October 2012 Murfreesboro Pulse

MURFREESBORO

ART: Works by MTSU art faculty at City Hall Rotunda

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

Vol. 7, Issue 10 October 2012

FREE For You!

THIS ISSUE: Homophobic Chicken, Kettlebells, Crabapple Jelly, Dr. Jerry Perkins, Turtle Anarchy and more!

ONLINE AT: BOROPULSE.COM

Haunted Attraction Guide Inside

INFO ON MIDDLE TENNESSEE’S HAUNTED HOUSES, AND LOTS OF OTHER SPOOKY EVENTS THIS MONTH

CONTENTS OPINIONS

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Judge Not Chicken Man Don't pick and choose your Biblical rules.

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All You Can Talk New mobile phone service pays its customers.

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Gagflex Sorry, we aren't seceding.

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Phil Valentine Need a job? Head to North Dakota.

LIVING

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Living Green Clean cooking and climate change.

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR Fall Festival of Magic, Oct. 26–27 and more!

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Gardening Preserving food is for everyone.

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Read to Succeed Book Review The Age of Miracles, by Karen Thompson Walker

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 Bracken Jr. takes in the morning view of the Atlantic.

Workout Tips by Tri-Fit Kettlebells: Part III

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Haunted Attractions The lowdown on Middle Tennessee's scary seasonal attractions.

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Turtles Gone Hoppy Franklin's first brewery creating some excellent brews.

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SOUNDS

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Muddy Roots Fest Makin' friends in the mud out at June Bug. In Memory of a Master Pianist Jerry Perkins touched many with his music.

CONCERT LISTINGS Album Reviews Joshua Scott Cochran, The Joy of Painting, Bucket City Bawdy House, Kristen Cothron.

Giveaways Win tickets to Carolina Story, Brewsboro Festival, Ralph Stanley, Deadland Haunted Woods

THEATER

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Lamplighters presents 39 Steps Meanwhile, On Golden Pond plays at Center.

MOVIES

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Reviews Looper, Resident Evil: Retribution

WIN!

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COVER STORY

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Living Room Cinema Destination: Nashville

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Scarefest Horror films lurk at MTSU movie series.

SPORTS

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Sports Talk with Z-Train Our Titans are getting trounced in 2012.

ART Exhibits Murfreesboro Art League at the Center.

Graphic design, clay at MTSU's Todd Gallery.

Art professors fill City Hall Rotunda.

CREW

PULSE

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Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

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

Music Editor: Jessica Pace Contributing Writers: Art Director: Sarah L. Mayo Terri DeLong, Ryan Egly, Bryce Harmon, Jason Johnson, Tony Lehew, Zach Maxfield, Cameron Advertising Reps: Parrish, Sarah Porterfield, Jay Spight, Andrea Don Clark, Barbara Adell, Stockard, Justin Stokes, Norbert Thiemann, Orrin McCullough Adam Valentine, Phil Valentine Copy Editor: Cindy Phiffer Photographer: Jonathan Wesenberg

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

Copyright © 2012, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 116-E N. Walnut St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130.

Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed

by Franklin Web Printing Co. The Murfreesboro Pulse is a free publication funded by our advertisers. Views expressed in The Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378X

DEAR READERS: A FEW WEEKS AGO, WE SHARED a humorous post on our Facebook page (go on and hit that little thumbs-up button at facebook.com/boropulse if you “like” The Pulse) encouraging musical artists to respond with a “Would you like to come over to my house and cook for my family and friends for the publicity?" reply when hit with a “Would you like to come to my restaurant and perform your music for the customers for the publicity?” query from the restaurant owner seeking entertainment without paying for it.

To be clear, I wasn’t suggesting musicians should never perform for free, or shy away from opportunities to reach people with theirrt. The point was to share a way to potentially score some free food! Whenever one is in need of a product or service, try and first ask for it in exchange for some kind of publicity, or whatever can be offered . . . but the thread did yield some interesting viewpoints, responses and conversations worth having.

So, bands of the ’Boro, we want to hear from you more on this matter. How concerned are you about making money at your performances? Have you played for free for publicity? Which local venues treat you right? Which don’t? It’s up to the individual artist to make the decisions for him- or herself as far as where they want to perform and if they should offer their skills for free. The correct approach can vary greatly from musician to musician, based on where they are in their career, how much time they have on their hands, their lifestyle, their personal views on finance, personal property and art, how much money their music is making others, whether they consider it a hobby, a love or a job, the style of music, etc.

At any rate, support live music! And there’s lots of music to support in the area. The Walnut House hosts Carolina Story for a Friday evening performance, check out Mize and the Drive and the Ghost Ballerinas at the Brewsboro festival, then later that evening hit Wall Street for this hot little combo Vortices I’ve been hearing so much about, take the scenic drive to Cumberland Caverns for one of their Bluegrass Underground shows, the wacky gals of Birdcloud appear at Main Street Live, the Hardin Draw and Jake Leg Stompers join forces at 3 Brothers, Here Come the Mummies hit Nashville’s Live on the Green series, and in regional music festival news Moogfest returns to Asheville.

Before the sun set on summer, we did have a nice family trip to Myrtle Beach, saw the ocean, let the boy get tossed around in the waves. He was amazed.

Peace, Bracken Mayo Editor in Chief BOROPULSE.COM

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OCTOBER 2012

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OPINIONS Don’t Pick and Choose Your Biblical Rules column by TONY LEHEW

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here has been a lot of controversy lately about the stance Dan Cathy, Chick-Fil-A president, has taken on gay marriage or, for that matter, homosexuality in general. In fact, the ChickFil-A Corporation has donated millions to anti-gay religious groups.

So there is no grey area in what Mr. Cathy believes; he is against samesex marriage and homosexuality.

Since his comments to the Baptist Press came to light, the battle lines have been drawn and where you eat your chicken sandwich is the battlefield.

Personally, this all sounds like a win for Kentucky Fried Chicken or Mrs. Winner’s to me, but as it turns out, because of his comments, some are boycotting and some are vowing to eat more homophobic chicken. One thing I have a hard time getting my mind around is: why does it matter if the president of a chicken franchise is a homophobe? Does it change the taste of the chicken tenders? If it does, I’m done eating chicken all together!

It’s illegal to discriminate based on sexual preference, and as big as Chick-Fil-A is, there is a real good possibility that there are homosexuals working there. What about states that allow same-sex marriage? It’s a safe bet that gay people do work, have worked or will work in those restaurants. Furthermore, as far as I can find, there isn’t any proof that Chick-Fil-A discriminates against customers or employees based on sexual preference. So is it really worth it to pay so much attention to the personal opinions of the chicken-tender peddler? With all the buzz around this lately, apparently the answer is yes.

Former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee declared an Appreciation Day for Chick-Fil-A. According to Huckabee, the declaration was not a support of Cathy’s anti-gay stance but to defend his 1st Amendment rights. Huckabee’s actions did little to change minds, but what it did was set the stage for a media circus. The scandal-hungry media eagerly displayed images of homosexuals publicly expressing their emotions in front

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of Chick-Fil-A and supporters toting anti-gay signs. You could argue that either side was expressing their 1st Amendment rights, or you could say that are a lot of people out there who could use a better hobby.

Before you condemn or condone same-sex relationships, I think it makes sense to look at the reasons behind the opposition to homosexuality. Almost all that oppose it cite the Bible as the primary reason. In fact, they cite Leviticus 20:13: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their Dan blood shall be upon them.”

Cathy Taken by itself, that seems pretty cut and dried—a good indication that God does not like two men getting it on. But what about lesbians? is it possible he likes a little girl-on-girl action? Put that one in your Bible and smoke on it.

The condemnation and killing of gay men is not the only things that Leviticus covers. Anyone who has read it can tell you there are a lot of rules in that book, and I don’t think you can pick and choose which of these to rules to honor. If you are going to condemn homosexuality based on Leviticus, then you should follow all the rules listed there. Let’s take a look at a few of the others that must be followed: (5:14-15) “The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, If a soul . . . sin through ignorance . . . then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish.” You have to sacrifice a ram every time you sin. You been keeping up with that? If you have, I would not brag to the animal protection agencies about that.

(5:17) “If a soul sin . . . though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.”

If you sin against your own will, you are still guilty. Apparently, there is no such thing as a victim.

(12:2) “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman has conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. (12:5) But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.” So childbirth is nasty, and a female child is twice as dirty as a male child.

(15:19) “If a woman have an issue, and her issue . . . be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean.”

(15:20) “Every thing that she lieth upon in her

separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.”

(15:22) “Whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall … be unclean.” So basically, have nothing to do with a woman who is getting a visit from her Aunt Flo. To some of us guys, there are times this may seem like great wisdom, as those hormones can make you want some separation time. But exactly how do you honor this rule? There isn’t much instruction on how to sort these ladies out and most women don’t volunteer this information in polite social settings.

It looks like you will have to address this problem yourself. I imagine it going something like this. “Excuse me ma’am, before you touch my heterosexual chicken sandwich, can you please tell me if you are experiencing your monthlies?” Give that a try and get back to me.

I’d really like to know how that goes for ya.

(19:20) “And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.”

So a guy can sleep with his slave or a woman that is engaged and suffer no consequence for his actions, but she will be scourged. Just for the record, scourging is not a gentle act and is illegal in North America.

(15:16) “And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.” When guys first become aware of this little rule, they may have to take a few days off work to catch up; you figure out why. Also, does this include wet dreams?

(21:17) “Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.” (21:18-21) “For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or anything superfluous. Or a man that is broken footed, or broken handed. Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken. No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.” I find this one particularly troubling, a handicapped person can’t go before an alter of God. Worse than that, a blemish as small as a scab would keep you from being worthy. I have a cute little mole that only my girlfriend can identify, that by this wording would keep me from being worthy of kneeling and praying.

For every word in Bible that is a “ the condemnation of

homosexuality, there is a word that says it’s not your place to judge.

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(31:15) “Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.”

If you have ever worked on a Saturday, you should be put to death.

And lastly, my personal favorite, it’s about who we elect as our leaders: ”Thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers.”

Boy, have we really screwed that one up.

Be it known, I am a man of faith. I believe that a higher power granted life to us all. How I chose to believe what that power is and how you choose may not be the same. The way we choose to acknowledge that power may also be different. But one thing we all have in common is the short amount of time here on earth to live our lives. It could be that the words I have written makes me a sinner in your eyes. Maybe you agreed with some of it. Or it could be that not a single one of us can live up to these standards that were recorded thousands of years ago for a group of people whose lives in no way mirror our own. Either way, it’s not my or your place to judge; that is reserved for a higher power. (Matthew 7:1) “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

For every word in the Bible that is a condemnation of homosexuality, there is a word that says it’s not your place to judge. And that works both ways, straight or gay; you don’t own the right to judge. That’s God’s right and his alone. But you can have an opinion. Dan Cathy is entitled to his opinion and so are you.

