce such disparity of classes and prejudice?” The Civil Rights movement resulted in some of the South’s darkest moments, including violent deaths, an assassination and destructive riots across our land. If you were young and a part of the counterculture movement in the South in the late ’60s and ’70s, you felt powerless, baffled by these irrepressible circumstances. The Volunteer Jam experience liberated our bewilderment. At last, we were unified and left with a determination to be a different kind of Southerner; a different American, 36 * NOVEMBER 2014 * BOROPULSE.COM

too! Proudly, we could embrace our new identity. It’s now been 40 years since the first Volunteer Jam. Charlie Daniels’ fusion of rock with country has become emblematic, creating solidarity and individualism in America. His riveting songs have cleverly promoted Southern rock and have become a rallying cry for the hard-working class. His music’s crossing of genres—rock, country, gospel, bluegrass and blues—is quintessentially Southern. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Charlie Daniels. Taking a few moments while on the road in Austin, Texas, this household name in American entertainment began to reflect on his 56-year career and the sound of the CDB. “Still doin’ it,” this proud country boy exclaimed. “Still pickin’, still grinnin’, still enjoyin’, still lovin’ and thankin’ God that I am able to make a livin’ in a business I love so much! “What I am so thankful for is that I have been able to keep 25–30 people steadily and gainfully

employed 40 years now. I’ve got people that have been with me for over 40 years. The secret is to find people who want to accomplish the same thing you do, people you can trust. I have been blessed. This is the thing that I am the most thankful for!” Somehow, the Volunteer Jam experience has not only crossed genres but generations. The first Jam featured the Charlie Daniels Band & friends on Oct. 4, 1974. Then, the following September, Volunteer Jam II took place at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center. The second one was actually made into a movie, billed as “The First Full-Length Southern Rock Motion Picture.” When asked why he chose Murphy Center for the second Jam, he answered, “Well, it was a really big deal to us to move it to Murphy Center because we had done the first one in War Memorial, which was a 2,200-seat venue. This was supposed to be a one-time deal. We were doing the album Fire on the Mountain and we wanted to do two of our cuts live—“Orange Blossom Special” and the song “No

Place to Go,” two fiddle tunes. That’s what the whole thing was about. We booked War Memorial Auditorium for a live show. I had casually invited some friends of mine; Dickey Betts showed up, three guys from the Allman Brothers Band. It really took on a life of its own and had such a great surprise factor about it. We knew that we needed a bigger venue so we moved to Murphy Center. Murphy Center seemed like such a great place to do it.” “The Jam, and Fire on the Mountain, was definitely a career builder for us, selling up into the millions, possibly 5 million, and continues today,” said Daniels. The songs on that record are so familiar. It is part of what we are and what we do. It is a big part of CDB.” So, I asked the man if, among his 40-plus-year back catalog of recordings, there is any song that stands out in his mind, a favorite? “No, not really. I’ve been asked this question a lot,” said Daniels. “It’s impossible to pick an all-time favorite. I don’t view the music that way. I view it as one body of work rather than song by song. That’s a hard question for me to answer.” Is there an individual in your life who stands out that influenced you and encouraged you, I asked?

Daniels released a collection of Bob Dylan covers this year on an album titled Off the Grid~Doin’ It Dylan.

“It’s Bob Johnston, who came to Nashville in 1967. He called me and said, ‘Why don’t you come to Nashville?’ and I did. He helped me stay here. He’s been a tremendous influence on the creative and business side of my life.” (Johnston, a record producer who transferred from a New York position with Columbia Records to the Nashville office, is sometimes credited with diversifying the city’s recording industry after luring Bob Dylan to record there in the mid-1960s.) I then asked about that era of Southern rock, did the musicians and artists feel the influence and closeness to this music of the day as much as the fans? “Yes, I do think they felt the closeness with a lot of the bands. We were especially close to Marshall