The Holy Bible is full of good morals if you look for them. But using it to condemn others is a sin in its own right.

So here is what I suggest you do: if you are a heterosexual Christian, and you are hungry for a chicken sandwich, go to Chick-Fil-A, have one and be proud that it’s being served to you by a Christian organization with good moral values.

If you are gay and you are hungry for a chicken sandwich and Chick-Fil-A is the most convenient opinion, then go have one and be proud that you just walked into the camp of the enemy, sat down, ate a chicken sandwich and there wasn’t a damn thing they could do about it.

BOROPULSE.COM

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OCTOBER 2012

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OPINIONS

Sorry, We Aren’t Seceding

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iving in the South is a love-hate relationship. The South I know is one where people are raised with manners, where even your average meth addict will say “yes ma’am” and “no sir” when speaking to an older person. Sometimes we are polite to a fault. We’re supposed to be so considerate and concerned that even saying “hello” gets translated into “How are you doing?” when we know good and well how the hell they’re doing because we see them every day. But of course it isn’t a question in the first place, and you’re not really supposed to drone on about your health issues and all problems with the polite meth heads out in the county.

We know there are problems.

In regards to education, the South hangs out in the bottom half of the 50 states. In regards to income we also hang out in that bottom half. And yes, there are plenty of idiot racists, but you can’t lump all Southerners together in one big basket of stupid. That’s why I was a bit irritated when I read a column on alternet.org by writer, Chuck Thompson,

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who was defending his book Better Off Withat the University of Michigan (oddly enough out ’Em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern the most racist assholes I personally know Secession. After as he “spent a large chunk of are from Michigan) in which the reactions two years” in the South, he apparently came of young males are tested. The subjects were to the conclusion that Southerners consider all bumped into by a stranger in a crowded themselves the only real Americans. He claims hallway and then called an “asshole” by the that wherever he went in the South he was stranger. After their facial expressions and branded un-American, a testosterone levels were socialist, and that he was examined it was con“in league with the Muscluded that young men lim vanguard of a secret from the Northern parts column by JASON JOHNSON plot to destroy the United of the US laughed off tuckwopat@yahoo.com States” because he supthe incident as a coping ported President Obama. mechanism while young The point that he attempts to make men from the South got really pissed off. throughout the column is that many of This doesn’t surprise me at all. The Souththe South’s woes can be attributed to the ern expectation is that if you accidentally angry and hostile nature of Southerners. He bump into someone, then you should apolobegins this by recounting a study conducted gize. He, in turn, attributed this supposed

GAGFLEX

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The South I know is one where people are raised with manners, where even your average meth addict will say “yes ma’am” and “no sir” when speaking to an older person.

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short-fused anger or “blind hysteria” to the cause of Southern racism, to blind patriotism, to the root cause of the Civil War. In a follow-up interview, he said he’s tired of people bitching about the problems with the South, and he’s ready for somebody to do something about it. He calls out Southern liberals for not being active enough and truly makes the point that the South should now be allowed to secede from the United States. This is, in a way, hypocritical. If you are saying that the South should secede based on certain people’s opinions that you disagree with, aren’t you also saying that the South is not part of the real America?

There’s no doubt that the South at large has problems in many ways. But these improvements aren’t coming on the shoulders of a guy who’s tried to sum us up after a long vacation through the South. Try living here for while and you’ll understand that no matter how much you disagree with certain opinions, for better or worse, they are just as much part of America as any other opinion.

Need a Job? Head to North Dakota

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ou may have noticed that fuel has a looming humanitarian crisis.” What is the gone through the roof again. Why? so-called “humanitarian crisis”? They whine The answer is never easy. Unrest in that “some have been forced to live hundreds the Middle East. Higher demand. of miles away while one member works in the Refineries closed due to coastal storms. All of energy industry.” Boo-frickety-hoo. Somethese things factor in. What can we do about times I think liberals are just incapable of it? One state is doing something about it. being happy.

If you’re complaining that you can’t find a What’s interesting is this boom is driven job, I have two words for you: North Dakota. by the private sector. This is oil found by What you may not have noticed unless you oil companies on private land. The federal live there is there is an oil boom going on in government owns vast swaths of public land North Dakota. Billions of dollars are flowing that it has placed out of reach to oil producinto the state. McDonald’s is so desperate tion. Imagine the oil boom across many parts for workers they’re paying $15 per hour plus of this country if only a fraction of that land signing bonuses, in some cases. North Dakota were opened to production. Why is it people should be an example for the rest of the are standing in the way of our becoming country but it’s being widely ignored, if not energy independent? Because these dirt derided, by the mainstream media. people believe oil is evil. They do not want A piece by Minnesota Public Radio lamentus to be energy independent. They want us ed the oil boom was severely straining North to be energy poor. Unfortunately, our current Dakota’s economy. The president is one of them. It’s recent spike in oil productime to start going around VIEWS OF A tion, which has positioned these people and their North Dakota second media mouthpieces. column by only to Texas, is causing a Delta Airlines is doing PHIL VALENTINE worker shortage. This, as just that. To combat the philvalentine.com MPR puts it, “is putting a rising cost of jet fuel they lot of pressure on businesses.” The rest of the have invested in their very own oil refinery. country should be so pressured. “CommuniThey’re reopening a refinery in Trainer, Pa., ties struggle with the frenetic pace of growth,” and plan to use the oil being pumped out they say and they fret over the “uncertainty.” of the ground in North Dakota. By putting What North Dakota needs is workers. this refinery back online, Delta plans to save Per-person income is now above the national $300 million a year in jet fuel costs. A side average for the first time since the 1970s. effect would be more gasoline for automoPeople are living in campers because of the biles from that very refinery. lack of enough apartments and houses which Delta is meeting their energy needs headmeans a rich environment for those in the on. Instead of waiting for the government or home-building trade. even the oil industry to bring more refineries The Huffington Post reported that with online they have done it themselves. Imagine wealth comes worry. The average wage in if that same scenario were replicated across boomtown Williston, N.D., was $32,000 in the entire country.

2006. It’s now over $80,000. The unemIf Delta can do it, why can’t we? ployment rate is 1 percent and that’s really a statistical glitch. There are 3,000 unfilled Phil Valentine is an author and nationally jobs in Williston. syndicated radio talk show host with WestOne paper sported this headline: “North wood One. For more of his commentary Dakota oil boom bringing jobs, wealth—and and articles, visit philvalentine.com.

CONSERVATIVE

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The average wage in boomtown Williston, N.D., was $32,000 in 2006. It’s now over $80,000. The unemployment rate is 1 percent and that’s really a statistical glitch. There are 3,000 unfilled jobs in Williston.

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BOROPULSE.COM

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OCTOBER 2012

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LIVING

CLEAN COOKING AND CLIMATE CHANGE Using solar cooking technology helps with air quality and health.

as well as a work session. For those interested, more detailed information is available via a bimonthly national conference call. I attended my first meeting on Sept. 8. The guest speakers that day were the renowned climate scientist Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan from the Scripts InstituTHAT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC is woefully tion of Oceanography, as well as David Turk from misinformed about what is happening to our the U.S. State Department. planet is no secret. During the July heat wave, the The focus of Dr. Ramanathan’s talk was “black number of those claiming to believe in climate carbon”, which is the particulate matter formed by change rose to 70 percent, which is a 5 percent the incomplete combustion of solid or liquid fuels. increase since March. The key word in that senThe sooty substance ranks closely after CO2 as tence is believe, which is a very different verb than a climate change agent, and is a major target for understand. “Believe” implies a global reductions. level of choice on the part of the Unlike CO2, which has a observer, as well as a high level long atmospheric life, black of uncertainty. “Understand” carbon only remains in the in that sentence would indicate atmosphere for days or weeks. a decoupling of the perception This means that immediate column by RYAN EGLY of weather as the sole indicareductions in black carbon egly@boropulse.com tor of climate change. But the produce immediate results. sentence doesn’t say that, and it The substance acts as a climate shouldn’t. Pleasant fall weather will be accompachange agent both by absorbing sunlight, as well nied by lower energy bills, as well as a predictable as by darkening surfaces that would normally decline in public interest and media coverage reflect light back into the atmosphere. Certain of the critical topic. Or perhaps not. Maybe the types of black carbon also affect cloud formation, fall and winter will be stormy and frigid, so that creating conditions where precipitation from instead of sweating out a power failure we are larger clouds is enhanced, while precipitation from scrambling for blankets. In any case, the Citizens smaller clouds is reduced. The effect is that dry Climate Lobby (CCL) will be in the thick of it, areas become drier and wet areas become wetter. advocating “political will for a livable planet” with In the US, diesel is the main culprit. In a message backed by an astounding volume of developing nations, cooking is a major source of scientific and world literature. black carbon. In one Indian case study cited by On Sept. 2, the Nashville chapter of CCL met Ramanathan, black carbon reductions as high as at Buttrick Hall on the Vanderbilt campus. The 80-90 percent were possible with better cooking group hosts meetings on the first Saturday of each technology. A proposed solution is to link these month. Each meeting consists of a conference call reductions with carbon credits, which would with the national chapter and other local chapters, provide a monthly average of 6 dollars per home

LIVING GREEN

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for nearly 160 million families. As an additional bonus, better technology (which is only a cooking chamber and a solar fan, as opposed to traditional mud) would eliminate the health problems caused by indoor smoke.

Questions came from chapters all over the U.S., and were answered by Dr. Ramanathan (paraphrased here): 1. What is the impact of solid fuel cooking on the Himalayan glaciers?

Black carbon becomes trapped in the snow, causing it to darken. This accelerates the melting process.

2. Is solar cooking a good solution for developing nations? (my note: why not all nations?)

Solar cooking would solve almost all of the problems, but the women who cook in villages also work in fields. When they rise it is dark out, and when they return it is dark out.

3. What exactly is the new cooking technology?

EYE ON THE MARKETS:

EGGS

BY BRACKEN MAYO

Eggs are one of the staples in many local kitchens. In addition to being the classic breakfast, eggs are also needed for many baked goods and caseroles. They are loaded with protein, helping build that muscle, making them popular with the lowcarb dieters, and fill you up for cheap.

So where to go when the dozen runs low?

Upon a survey of a few of our local grocery stores the last week of September, shoppers could purchase a dozen medium eggs for $1.39 at Walmart (which is still the home of the cheapest gallon of milk as well, btw). That's 11.5 cents per egg. The large eggs went for $1.58 a dozen, but the sizes are so close, I'll usually go for the mediums when there's a discount.

The new stoves contain a heat chamber and a solar fan, which provides a steady supply of oxygen to the flame. This results in nearly double the fuel efficiency, as well as up to an 80 percent reduction in particulate matter (black carbon).

4. Did I hear you correctly that when compared with CO2, black carbons contributes 50 percent to climate change? How much of an impact could the stoves have?

Great question, 50 percent refers to all nonCO2 pollutants, such as methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, halocarbons, as well as black carbon. Black carbon is number 2 after CO2. Among the sources of black carbon, stoves contribute between 25 and 40 percent, so they are a major source.

And finally, David Turk spoke briefly about the voluntary Climate and Clean Air Coalition from the US State Department. The group focuses on large-scale projects to reduce non-CO2 sources of climate change. As of February 2012, the coalition was comprised of 6 countries and UNEP. Today the coalition has representation from over 20 countries, as well as the World Bank and various NGOs. A scientific panel guides the group’s progress in the following initiatives, among others: diesel, oil/gas, landfills and brick kilns.

The scenario: the world and scientific community are unanimous in the understanding of how our planet is changing. The American public is grossly misinformed about what is likely the most important issue that we collectively face. The solution: be part of the discussion.

Don’t let the political will for action on climate change come about as the result of conditions that can no longer be ignored.

Kroger offered a dozen medium eggs for $1.49, with the larges priced at $1.75. They do not offer a huge incentive to choose the 18-count over the dozen, though, with 18 larges going for $2.55, or 14.16 cents per.

Publix follows a pricing strategy that baffles me, but is actually very common when inspecting the grocery, pricing the larger cartons at a higher per-unit cost than the smaller ones—a dozen large eggs here go for 18.25 cents apiece ($2.19 for the carton), but the larger pack contains 18 18.28-cent eggs ($3.29). Their medium and extra large dozens were priced at $2.09 and $2.29, respectively.

Note: Walgreen's (the one at Mercury and Tennessee, at least) frequently runs sales on 12 eggs for 99 cents. However, the cartons usually sell out quickly, and then the price will double to $1.99.

"I'll wait on them," one shopper said, upon learning the 99-cent sale on eggs had ended as he was checking out. He returned the carton back to the store's cooler.

"I don't blame you," said the cashier.

Until next time, shop smart, Murfreesboro.

All You Can Talk

New mobile phone service provider pays its customers for referrals. Now that’s a good deal.

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new player has broken into the mobile voice, text and data market, and some in the industry are calling it a “revolution.”

Solavei, in an agreement to use the TMobile network, now offers unlimited talk, text and data plans for a flat rate.

“It’s all you can eat, for $49 a month!” says Murfreesboro resident Toby Steele. “So many people are paying $79, $89 a month for their cell phone service. That time is over.”

Many simply want to sign up for the service to lower their mobile phone bill, but beyond the simplicity of the plan and the unlimited usage, what attracts many to Solavei is its marketing strategy, which puts money into the pocket of those who sign up others. Solavei is more than a phone company; it’s a business opportunity for anyone who uses the service for no start-up cost other than paying their phone bill and a initial $49 enrollment fee.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Steele, a fourth-level Solavei member.

“It’s going to spread like wildfire. Those who get in on the ground floor will be sitting pretty in a few years.

“Those who make the most money in direct marketing organizations are those who get in early,” he continues.

Sure, other companies now offer similar mobile services at a similar price point, “but how much do they pay you for your referrals when you tell your friends and family about them?” Steele asks.

Solavei CEO and founder Ryan Wuerch said he had more in mind than financial success when creating his new company.

“I want it to positively impact millions of people’s lives around the world for good,” says CEO Wuerch.

He cites four social trends he observed that led him to the idea of Solavei: the economy (“The middle class has been degredating.”), social media (“Social media has changed the way we interact.”), mobile phones (“They’re like a limb of our body.”) and the industry of direct sales (“It’s a $110 billion industry.”).

Wuerch says he believes a company’s advertising dollars can have an even greater return on investment when paid to individuals for their referrals than spent on traditional advertising.

Even if an individual is still under contract with another provider, the savings and business potential could even justify paying a penalty to leave for Solavei, says Steele.

Members can port over their existing mobile number to Solavei or get a new one.

Any unlocked T-Mobile or AT&T device is functional on the Solavei system, as are iPhones. New members simply request a SIM card for their device and will receive it in the mail upon enrolling.

Solavei also sells phones, such as the HTC One S, that can fully take advantage of its 4G network. (Some of the “functional” GSM phones operate at 2G or 3G levels, but make and receive calls and texts just fine even though their data speeds are slightly slower.)

And the compensation plan for members is “very attractive” according to Steele. Solavei members have the opportunity to earn various bounses and recurring income.

Signing up just 3 people within a member’s first 60 days with the company earns a $50 fast-action bonus; signing up 12 in the same time frame earns a total of $650 in bonuses. Additionally, the company pays $20 for each three active users (or a trio) in a member’s first two levels every month, meaning not only those a member signs up, but those their sign-ups sign up count towards these recurring payments.

“They send you a little purple debit card, with the Solavei logo on it; that’s how we get paid through Solavei. They load your funds right onto it and you can use it anywhere that accepts Visa,” Steele says.

Although Solavei is a new organization, its contract with T-Mobile assures the physical infrastructure is already tested and troubleshot.

So whether a mobile service client is attracted to the simple billing, without any roaming, overage or data charges tacked onto their bills, or the business model that has potential to yield great financial rewards for the consumer, the times are indeed changing in the cell phone industry.

To sign up, or for more information on Solavei, visit solavei.com/murf or e-mail murfreesboromobile@yahoo.com.

Solavei CEO Ryan Wuerch shares his vision of the new company becoming a positive force in millions of people's lives with Solavei's members

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COMMUNITY

EVENTS

OCT.

26–27

The Middle Tennessee Magic Club in conjunction with the Murfreesboro Center for theArts will present “The Fall Festival of MAGIC 2012” on Oct. 26 and 27, at 7:02 p.m. in the Center’s theater (100 W. College St.). Professor Waldo McGillicuddy (aka Wayne Lovell) will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the shows which will feature six of the best magical entertainers the area has to offer.

Featuring Twisted Mind Majik, Mayhem Magic (Jeff Mullins and Jim Hooten), Mongo the Magnificent (Rob Covert), and more. Tickets will be on sale at J. Mullins Jewelry & Gifts, (352 W. Northfield Blvd.) and at the Center for the Arts and boroarts. org/tickets. For more information, visit ibmring252.com.

compiled by ANDREA STOCKARD

Send event information to murfreesboropulse@yahoo.com Recycle Rutherford and YP Project ReDirectory Encourage Students Recycling Recycle Rutherford and the Rutherford County Solid Waste Department, supported by YP, are encouraging Rutherford County students to recycle in the annual telephone book collection. Open to all public and private schools, students can collect used telephone books to win $200 cash prizes for their classrooms.

The contest ends Oct. 15; the drawing for the winners will be held at the Recycle Rutherford semi annual meeting Mon. Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford County Courthouse. Locations for recycling are Haley Road Recycling Center (1140 Haley Road), Smyrna Town Hall (315 S. Lowry St.) and MTSU Recycling Center (1500 Greenland Dr.) (all places are open 24 hours). To become a member or request more information, call (615) 687-3497 visit recyclerutherford.org or e-mail recyclerutherford@yahoo.com.

OCT. 1–15

Fall Break Enrichment SEPT. Workshop for Children 1–5 Teach your children strong social skills to help them get the most out of life now and into their future. The overall message of this program is respect for yourself and others. This fun and exciting workshop helps develop confidence, self-esteem and socialization skills through classes such as Contemporary Etiquette, Health and Wellness, Setting Goals and Basic Modeling Techniques. This workshop will take place at the Center for the Arts, Oct. 1–5, from 10 a.m.–noon. For additional information, call Deborah Brewer at (615) 890-9563 or visit boroarts.org/education/classes.

Adventures in Architecture Get hands-on with blocks and 4 legos while building things at the Oaklands Mansion (900 N. Maney Ave.). For $6 per child, children ages 3 and up can participate in an outdoor architecture scavenger hunt and walk to discover hidden secrets of the historic house’s architecture. This event kicks off at 10 a.m. For more information, contact info@oaklandsmuseum.org, call (615) 893-0022 or oaklandmuseum.org.

OCT.

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Fall Festival of Magic Returns to Murfreesboro

Women's Self Defense This is a basic physical defense class for women only. All classes will be held at the Murfreesboro Police Department Annex Training Room from 6–9 p.m. R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) teaches realistic self-defense tactics and techniques to give women options in the case of an attack.

Class size is limited to 25 participants.

For more information or to enroll, contact Officer Amy Norville at (615) 895-3874 or anorville@ct.murfreesboro.tn.us. Classes will be Oct. 4, 11, 18 and 25.

SEPT. 4–25

2nd Annual Heart of Tennessee Junior Meat Goat Classic Open to Tennessee youth only, pee-wee to Senior High school categories experience showmanship, a skillathon and class placing at Tennessee Livestock Center (1720 Greenland Dr.) For more information, contact Mitchell Mote at mmote1@utk.edu or (615) 898-7710 or visit hotmeatgoatclassic.com.

OCT. 5–6

OCT.

6

Dawg Dash 5k Cumberland University’s 3rd Annual Dawg Dash 5k Run/ Walk will help kick off CU’s

homecoming weekend on Saturday, Oct. 6. Registration and check-in will be in front of Labry Hall on the Cumberland campus in Lebanon. The race begins at 8 a.m. For more information, contact Meredith McDowell at (615) 547-1253 or mmcdowell@ cumberland.edu, or visit dawgdash5k.com.

Registration is available at active.com.

MTSU Football GameCheer the Blue Raiders on to victory as they take on Universi6 ty of Louisiana-Monroe at 2:30 p.m. at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium on the MTSU campus. Tickets available at the stadium ticket office or at any Ticketmaster location. Contact MTSU at (615) 898-2109 or 1-888-YES-MTSU. For more information, visit goblueraiders.com.

OCT.

Uptown Talk Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27 Each Saturday morning from 6 9–11 a.m., Pa Bunk’s hosts a podcast recording, Uptown Talk, focusing on Murfreesboro’s social services, non-profits, faith-based ministries and a wide a wide variety of interesting topics. Local musicians also perform numerous selections during the two-hour program.

OCT.

October programs include: • Oct. 6 – Butch Vaughn – Headmaster, Providence Academy, Music by P.A. Praise Team • Oct. 13 – Calley Smith – Murfreesboro Housing Authority, R-Connection • Oct. 20 – Juli Vice – The relationship between faith, health and healing; Music by Steven Bradley Band • Oct. 27 – David Coggin – Barnabas Vision; Music by Drew Wilmesherr For more information on the podcast, or if you’d like to appear as a guest or musician, contact Thom Christy at thomchristy@gmail. com or (615) 896-6288. To hear archives of past recordings, visit uptowntalk.com.