Tucker and Lynyrd Skynyrd. . . . Yes, there was a special kinship.” By the way, Daniels confirmed, “People ask me if I am going to retire. Retiring is not in my vocabulary. . . . As you know, we’re doing another Volunteer Jam next year. It seemed like it is an idea [whose] time has come. The City of Nashville is interested in it. The Bridgestone Arena is interested in it. We have an event we do every year, “Scholarship for Heroes,” and we want to expand it,” he explained. “We need a bigger place to do it. It worked out to be Bridgestone Arena. We’re pretty excited about that! “This whole thing is approached much more from a charity aspect than it was to start with. Of course, it turned into that years ago, too. This time,” says Daniels, “what motivated it was what got it started back then, which was to raise money to help our veterans who need education—there are so many needs that our veterans have. We’re trying to fill those needs. That is what this whole thing is about. That’s what brought Volunteer Jam back into being. That was the reason for it. That aspect is first and foremost. After that,” Daniels, exclaimed, “it is fun! I’m lookin’ forward to it.” “There are so many people out there that have heard about Volunteer Jam all their lives but have never seen one . . . [who] can’t possibly understand what it was like to be sittin’ out there [when] I came walkin’ out there with Ted Nugent or Willie Nelson or James Brown or no tellin’ who. It’s a neat concept, a very unusual concept and I don’t know of another show like it. To be bringin’ it back and doin’ it at Bridgestone . . . it should really be a lot of fun and we’re really looking forward to it.” Do you think that this is a part of the legacy of the artists of that era? Are they looking for ways to give back and to leave something lasting for future generations? “I don’t think about it in that way. I feel that we owe especially our veterans. . . . We just love people that need help! I’ve seen it. I know about it. Something needs to be done about it. It is very obvious that our government is not going to take care of the whole thing. So . . . there are a lot of spaces that need fillin’ in as far as our veterans are concerned. I believe it is going to be up to the private sector to do it. That is something that I should be doin’. I do other things for other charities but that particular one has a special place in my heart. I feel like I should be doing this. You could call it a ‘calling’ or the desire of my heart or whatever. I just feel that I should be doing it! “We need to look after the people who cannot look after themselves,” declared Daniels. “The government is incapable of doing it. If our veterans are going to be taken care of, a large part of it is going to be left up to the private sector to do it.” Obviously, Charlie Daniels has discovered that it is far better to give than receive and that being thankful is not some kind of magic formula. Without reservation, a thankful heart cannot help but give back. That is why thankfulness is the true language of love. A thankful attitude only wants to leave the world a little happier, a little friendlier, and, in Charlie Daniels’ case, with a little more music. Just so you know, Charlie Daniels is the real deal— genuine in his faith and love for God and others. He is living out the “Golden Rule” as a way of life. We ended the interview, which quite frankly turned into a friendly conversation, with a simple “God bless you!” Visit boropulse.com to hear part of “The Jam” from 1975, plus the whole interview with Charlie Daniels.

 Read more Murfreesboro’s Music Through the Decades series at BOROPULSE.COM BOROPULSE.COM

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OPINIONS The Brown Mountain Lights: An Appalachian Majesty

La PALABRA

Una columna del idioma español por CAMERON PARRISH

Las Luces de Montaña Marrón: un Misterio de los Apalaches

IN ENGLISH: DEEP IN THE PISGAH NATIONAL Forest of North Carolina there exists a lingering mystery that predates European settlement and continues to defy solid explanation despite much investigation by countless individuals and government agencies. This deep Appalachian mystery known as the Brown Mountain Lights has been the source of much speculation over the years. It has inspired films and even been blamed for mysterious disappearances. The Brown Mountain Lights are characterized by luminescent spheres which appear on the mountainsides, ridges and valleys of these ancient forests, much like the will o’ the wisps of European folklore that lure travelers astray to an unknown fate. The lights, which can appear as a faint glow or the flame of a lantern, will occur after nightfall on evenings throughout the year and are visible from a number of overlooks within the park. While they appear to pose no threat by most accounts, they have at times been associated with ominous happenings. Local Indian lore has associated these lights with the simultaneous disappearance of individuals and even large groups of people. Many contemporary accounts include people who say they have had encounters with UFOs, missing time, and even abduction by extraterrestrials while in the vicinity. The setting for the 2014 independent film Alien Abduction took place in the area around Brown Mountain. In fact this area has such a reputation for unexplained events that it’s sometimes called the Bermuda Triangle of the Appalachians. The attraction I felt for this place became irresistible. So I scheduled a “business trip.” After a brief 7-mile hike on the Nantahala portion of the Appalachian Trail (South of the NOC) I packed up the Jeep and made for Pisgah National Forest. I wanted to get a glimpse of the infamous lights for myself and possibly get abducted. Arriving at Pisgah I followed the dirt trail leading up the mountain to Wiseman’s View just before nightfall. Several vehicles were stationed along the trail overlooking Brown Mountain so it was obvious that I wasn’t alone in my curiosity. Despite my advanced state of preparedness and savage physique I’m nonetheless cautious when approaching strangers in national parks, where the number of people who have disappeared without explanation is significantly on the rise. It’s another of the troubling mysteries