Informational Immigration Meeting From 5:30–6:30 p.m. at Hob11 good Elementary (307 South Baird Lane), the public is invited to an informational meeting regarding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA targets young people who came to the U.S. as children and have pursued education or military service in the U.S. For more information call Murfreesboro City Schools at (615) 893-2313.

OCT.

Brewsboro Festival Come out for a celebration of great beer! Sample brews from 13 local, regional, national, and imported breweries all in your handy souvenir mug. Admission includes all beer samples.

Enjoy food from some of Murfreesboro and Nashville's best restaurants. Enjoy live music all day on the Music Stage. Learn from the experts on how to brew your own beer.

This event will be from 2–7 p.m. at the Avenue (2615 Medical Center Parkway) and is a 21+ event only. Email candaceprice@ clearchannel.com for more information.

Tickets are $25 plus tax in advance and $35 plus tax at the door. Designated Driver Tickets are $20 plus tax. Visit brewsborofest.com for more information. Text "brew" to 86568 to win tickets courtesy The Pulse.

OCT.

Downtown Dwellers Host Gathering, Benefit 14 Murfreesboro's Downtown Dwellers will host a social to have some fun and meet each other, and also to help out the folks who lost their home and possessions in the recent Maney Avenue fire. The gathering and potluck will be at 405 E. Bell St. (between Honey Bunny gifts and Dr. Evans' office) from 2–6 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 14. Uncle Don Clark and other musicians will perform, and fun activities for children will be offered. All are encouraged to donate a little something: clothing, food, monetary donations, gift cards, furniture, etc.

Women's clothing needed includes size 18 black pants, XL shirts, size 11 and 4 shoes and size 10 slim. For more information on donations, contact Sarah Potter on Facebook.

OCT.

6th Annual Murfreesboro Half Marathon and Murph’s Fun Run 13 The 13.1 mile race starts at MTSU at 7 a.m., winds through historic downtown Murfreesboro, and finishes on MTSU Dean Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium. Flat, Fast and Fun! Free for spectators. For more information, call Melinda Tate (615) 975-2286, or visit themiddlehalf.com.

OCT.

Volunteer Day: Help us Plant Trees in OCT. 16 Murfreesboro Tennessee Environmental Council is leading an effort to plant 20,000 trees in 2012. The Council will plant 150-250 trees in Murfreesboro on Tues., Oct. 16, from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. This work will support the Council´s Tennesssee Tree Project and our Watershed Support Center providing “tree-mendous” benefits for the water, land and air and the people and wildlife who enjoy them! Individuals, businesses and organizations are welcome!

Bring shovels, gloves, boots and appropriate clothing – including rain gear! Meet at Big Creek (2050 Lascassas Pike, in Kroger parking lot – park close to the event tent with green flags) For more information, visit tectn.org/event/volunteer-day-help-us-planttrees-in-murfreesboro.

Widows, Weepers and Wakes: Mourning 19 Customs Exhibit Oct. 19–31 Victorian mourning customs and superstitions will be explored when the mansion is placed in mourning at Oaklands Historic Museum (900 N. Maney Ave.). For more information, contact info@oaklandsmuseum.org. or (615) 893-0022, or visit oaklandsmuseum.org.

OCT.

Calling all Animal Lovers Oct. 19–20 19 Cynthia Jones Photography is having a Photo Shoot for Animal Rescue. No appointment needed, just drop in for Halloween and Christmas photos of you and your pets for a donation of $25 to Animal Rescue. Some costumes and props will be provided. Bring your whole family for Christmas cards, Facebook announcements, gifts, etc. 100% of all donations will go to SMB Animal Rescue. This event is from from 1-6 p.m. at Animal Medical Center (234 River Rock Blvd.) Friday, Oct. 19, and from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at Barfield Animal Hospital (3155 S. Church St.) Saturday, Oct. 20. For more information, call (615) 8046580 or visit cynthiajones.photoreflect.com.

OCT.

OCT.

19

Ghost Tours Oct. 19–20, 26–27 Ghost Tours offers an answer to the commonly asked question:

Is the Sam Davis Home haunted? This storytelling event gives visitors a chance to hear a different tour of the historic house and property. Visitors will first board a haunted hayride and hear tales of the property before being dropped off at the front walk of the historic Sam Davis Home. The event begins at 7 p.m and ends at 10 p.m. Admission is $5 per person and parental discretion is advised. This event is not recommended for children under the age of ten. Ghost Tours is a weather-dependent event.

A Frightful Night Sat., Oct. 20, the Sam Davis 20 Home invites guests to have a frightfully good time at A Frightful Night. The evening will begin with a catered dinner in the Creek House and continue into the movie theater within the Museum where a frightful film will be shown. Following the film, guests will embark on a haunted hayride on their journey to the front of the Sam Davis Home. On the hayride as well as during the walking tour of the historic Sam Davis Home and outbuildings, guests will hear true haunting tales from the staff and volunteers who have experienced such things at the Sam Davis Home. Reservations are required with the admission charge of $25 per person. The event begins at 6 p.m. Please make reservations early, as this popular event fills quickly.

OCT.

Hitchcock thriller mystery and turned it over to Monty Python? Don't miss this wacky retelling of Hitchcock's masterpiece. It was wildly successful on Broadway and is sure to be in Smyrna as well. This will be at Lamplighter's Theater (14119 Old Nashville Highway). Admission for adults is $10, Seniors & Students: $8, Children 4-12: $6. For more information, please call (615) 852-8499 lamplighterstheatre.com.

Pat Parelli Horse and Soul Tour 27 Oct. 27–28 Linda Parelli will present education, demonstrations and insight into both English and Western disciplines, Oct. 27-28, from 9 a.m.-4 pm, at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304-B West Thompson Ln.).

Participants will learn about the famous Seven Games – the foundation of Parelli Natural Horsemanship. You’ll see Linda describing and performing the methods and exercises she’s honed from years of education from the masters, Pat Parelli and Walter Zettl. For more information, call (855) 727-3554 or visit shop.parellinaturalhorsetraining.com.

OCT.

Harvest Days at Cannonsburgh Village 27 Come celebrate fall in true pioneer fashion with old-time music and dance, hayrides, pottery demonstrations,

OCT.

broom making, blacksmithing, art and antique auto exhibits. Local crafters and food vendors from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) Admission is free. For more information, please call (615) 890-0355.

The Art Barn Vintage Halloween Fest 27 The Art Barn in Rockvale will host the first annual Vintage Halloween Fest, Sat., Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring arts and crafts vendors, food and family fun, including a pumpkin carving contest and vintage Halloween costume contest. Admission is free. For more information visit the theartbarntn.com or call (615) 722-1026.

OCT.

MTSU Up ’til Dawn Letter Writing Party 29 Become a part of the campuswide effort, Monday, Oct. 29, from 6–10 p.m. at the James Union Building Tennessee Room, to support the life-saving treatment and research at the St. Jude Children’t Research Hospital. Register your team to become a part of various fund-raising activities and the all-night finale event Up 'til Dawn. Please return all completed registration forms to: MTSU Student Union Building, Room 330, Center for Student Involvement and Leadership. For more information, contact Michael Parks at cmp3w@mtmail.mtsu.edu.

OCT.

Middle Tennessee Christian School Annual Fall 20 Festival MTCS will hold its annual fall festival Saturday, Oct. 20, from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. (held on the corner of 100 E. MTCS Road and Memorial Boulevard, across from Reeve-Sain Drug Store). This event is for all ages; there will be carnival games, Cougar Café, petting zoo, vendor and theme booths (crafts, fall & Christmas items, baked goods, school items, toys, gifts, etc.), and hayrides from 9 a.m.–3 p.m., BBQ lunch from 11 a.m.–2 p.m., and a fundraising auction 4–9 p.m. There is no admission fee; tickets for carnival games, petting zoo, and hayrides are sold on site. No advance registration required. For additional information, contact patrons@mtcscougars.org or visit mtcscougars.org/patrons.htm.

OCT.

Great Pumpkin Festival Wizards, and witches, and 25 hobbits, oh my! Dress as your favorite fantasy literature character and join Discovery Center in a fun, family-friendly Halloween event (502 S.E. Broad St.)! For more information, call (615) 890-2300 or visit discoverycenteronline.org.

OCT.

OCT.

26

The 39 StepsOct. 26–28 What do you think would happen if you took a classic Alfred BOROPULSE.COM

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Preserving Food is for Everyone

With a little trial and error, even my jelly set.

I LOVE THE IDEA OF PUTTING FOOD by. To “put by” is an old, country way of saying “save something now for when you’ll need it later.” When you put food by, you are preserving food now to eat some other day in the future.

People have been putting food by for ages.

There is evidence that Middle Eastern and Asian cultures have been preserving food by drying as far back as 12,000 BC. Freezing foods was the choice preservation technique in cold climates long before the modern freezer was invented. Fermentation is an amazing preservation technique.

This method has given us many delightful things, like beer, wine and sauerkraut! Pickling, preserving foods in vinegar, is another marvelous invention which has given us relishes, chutneys and, of course, pickles. Jams and jellies are made by heating fruit and sugar together. Canning is the most recent food preservation method; heating jars of food at high temperatures destroys present microorganisms, and the cooling of the jars seals

12 * OCTOBER 2012 * BOROPULSE.COM

by TERRI DELONG

the lid so new microorganisms can’t get in.

Freezing and canning are the most common ways people preserve food today. I have used both of these methods and freezing is, by far, the easier of the two. There are only two major disadvantages to freezing. You need to own a deep freezer if you want to freeze a substantial amount of food, and it requires a year-round power source, and makes your food vulnerable to power outages.

Canning food is a little more complicated and labor intensive, but one benefit is you don’t have to rely on electricity. You’ll need to purchase glass jars, lids and a large pot, which is much less of an investment than a deep freezer. If you are going to can something other than tomatoes or fruit jams and jellies, you will also need to purchase a pressure cooker.

I’m not an experienced canner, but I’m working on that. This year I tried my hand at making jelly. It was actually quite fun once I got the hang of it! It took me three tries, but I finally got my

crab apple jelly to “set.” Apparently, to make a successful batch of jelly, you need to start small. That was my first mistake. I had so many crab apples that I decided to make a double batch. It is also important that you follow a recipe if you are new to making jams and jellies. The ratio of fruit, sugar and pectin are crucial to getting your batch to turn out and gel correctly. I tried to use significantly less sugar than was called for in the recipe and my first two batches did not gel well at all. Once you are an experienced preserver, though, your intuition will guide you if you want to experiment. I highly recommend “The Complete Guide to Home Canning”, free to download online at nchfp.uga.edu.

I tried another food preservation technique this year too. My family loves sauerkraut, and I was feeling adventurous, so I pursued the art of fermentation. I have to say the results were very delicious! The taste of homemade sauerkraut is worlds apart from the supermarket variety. If

you really love sauerkraut, you must make your own! It is super simple.

All you need is a ceramic crock, a lot of cabbage and a lot of salt. Slice the cabbage as thin as you can and mix with an abundance of sea salt.

Pack it into your crock and then weigh it down.

(I used a styrofoam plate with a heavy rock on top.) That is all you need to do. The waiting is the hardest part. It takes 6–8 weeks for your cabbage to turn into tangy, homemade sauerkraut. You can then can it in jars or just keep it in the refrigerator and eat within 4–6 weeks.

Maybe you want to make something special that you can’t buy at the supermarket (like crab apple jelly?) or you prefer the taste of home-made better (who doesn’t?). Perhaps you are interested in preserving your own food to lower your food costs or for the security of having a stockpile of food. Whatever the reasons or methods, preserving food is for everyone. It is a great skill to have, and they make wonderful Christmas gifts too!

The Age of Miracles

by Karen Thompson Walker An insomniac spends hours alone at night, begging for sleep but also, for a moment, solitarily facing truths that you just can’t see during the light of day. The world is quiet, the sky is dark, and the insomniac is suddenly separate from the natural order of things, able to watch it all unfold.

That feeling is palpable in the pages of Karen Thompson Walker’s debut novel, The Age of Miracles. Reading this book is like being immersed in a new order of things. You put the pages down and see the patterns that shape the world as something else entirely—not a given, but a delicate blessing.

“So much that seems harmless in daylight turns imposing in the dark,” Walker writes. “What else, you had to wonder, was only a trick of light?”

The Age of Miracles centers around an 11-year-old name Julia, who wakes up on an ordinary day in Californian suburbia to discover that the rotation of the earth has begun to slow. Gradually, the days and nights grow longer. Gravity begins to shift. The environment as we know it is thrown into disarray. There are no abrupt, all-encompassing catastrophes, although the world stands at the ready for them. A giant earthquake doesn’t envelop the western hemisphere. The world as we know it does not come to a complete halt.

What happens next is much more subtle.

As the world waits for the cataclysm surely to come, Julia copes with the impending catastrophes of her adolescent life. The fissures in her parents’ marriage, the unraveling of friendships, the anguish of first love, the realizations that people are rarely what they seem.

Julia and her family work to adjust to the new “normal,” and the change in the world relentlessly deepens.

“Later, I would come to think of those first days as the time when we learned as a species that we had worried over

by SARAH PORTERFIELD the wrong things: the hole in the ozone layer, the melting of the ice caps, West Nile and swine flu and killer bees,” Walker writes. “But I guess it never is what you worry over that comes to pass in the end. The real catastrophes are always different—unimagined, unprepared for, unknown.”

In the past few years, our cultural lexicon has been inundated with tales of disaster: Apocalypse films are a mainstay at the box office; yearly scares about the end-to-come have become commonplace. It’s nothing new to imagine a slowing of the world as we know it, but Walker has done something entirely different. There are no glossy, tidal-wave, edge-of-your-seat tricks up her sleeve. The Age of Miracles is about a young girl, a family, a community and a world that has to redefine their lives. It’s not about the end of the world. It’s about the rediscovery of the joy and delicateness of life.

Julia’s story makes you reevaluate your own. After putting this book down, the light of day and the dark of night never quite look the same.

EVEN MORE KETTLEBELL: PART III Two more ways to take advantage of kettlebells.

The conclusion of Tri-Fit's series in the Pulse on using these handy workout tools.

THE GOBLET SQUAT  The difference from the squat mentioned before is that the kettlebell is held at the chest throughout the movement instead of dangling below the torso. This exercise simulates a “front” squat whereas the previous article demonstrated a “back” squat.

This movement requires you to touch elbows to the front of the knee to insure depth and proper posture. Although challenging, this is extremely useful in building leg and core strength. A shoulder press at the top of this squat is highly effective in building a stronger chest and core. *Remain upright and do not lean back, and remember to breathe correctly.

READ TO SUCCEED

BOOK REVIEW

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

 THE LUNGE One of the most universal exercises, yet rarely performed with good form. Trainers themselves can get caught with improper form on this, so look closely. Understand that the lunge requires a neutral spine (remaining upright) and knees both bent at 90 degrees (This ensures a full range of motion and allows balance to be adjusted. Weight is shifted to the front leg, specifically the heel. I usually tell clients to have their toes facing up in their shoes so that the glutes are activated.). Next push forward and start all over. This exercise incorporated with the kettlebells will add difficulty to the already tough lunge, but is very useful for coordination and core building as well as glute strength. The kettlebell is held with one limb (ex., right arm) and transferred once the opposite knee hits the ground. *Remember to never let knees move over the toes and to keep the front foot down completely (don't let the heel rise up). Think of the back foot being a rudder. Use these leg exercises in conjunction or superset for a creative way to train.

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LIVING

FRIGHTENING FUN The lowdown on Middle Tennessee’s haunted attractions.

HAUNTED HOUSES ARE REALLY THE ONLY

attraction that let you indulge in your own fear. Many places will provide you with a much-needed adrenaline surge, getting you away from your daily grind so you can be reminded that you actually have a pulse, and that you’re not just reading a copy of our paper (wait for it . . . it’ll sink story by JUSTIN STOKES in). And with the season of pumpkin lattes, raking leaves and cooler weather comes the most important decision to make in the fall: which haunted house to go to?

Well, The Pulse put together a team of some of the biggest horror fans in the area to help you make your decision. Before you get to the blood and guts of our team’s review, you must first take into consideration that none of the haunted houses were bad, and that every haunted house had its own scares. The haunted house industry is a very difficult thing of which to be a part, and much like the monsters there to scare you, can tear you apart at any moment. All of the haunted houses mentioned in the review are worth visiting, but we’ve put together a list from the haunted attractions that were honorable mentions to our favorites, which ultimately ended in a tie. For this review, we took into consideration music, lighting, atmosphere, waiting areas, the monsters, makeup, production design, and how these elements ultimately added to the sensations of panic and terror the group felt as a whole when we attended. Our team would like to thank all of these haunted attractions for their participation and friendliness. The team would also like to offer a special thank you to local horror-hound Dr. Gangrene for helping us set the event up.

And who knows? If our team survives, perhaps we’ll check out more haunted houses as the season of fear progresses. To keep up, look for the late Justin Stokes on Facebook, as well as boropulse.com.

And now, for our reviews >>> HONORABLE MENTIONS: Madhouse Haunted House

deathrowhauntedhouse.com $12, Open Fri.–Sat. 7 p.m.–12 a.m.

214 McCown Drive, Lebanon, TN 37087 (615) 504-8815, madhousehaunt.com $15, See website for schedule

Overall, not a bad haunt, but there are certain parts that do get repetitive, such as the constant movie posters. Having stated that, they do stick to their theme and put you in some uncomfortable areas. This is a haunted house that seems to be geared toward an older audience, so definitely don’t bring your little brother unless mom just makes you. Also, if you’re afraid of clowns, perhaps you should stop by this one and face your worst fears. Let’s just say they’re . . . killer.

Donnie, the owner-turned-actor of Madhouse, will show you at the front of the haunted house that he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. He’ll also show you “his pet,” which is itself a really neat trick. His love of performance and misdirection seem to be what influenced the haunted house’s creation. He can be creepy and funny one moment and down-to-business the next. His haunted house is the same way, evolving as it goes along.

Death Valley Haunted Woods 769 West Main Street, Hendersonville, TN 37075, (615) 686-0876 deathvalleyhauntedwoods.com $15, See website for schedule

It’s a shame that after all of these years, Death Valley may be finally closing their doors. This particular haunted house always had a sentimental value to the team. Its two mazes are really fun. Absolutely the best use of any chainsaw, as the haunted house has you walk through cattle slots. This haunted house is outside for the majority of the walk, but does a decent job of keeping you trapped right where you are.

Death Row: Sanitarium of Slaughter 418 Harding Industrial Drive Nashville, TN 37211, (615) 833-1433

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4TH PLACE: Dead Land Haunted Woods 7040 Murfreesboro Rd., Lebanon, TN 37090, (615) 519-3116, deadlandwoods. com See website for rates (There are two separate trails.) Open Fri.–Sat. 7 p.m.–12 a.m. (Also on Halloween) The concept of an outdoor haunted house is nothing new. But the fine folks at Dead Land Haunted Woods actually make you walk through woods. With two trails spanning over a mile, the noises in the forest and the chills from the weather will keep you constantly on your toes for whatever may be lurking just beyond the trees. Pulling inspiration from both the alreadytwisted minds of the Grimm brothers, as well as the woods itself (which is rumored to be haunted), Dead Land does an exceptional job psyching you up before the scares even start.

around every corner, never really scaring you in a predictable or obvious way.

1ST PLACE: Nashville Nightmare 1016 Madison Square Garden Madison, TN 37115, (615) 752-5663 nashvillenightmare.com See website for rates/deals and schedule

3RD PLACE: Devil’s Dungeon 510 Davidson St., Nashville, TN 37213 (615) 256-0053, devilsdungeon.net $15, Open Fri.–Sat. 8 p.m.–1 a.m.

This haunted house in particular seems to have a great deal of controversy surrounding it.

The Pulse team didn’t really find anything that offensive. What we did find were some great scares and a sense of self-awareness, as well as humor. We weren’t able to find that, however, until we got ourselves out of perhaps the MOST CONFUSING MAZE ANYONE ON THE TEAM HAD EVER SEEN, which is a compliment. Also, for the record, the owners of the haunted house are extremely nice people, as was the entire staff. The only thing that our team found shocking was the vortex tunnel.

2ND PLACE: Slaughterhouse 423 6th Avenue SouthNashville, TN 37203 (615) 953-1608, slaughterfest.com See website for rates/deals and schedule

Nashville’s “longest running haunted attraction” has had some pretty big endorsements from both respected members of the horror community as well as 102.9 The Buzz (which shows, their taste in music in the waiting line doesn’t sound like a hokey Halloween compilation).

Slaughterhouse capitalizes on its use of space, creating a feeling of claustrophobia when you’re trapped in between dark corridors or avoiding the chainsaw blade by what feels like hairs.