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that author David Paulides writes about in his book Missing 411: North America and Beyond. So taking care to avoid looking like a creeper, I approached a young couple who were natives of the area and regular observers of the lights. I asked questions and they shared with me some of the popular speculation which includes everything from ancient Earth spirits to subterranean gas combustion, geomagnetic forces and witches. As darkness came I climbed on top of the Jeep with my night vision equipment and a very good bottle of merlot from the nearby Linville Falls Winery. I waited several hours and would have fallen asleep if not for the frigid breeze. Just before midnight is when they came. I couldn’t believe it. Peering through my scope I began to see what appeared to be a series of glowing orbs flickering in the dense forest canopy. The silent objects rose vertically and then extinguished at slow unpredictable intervals before reaching the mountain horizon. For several moments I was overawed by the deepest sense that what my eyes were witnessing was something primordial. Then the lights ceased. They disappeared. No aliens abducted me, and after two solo adventures to this area I don’t believe the extraterrestrials are directly involved with the cause of the phenomenon. As with so many enigmas it remains unsolved. So if you seek an encounter with the unknown this is one that is quite accessible, and with the beauty of North Carolina as the backdrop for your expedition, why not explore it for yourself? Semper Explorandum

EN ESPANOL AISLADO EN EL BOSQUE NACIONAL de Pisgah en Carolina del Norte existe un

misterio persistente que precede el establecimiento europeo y sigue desafiando la explicación a pesar de mucha investigación por individuos innumerables y agencias estatales. Este misterio de los Apalaches conocido como las Luces de la Montaña Marrón (Brown Mountain Lights) ha sido la fuente de mucha especulación durante los años. Ha inspirado películas y hasta se ha culpado de desapariciones misteriosas. Las luces de Monte Brown se caracterizan por esferas luminosas que aparecen en las laderas, crestas y valles de estos bosques antiguos como los Will O’ the Wisp del folclore europeo que atraen a perdición los viajeros a un destino desconocido. Las luces que pueden aparecer como un suave resplandor o el fuego de una linterna se producirán después del anochecer en las noches durante todo el año y son visibles desde varios miradores dentro del parque. Mientras que aparecen que no representan una amenaza por la mayoría de las cuentas, a veces han sido asociados con acontecimientos ominosos. Historias indígenas ha asociado estas luces con la desaparición simultánea de individuos y hasta grupos grandes. Muchas cuentas contemporáneas incluyen personas que dicen que han tenido encuentros con ovnis, tiempo perdido y hasta secuestración por extraterrestres. El escenario para la película independiente de 2014 Alien Abduction tuvo lugar ahí. De hecho, esta zona tiene tal reputación para eventos inexplicables que a veces se llama “el triángulo de las Bermudas de los Apalaches.” Para mi la atracción que sentí por este lugar fue irresistible. Así que yo programé un “viaje de negocios” para investigar. Después de una excursión breve de 7 millas

en El Rastro de los Apalaches (Appalachian Trail) en el Bosque Nantahala, echo mi equipo en el Jeep e fui al Bosque Nacional de Pisgah. Quise tener una vislumbre de las luces infames y posiblemente estar secuestrado por extraterrestres. Llegando a Pisgah seguí el rastro primitivo que llega a la encima de la montaña y a la Vista de Wiseman antes del anochecer. Varios vehículos se colocaron a lado del camino que pasa por alto de la Montaña Marrón y fue obvio que no estuve solo en mi curiosidad. A pesar de mi estado avanzado de preparación y físico salvaje es prudente tener cuidado al acercarse a los extraños en parques nacionales porque el número de personas que han desaparecido sin explicación va en aumento significativamente. Es un misterio inquietante que describe el autor David Paulides en su libro Perdido 411: América del norte y más allá. Teniendo cuidado de no aparecer un desviado sexual me acerqué a una pareja que es nativa de la zona y observador regular de las luces. Hice varias preguntas. Compartieron conmigo toda la especulación popular que incluye antiguos espíritus de la tierra, la combustión del gas subterráneo, fuerzas geomagnéticas, brujas y por supuesto los extraterrestres. Cuando llegó la oscuridad sube el techo del Jeep con mi equipo de visión nocturna y una rica botella de merlot de la La Bodega de Linville que está cerca. Esperaba unas horas y habría caído dormida si no fuera por el veinte frío. Justo antes de medianoche es cuando llegaron. No me lo podía creer. Mirando a través de mi telescopio yo comencé a ver lo que parecía una serie de brillantes orbes en el techo del bosque denso. Los objetos silenciosos levantaron verticalmente y luego extinguieron a intervalos impredecibles antes de alcanzar el horizonte de la sierra. Por varios momentos yo estaba intimidado por el sentido más profundo de lo que mis ojos estaban presenciando era algo primordial. Luego cesaron las luces. Desaparecieron. Después de todo no me secuestraron los extraterrestres y haber lanzado varias investigaciones a esta área no creo que los extraterrestres están directamente involucrados con la causa del fenómeno. Como tantos enigmas este caso permanece aún sin resolver. Si buscas un encuentro con lo desconocido es uno que es bastante accesible, y con la belleza natural de Carolina del Norte como escena para su expedición, ¿por qué no explorar por ti mismo? Semper Explorandum