This haunted house keeps you guessing what’s

It wasn’t until this year that anyone on the team had heard about using smells as a fear tactic, let alone using 18 different scent combinations to unnerve unassuming patrons. Nashville Nightmare was kind enough to introduce us to this concept in a fashion that is subtle yet all-too-effective. Easily some of the best acting you’ll find in a haunted house (they held four auditions) the monsters are found sliding and coming out of the floor. In addition to theaterlevel acting, the haunted house has some of the best scripting, as well as some of the most highly-detailed costumes. Nashville Nightmare is a classic example of what the haunted house should be.

1ST PLACE: Monster Mountain 273 McMurtry Rd., Hendersonville, TN 37075, (615) 338-4632 monstermountain.net $15, See website for rates Open Fri.–Sat. 7:30 p.m.–11:30 p.m.

Splatterhaus Studios, the home of the demented horror-director Hackenstein von Splatterhaus, offers you a chance at fame as you walk through the sets of 13 aptly-titled film sets, ranging from movies like Blood Sucking Vampire Clowns from Mars to Camp Nightmare and Zombie City, all of which look like moviequality sets to which you are set to explore your every fear. The production design is top notch, the make-up effects are really good, and the haunted house actually takes a while to get through, taking full advantage of both the indoor and outdoor atmospheres. This is also, much to the surprise of The Pulse team, the only haunted house which uses pyrotechnics effects.

Monster Mountain also makes sure to entertain you by providing the Silver Screams Drive-In and the Monster Midway, letting you shoot a moving zombie with a paintball gun!

IT TAKES A LOT OF HARD WORK TO MAKE THE WOODS HAUNTED

by JUSTIN STOKES FOR MANY, HAUNTED HOUSE SEASON

is a time of fog machines, feeling through dark rooms, and exiting out to the parking lot, only to be chased by one last maniac with a chainsaw and the stench of gasoline. And while this is the typical experience for literally thousands of attendees in Middle Tennessee, local businesswoman Dana Chapman has a little more on her mind. Owner of the Lebanon area’s Dead Land Haunted Woods, Dana is now entering her fourth year as a proud owner of an establishment that provides unique business to the Rutherford County area. Her business is fear. And business is good.

Having spent almost ten years planning her own murder mystery parties, Dana finally decided to take her planning skills to the next step. Setting up shop in 2008, Dead Land Haunted Woods is, in fact, an outdoor haunted attraction. Using almost 80 actors, the Haunted Woods actually consists of two trails dubbed “The Curse” and “The Portal”. Each trail has a theme that tells something of a terrifying story with 20 scenes. Each scene for the trail is symbolic of a new chapter of the nightmarish narrative. “The Curse” tells the tale of the original owners of the land, and how magic and malevolence spawned into the madness that possessed them and the evil they became. “The Portal” is something closer to a re-imagining of classic horror, with this year’s theme being “Twisted Story Time”—a corruption of all your childhood favorites. Just think of Snow White, except instead of eating the apple, she’s being gnawed on by one of the dwarves.

Being the one to create the scares isn’t all fun and games, however. The efforts to scare people for the haunted house season are actually the fruit of almost a year’s worth of labor. After January, the Dead Land Haunted Woods both establishes its budget and plots out the haunted house, creating the themes and stories of the haunted house, as well as crafting some of the scares. By March, the planning phase ends, and the purchasing of materials to make these ghosts and ghouls is under way. By April, the attraction goes through construction and remodeling, and the layout of the trails is created. And, as early as July, the right monsters are selected with enough time to prepare to scare the pants off of patrons by opening time, which is late

September. And if that’s not scary enough, dedication to the attraction means that Dana herself might be putting in 18 hours.

In addition, one must also take into consideration the additional challenges that the creatures at the Woods face. Given that the attraction is outdoors, the lighting for the trails is never the same. Also, climate and weather affect electricity, the pace at which patrons move, and also means that more actors are needed to continue the excitement for those looking for a good scare. The payoff for coping with all of these elements, however, is that using woods instead of a controlled atmosphere only adds to the chills that eager attendees will feel, ensuring that they have gotten their money’s worth. But according to Dana, people are the most important component of any haunted house. It’s not enough that the creatures are in the dark, but that your friends are as well.

“For us”, she says “we want to create a sense of family for the workers, as well as the patrons, more than just make money. We want to help make memories, to create interaction. It’s the actors that make the scene.”

Dead Land Haunted Woods actually has a dedication to both making sure all of the cardinal rules of haunted houses are obeyed (such as having zombies or strobe lights) as well as going the extra mile to make sure that people have a good time. The attraction has a bonfire and concessions, and also offers the opportunity for birthday parties.

Dead Land Merchandise can also be purchased from vendors, so that you can also take home a souvenir (in case coming out in one piece wasn’t enough). There are even rumors of a party on Halloween night, for the younger crowd that’s too old to trick-ortreat, but still looking to have a good time.

Dana is even planning ahead for what she would like to do next year.

Dead Land Haunted Woods is located at 7040 Murfreesboro Rd, Lebanon, Tenn.

37090. For more information, schedule, and pricing for general admission or group rates, visit deadlandwoods.com or look them up on Facebook.

Get Spooked at The Sam Davis Home

by LISA MARIE IHRIG

“I WOULD DIE A THOUSAND DEATHS before I would betray a friend,” said 21-year-old Sam Davis; and then he was hanged. Davis was born and raised in Smyrna in 1842. Davis served in the Civil War as a member of the Confederate Army’s Coleman Scouts. He was captured

by Union Forces while on a secret mission and accused of being a spy. He was offered his freedom to give up his source but refused and was executed in Pulaski, Tenn., in 1863. He was revered as a hero.

The Sam Davis Memorial Association was founded in 1930 at the home the Davises lived in. Located in Smyrna, off Sam Ridley Parkway, the home is open to the public for visitation and holds various events. The grounds are sprawling and rich with history, as I witnessed when I attended the “Wine on the Veranda” tasting event on Sept. 7. The wine tastings, food pairings and promotional education were provided by a number of local vendors including Devine Wine and Spirits, LaVergne Beverage Depot, Spirits of Nissan, Goodness Gracious, Jo’s Custom Cakes and Catering, Toot’s, Andrea’s Home of Breaking Bread and Fred’s Diner.

But October brings out spirits of a different sort.

Events this month include A House in Mourning (a mock funeral), A Frightful Night, “witch” features a dinner and a frightful movie in the theater and Ghost Tours, where visitors will go on a haunted hayride and

hear the tales of the property. The Ghost Tours are not recommended for children as they are extremely morbid and graphic.

A Frightful Night begins Saturday, Oct. 20, with a catered dinner in the Creek House and continues into the movie theater within the museum where a frightful film will be shown. Guests will then embark on a haunted hayride on their journey to the front of the Sam Davis Home. On the hayride, as well as during the walking tour of the historic Sam Davis Home and outbuildings, guests will hear true haunting tales from the staff and volunteers who have experienced such things at the Sam Davis Home. Reservations are required for this special program.

Ghost Tours will be held Oct. 19–20 and 26-27 and offer an answer to the commonly asked question: Is the Sam Davis Home haunted? This storytelling event gives visitors a chance to hear a different tour of the historic house and property. Visitors will first board a haunted hayride and hear tales of the property before being dropped off at the front walk of the historic Sam Davis Home.

Storytellers inside the house and outbuildings will share the hauntingly true tales experienced by visitors, staff, and volunteers as guests are guided along the walking tour.

The event begins at 7 p.m. with tours departing about every 15 minutes until 10 p.m.

For more information, reservations, directions and a list of more upcoming events, visit samdavishome.org.

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LIVING

TURTLES GETTING HOPPY UPON ENTERING THE BUILDING, the décor of the Turtle Anarchy Brewing Company actually looks pretty sparse. Concrete brick, picnic tables, and only a few pieces of art on the walls don’t really create much of an atmosphere.

After tasting the beer, however, you realize that the brewery doesn’t need to rely on gimmicks or atmosphere to get you to come back.

Franklin’s first brewery, Turtle Anarchy, literally wrote the rules on local brewing (before they set up shop, the rules for brewing didn’t even exist!). The brain child of TA President Mark Kamp, the brewery was an idea of his that started fermenting several years ago when Kamp and his brothers Andrew and David decided to start making homemade beer. It was during these early days of formation that Kamp decided to go into business. After a few years of careful planning and research on unique

recipes, the dream of operating his own brewery came to realization for Mark on July 5 when the Kamp family tapped their first kegs and created some belated fireworks of their own.

Now, in a span of less than four months, the brewery’s business is in full swing. The beers produced by Turtle Anarchy are currently in about 25 bars and restaurants, having expanded from Franklin to the areas of Brentwood, Nashville, Murfreesboro (find it at our Mellow Mushroom) and Johnson City. As the popularity of the beer continues to surge, the brewery’s staff is having trouble keeping the beer in stock.

Committed to the mission statement of the brewing company, TA staff is dedicated to “to brew flavorful, dynamic, and unique beers for craft beer drinkers.” Completely removing what most consider cheap additives and artificial ingredients from their recipe, the craftsman at

Turtle Anarchy makes a splash in the local beer scene. story by JUSTIN STOKES

the brewery actually earn their title, creating a quality of product that could only be described as “artisan.” This month, the Turtle Anarchy unveils its smoked scotch ale to the taproom lineup; it’s anticipated to be such a popular item that it may be gone before Halloween. And if it’s any indicator to their success, Turtle Anarchy could not be reached for comment outside of the brewery, mainly because they’re too busy crafting great beer to keep up with the demand (Good luck getting your hands on their rye beer.). They were, however, kind enough to supply us with the descriptions of their beers.

Check those out, then make the trip to Franklin to shell out a few bucks for a pint.

FLAGSHIP BEERS: Aurumglass: This beer is brewed in the golden ale style. It has a strong malt backbone with enough hops to balance it out. However, we use two ingredients that set this beer apart from other golden ales: Gambrinus Honey Malt and bitter orange peel. The honey malt adds a special sweetness to the beer while the orange peel compliments it with a citrus flavor and soft bitterness.

Another Way to Rye: This beer is a bold Rye India Pale Ale with an added spiciness from a healthy addition of rye malt. The rye also contributes a nice red hue to the beer. Despite being heavily hopped during the boil, we add a generous amount of hops during the end of fermentation to give this beer a pronounced citrus hop aroma and flavor.

Portly Stout: Portly Stout is our robust stout.

It is brewed with three different dark malts and has a creamy, smooth mouth feel. We kept the hops to a minimum so that the roasted malt character could be the predominant aspect of the beer. It is just a solid, straight-up stout.

CURRENT ROTATORS: At Wits End: At Wits End is a traditional Belgian Witbier brewed with coriander and bitter orange peel. It is an unfiltered wheat ale, so it has a cloudy appearance. The combination of the wheat, hops, and spices creates a thirst quenching, quaffable beer.

TAPROOM SPECIALTIES: Ninja Star Stout: Portly Stout infused with

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Having brewed their first commercial batch in August 2012, the Turtles from Franklin are crawling to other areas.

star anise—it’s just that simple. The star anise adds the flavor and aroma of licorice to the already complex roast and caramel character of the stout.

Down with the Coconut: Perhaps not the most obvious choice when selecting ingredients to use in beer, but it is just so good once it hits your lips! We toast coconut in an oven until it slightly browns, and then steep it in the stout. Multiple samples are then taken to insure that the coconut has integrated itself into the beer. Once we are satisfied with the result, we remove the coconut and keg the beer.

Smoke & Mirrors: This beer was an interesting experiment. We took dried chipotle peppers and coarsely ground cinnamon and steeped them in the stout. The cinnamon flavor presents itself nicely on the front end while the smoky chipotle peppers become apparent during the finish. The heat from the peppers, a quality not commonly found in beers, adds another layer of complexity to the roast character of the stout.

Turtle Anarchy Brewing Co. will also be participating in the following events: Oct. 6: Southern Artisan Cheese Festival Oct. 13: Brewsboro, Murfreesboro Oct. 27: 2012 Pumpkinfest of Franklin Taproom Hours: Thursday: 5–10 p.m., Friday: 5–10 p.m., Saturday: 4–10 p.m.

Address: 216 Noah Dr., Ste. 140 Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 595-8855 Bring your own food to the taproom or get something delivered! turtleanarchy.com facebook.com/turtleanarchybrewingcompany

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SOUNDS

Little Jimmy Dickens was among the many American legends appearing at the Muddy Roots Festival.

KEEPING COUNTRY ALIVE Muddy Roots Music Festival 2012: June Bug Ranch has never been browner. story by BRYCE HARMON • photos by JONATHAN WESENBERG

BETWEEN PULLING OFF INTERSTATE 40

about an hour and a half east of Murfreesboro into the town that harbors Tennessee Tech University, photographer Jonathon Wesenberg and I spent most of our driving time reminiscing last year’s Muddy Roots Festival route figuring our way back into a gulch that, this year, would carry on the festival’s tradition of “Keeping Country Music Alive,” while festival organizer and Smyrna screen-printer Jason Galaz supplied an even bigger headliner series including Reverend Horton Heat, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Dr. Ralph Stanley, to just name a few.

Turning into the hilltop entrance of June Bug Road, coasting down into June Bug valley, there was an opening in the top of the trees, giving us a clear view of a Civil War general’s tent; but instead of there being a Civil War general, there was 2-time Latin Grammy-nominated musical engineer JC Monterrosa, (we befriended him as neighbors during 2011 Muddy Roots Festival) and after a couple of libations to celebrate setting up shop again, we made our way down to vendors’ row between two of the main tents holding the likes of Muddy Roots opening band Murfreesboro’s Hardin Draw at 4 p.m., Filthy Still at 3:30 and Lone Wolf OMB at 4:30 on Stage 2, and after that, all Mud broke loose as the festival’s personality began to take shape, and then literally a day and a half into the festival when it began to rain.

But before the rain came, Don Maddox, in all of his fiddle glory, and incredibly tight backing band played throughout the valley that first day. Once he finished, migratory patterns were documented as everyone walked over a quarter of a mile to the second stage—or tent—to take a see at Hooten Hollers before it was time to stock up on booze, see Little Jimmy Dickens, Dale Watson, and a Muddy Roots staple, Wayne Hancock, on the main stage for a great country block opening night.

Afterwards, the night went to hell.

Following on Stage 2 was the first of two burlesque shows that weekend which included fantasies such as a half-naked mid-twenties woman publically bathing in a washtub as well as the lead madame performing with nothing but a chair, pasties, and a studded paddle that ended up reddening her tuckus to the howls and cat-calls of the crowd.

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A couple of performances following Bianca 13’s House of the Rising Sun Burlesque, Jayke Orvis and The Broken Band took stage as a choppy bluegrass group with Orvis playing mandolin, fiddlist Liz Sloan, and an emaciated banjoist with a fish hook tattooed beneath his eyes, Joe Perezz, that personally spawned jealousy from myself because he plays a meaner claw-hammer banjo than I do.

The Legendary Shack Shakers, scheduled to headline Stage 1, Sunday the 2nd, ended up playing Stage 2—the big white tent—that night, instrumentally bluesy in all aspects with an incredible standup bass and drum set while lead singer J.D. Wilkes wailed a harp into a handheld microphone perfecting the art of weird, skinny and shirtless contortionism the way circus sideshow acts perform seemingly dislocating their shoulder blades, yet better.

The night went blurry afterwards. This was the first year the festival vendors openly sold mason jars full of what they called corn shine with a variety of fruits stuffed into every jar.

Anyways, the best alarm clock isn’t just the sunshine peeking through an open tent atop a hill next to an old-fashioned beige Civil War canvas tent, but the lineup starting an hour before noon the next day beginning with

Nashville’s Slim Chance & The Can’t Hardly Playboys and Wesenberg pushing pickled eggs out of a gator meat vendor. I have no idea how he found the stand or even got a job for an hour or so, but the man’s resourceful when it comes to exotic meats and pickled stuff.

Joe Buck Yourself played later that night at 7:30 p.m. after another day’s worth of some great country music between the two stages and was followed by The Goddamn Gallows at 8:30, who was held together by Jayke Orvis on mandolin, bassist Fish Gutzzz and, once again, banjoist Joe Perezz, who I will not forgive for playing a better claw-hammer than myself. Hellbilly Casino and headliners Reverend Horton Heat did their unmentionables soon after, with highlights of the Heat being Mr. Heath standing on top of Paul Simmons’ bass drum soloing the beautiful custom-made Gretsch Reverend the guitar company makes for him.

After spent and slowly walking towards camp with a few folks, there was the following Sunday morning and the rain started coming down.

In the morning and afternoon, a church service was held followed by bands Rachel Brooke as well as Camptown Ladies playing on both stages while we were waking up and heading towards the bar on top of June Bug Ranch, Scooter’s,

to have some delicious bar quesadillas and a sip of some hair until four hipster folks—definitely not Southern—walked into the bar right after us.

“Hey, Bro, do you have me?” I asked in a goofy manner.

Walking up to them, beer in hand, cigarette in mouth, to hunker over these people that just walked peacefully in the bar during the daylight, I said, “Listen, I’ll buy all four of you a beer” (which I did), followed by the statement, “then I’m gonna take all four of you out front and beat your asses,” while my index knuckle pointed into the bar table. Then both Wesenberg and I walked outside next to golf carts parked at the edge of the building. Two other hipster folk were already posted outside smoking a cigarette while the four threatened followed us out eventually. The two outside passed the cigarette between themselves and all was well among the eight of us as we laughed, introduced ourselves formally and grew to be friends during the time we shared on top of June Bug Ranch.

Those people threatened and smoking were New York’s O’Death, scheduled to perform later that night but not before Ramblin’ Jack Elliott dropped onlooker’s jaws and serenaded us with Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice” among other CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 >>>

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SOUNDS Dr. Jerry Perkins (far left) traveling with the Stones River Chamber Players in Japan.

In Memory of a Master

Perkins taught and touched many at MTSU and around the world.

Jerry Perkins’ impact on Middle Tennesse music not soon forgotten. story by BRACKEN MAYO

I

f it wasn’t for Dr. Jerry Perkins, there may not have been a Murfreesboro Pulse.

I was fortunate enough to study piano with the good doctor for a semester at MTSU. At that point, I was a piano performance major . . . but open to other options.

“You’ve gotten pretty darn good at playing; you really progressed more than I thought you would,” he told the 20-year-old version of myself at the end of the semester.

That’s a little bit of a backhanded compliment, I thought, but being the optimist I am, took it as flattery, and will always be proud of making some kind of a positive impression upon the master. I had already decided mid-semester, however, to switch majors. The immense gap between my skill level and his helped guide me to this decision, along with his expectation that I play scales for two hours every day.

I couldn’t help but think I was boring him during our weekly lesson. He was certianly very helpful and I learned a lot those months, he was never out of line or (excessively) condescending, but sometimes I’d interpret his “let it rise and fall more within each phrase” or “you really need to take some time and break down the fingering of this passage this week” as “does this amateur know anything about the piano and will I ever have a student worthy of my expertise and time.”

Plus, college is about setting one up for career

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success, right? What does a piano performance major with average skill have in store for him?

“I’m never going to tour the world playing the Classical and Romantic masterpieces like Perkins,” I thought. Teaching, maybe? “Why would a high school want me as a music teacher? I don’t play a band instrument, I play piano.

“What’s the real point of turning what I love into hard work? What could I possibly enjoy, do well, and ultimately actually earn a living doing? I like reading newspapers, keeping up with current events, telling people my opinions, learning the nuances of the English language. Journalism!”

So I spent most of my remaining time at MTSU in the Mass Comm Building. And as much as I enjoyed piano music, writing certainly came a little more naturally for me. To this day I struggle playing four octaves of an E-flat major scale with any sort of speed, but I can crank out some news stories.

Still, I will not soon forget Perkins’ musical abilities and knowledge. Neither will I forget upon saying our goodbyes, he wanted to sit down for a few minutes, talk and showed a genuine interest in my future. He encouraged me to play music, to write, to travel, to create, to be happy.

Perkins passed away last year, but I imagine his legacy lives on with many of the students

he taught in his 40-plus years at MTSU. The MTSU Department of Music presented an evening of music Sept. 16 honoring the life and career of Dr. Perkins. Current and former music faculty gathered in the Wright Music Building to perform pieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Richard Strauss and others in memory of their fellow musician.

“Jerry was a dear friend and colleague,” said Dr. Raphael Bundage, MTSU professor of choral music. “We all miss him greatly.”

Additionally, the Stones River Chamber Players, an ensemble Perkins co-founded and served as artistic director for, will open its season with a Monday, Oct. 8, performance in the Wright Music Building. This group of MTSU faculty continues to perform virtuosic pieces from various time periods at MTSU and all over the country, further keeping alive the musical vision of Jerry Perkins.

I have never regretted my decision to go into the world of journalism. But if I had decided to stick with piano, to trudge through the hours upon hours of scales, drills, exercises and literature, I probably wouldn’t have regretted being able to work with Dr. Perkins for a few more years either.

To hear some of Perkins’ recorded work, visit jerryperkins.net.

CONCERT LISTINGS Send your show listings to listings@boropulse.com

THURS, 10/4 BONHOEFFER'S Ravenhill, Broken Folk, Stephen West BUNGANUT PIG Scattered Pieces JOZOARA Rik Gracia THE BORO Free Gravies & the Main Dish Sauce, Mantra Mantra Mantra WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Women’s Chorale

FRI, 10/5 3 BROTHERS Secret Commonwealth BUNGANUT PIG Groove Addiction MAIN STREET LIVE Cold Truth, Mocking Bird THE BORO Holiness Movement WALL STREET The Hardin Draw, The Granny Whites WILLIE’S WET SPOT Citizen Rejects

SAT, 10/6 3 BROTHERS Cory Bishop, Dustin Martin BUNGANUT PIG Dirty Cherry FANATICS Top Chelf MAIN STREET LIVE Saliva, Goon, Trigger Digit, October Rage THE BORO Screemin’ Boweevils WILLIE’S WET SPOT Greez Monkeez

SUN, 10/7 3 BROTHERS Johnny’s Kids, Creative Mic Night with Anthony Adams WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Aleesha Hillis, flute recital

MON, 10/8 WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Stones River Chamber Players: Music by J.C. Bach, Schubert, Paganini, Grazyna Bacewicz

TUES, 10/9

WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & Lenny WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Paul Osterfield student composition recital

THURS, 10/11 BONHOEFFER'S Island Wren, Jeff Woods, Lorna & Nellie BUNGANUT PIG Larry & Michelle JOZOARA Rik Gracia MAIN STREET LIVE Birdcloud, Don Coyote WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Wind Ensemble Symphonic Band Concert

FRI, 10/12 3 BROTHERS Fable Cry, Scott Fernandez, The Dapper Dan Man Band, Tomato Face Bass, Jose & Mary BUNGANUT PIG Rockafeller MAIN STREET LIVE Redstone, This Modern Station THE BORO Endelouz, Static Revival WALL STREET Japanese Cowboys WILLIE’S WET SPOT Fire & Ice

SAT, 10/13 3 BROTHERS 3 Simple Rules BUNGANUT PIG Stones River Pilots FANATICS Greez Monkeez MAIN STREET LIVE Husky Burnette THE ASCENT Chase Perryman THE AVENUE Mize & the Drive, Ghost Ballerinas THE BORO IRACONJI, Skeetzo N’ Krysis WALL STREET Ace of Coins, Vortices, Young Wolves WILLIE’S WET SPOT Bohemian Highway Band

BUNGANUT PIG Delyn Christian JOZOARA Bob & Linda LIQUID SMOKE Bellwether WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Tonya Lawson (clarinet), Joseph Walker (piano), H. Stephen Smith (tenor), Lynn Rice-See (piano)

SUN, 10/14

WED, 10/10

BUNGANUT PIG Classic Blues Jam with CJ Vaughn JOZOARA Bob & Linda LIQUID SMOKE Bellwether

3 BROTHERS Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night BUNGANUT PIG Jon Gambino

View Concert Listings Online:

3 BROTHERS Creative Mic Night with Anthony Adams

MON, 10/15 MAIN STREET LIVE Octoberfest

TUES, 10/16

IF YOU GO:

FRI, 10/26

YOUNG WOLVES, VORTICES, ACE OF COINS

PUL SE PICK

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 @ WALLSTREET The Pulse loves to see a bunch of Murfreesboro bands that are musically diverse come together and share a bill, which is what’s going down at Wall Street this evening with Ace of Coins, the newish band of James Oliva of The Prophet Nathan that released its first album of fuzzy, electronic pop punk just this past July. Conversely, the guys of Vortices have been around the musical block—10 years, in fact—and will bring some lax-metal to the lineup, and Young Wolves can be counted on for the scuzzy garage rock.

WED, 10/17 3 BROTHERS Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night BUNGANUT PIG Dirty Cherry WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & Lenny WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Ben Miles (tuba), Sandra Arndt (piano) faculty recital

WILLIE’S WET SPOT Evil Twin

SUN, 10/21 3 BROTHERS Creative Mic Night with Anthony Adams WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Matthew Weaver senior composition recital, Brass Chamber recital

THURS, 10/18

MON, 10/22

BONHOEFFER'S Rest, Cherry Case, Adrian Krygowski Band BUNGANUT PIG Japanese Cowboys JOZOARA Rik Gracia

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Piston & Pipes Series

FRI, 10/19 3 BROTHERS Dennis the Menace BUNGANUT PIG Karl & the Undertones FANATICS Pimpalicious MAIN STREET LIVE Sky Hi THE BORO Transcend The Fallen WALL STREET Copper Into Steel, Kaleido WILLIE’S WET SPOT Rebel Rulz WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Jessica Dunnavant (Baroque flute), Lillian Pearson (harpsichord), Christine Kim (Baroque cello) faculty recital

SAT, 10/20 3 BROTHERS Nathan & the Stickman, Nathan Thomas Band BUNGANUT PIG Atomic Trunk Monkeys Floyd Stadium Contest of Champions FANATICS Ivan LaFever MAIN STREET LIVE Neon THE BORO Steam Boars

TUES, 10/23 BUNGANUT PIG Classic Blues Jam with CJ Vaughn JOZOARA Bob & Linda LIQUID SMOKE Bellwether WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Spencer Lambright (composer) faculty recital

WED, 10/24

3 BROTHERS Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night BUNGANUT PIG CJ Vaughn Trio WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & Lenny WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Paul Osterfield composition studio recital

THURS, 10/25 BONHOEFFER'S Johnathan Wyndham, Dave Armstrong, Eduardo Lara BUNGANUT PIG John Hayes JOZOARA Rik Gracia MAIN STREET LIVE Lobo, Waves of Deception, All We Stand For WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Jazz Artist Series: Andy LeVerne (piano)

3 BROTHERS The Hardin Draw, Jake Leg Stompers BUNGANUT PIG Backlit FANATICS John Salaway MAIN STREET LIVE Ballistic Whiplash THE BORO 33, Lobo, Call Me Savage WALL STREET AFRO WILLIE’S WET SPOT Junkyard Funk WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. MTSU Symphony Orchestra

SAT, 10/27 3 BROTHERS Multi-Artist Country Showcase with Austin Highcock, Luke Caccetta Band BUNGANUT PIG Tempted FANATICS Christine Parri MAIN STREET LIVE Dorian, Glow: Nightmare on Main Street THE BORO Rockafeller WALL STREET Mize & The Drive, Judd Hall WILLIE’S WET SPOT Halloween Costume Party with Fire & Ice

SUN, 10/28 3 BROTHERS Creative Mic Night with Anthony Adams WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Felix Mendelsohn’s Elijah, Sarah Taylor Young senior vocal recital

MON, 10/29 WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Karen Clarke (violin), Christopher Stenstrom (cello), Lillian Pearson (fortepiano)

TUES, 10/30 BUNGANUT PIG Classic Blues Jam with CJ Vaughn JOZOARA Bob & Linda LIQUID SMOKE Bellwether WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Derrek Phillips (percussion) & manufactory faculty recital

WED, 10/31 3 BROTHERS Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night BUNGANUT PIG Your Imaginary Friends MAIN STREET LIVE Club Halloween Bash feat.

Hanzelle, David Liebe Hart, Infinite Orange, PNP, T8MBby, The Goddamn Gallows, Mountain Sprout WILLIE’S WET SPOT Shane & Lenny WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG. Saxophone Studio Recital, Tesla String Quartet with Won Kim (clarinet)

3 Brothers 223 W. Main St. 410-3096 Aura Lounge 114 S. Maple St. 396-8328 Bonhoeffer’s 610 Dill Lane 202-3517 Bunganut Pig 1602 W. Northfield Blvd.

893-7860 Coconut Bay Cafe 210 Stones River Mall Blvd.

494-0504 Fanatic’s 1850 Old Fort Pkwy.

494-3995 First United Methodist Church 265 West Thompson Lane JoZoara 536 N. Thompson Ln. 962-7175 Lanes, Trains and Automobiles 450 Butler Drive 890-3999 Liquid Smoke #2 Public Square 217-7822 Main St. Live 527 W. Main St. 439-6135 MT Bottle 3940 Shelbyville Hwy. 962-9872 Murfreesboro/ Center for the Arts 110 W. College St. 904-ARTS Nobody’s Grill & BBQ 116 John R. Rice Blvd.

962-8019 Social 114 N. Church St. 904-7236 Temptation Club 2404 Halls Hill Pike 217-0944 The Ascent 831 Park Ave. 796-6545 The Avenue 2615 Medical Center Pkwy.

893-4207 The Boro Bar & Grill 1211 Greenland Dr. 895-4800 Wall Street 121 N. Maple St. 867-9090 Walking Horse Hotel 101 Spring St., Wartrace (931) 389-7050 Willie’s Wet Spot 1208 S. Lowry St., Smyrna 355-0010 Wright Music Bldg.

1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 898-2493

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OCTOBER 2012

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ALBUM REVIEWS

Kristen Cothron

Bucket City Bawdy House

If there were ever a time and place for a revised, jazzy The Jody Grind, Fiona Apple and Elvis Costello all wrapped into one album, it’s bound to be on the newest Kristen Cothron release, Show Me Where the Edge is . . ., shelved last month, and produced and recorded at Nashville's HAT Factory V and VI, Vibe 26 and Radioland.

Nashville’s indie singer/songwriter Cothron navigates an extraordinarily tight band including Gary Burnette, and herself on electric and acoustic guitars with additional six and four stringed contributions from Justin Conn, Paul Lewis and Steve Mackey, while Jimmy Lester and Michael Grando maintain the drums and Michael Webb controls the keys. Cameos include producer Ben Strano (The Sonic Fedora) playing banjo, slide guitar, toy piano, harmonium and cello, which exemplify Cothron’s lyrically-strong, romantically-inclined yet jaded woman dead-set on figuring out life for the time-being. Also, Dan Baird, known from the ’80s rock band The Georgia Satellites, contributes electric guitar on a latter track.

The first and title track, “Edge,” pushes the album off with The Jody Grind guitar-and-drum while Cothron’s vocals demand “show me where the edge is,” while more so following the Fiona Apple route on “Anthem,” where Strano, Webb and Burnette power through the song capable of making the opening titles to a James Bond movie.

“The Darkside,” has a steadfast jazz B3 filler while the Costello cover, “Tart” is redone with more of an Italian minstrel mandolin the way Jon Brion would play it. She does the other Costello covers “Town Cryer” and “This Year’s Girl” in similar fashion.

Musicianship can drown out the vocals and points, cover or not, of any singer, but please don’t underestimate the power and production-value of Cothron’s team throughout Show Me Where the Edge Is . . .

Outstanding aspects include track 7, “What A View,” that any fan of Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother can relate to, as well as the latter album’s “Traveling Alone,” which holds itself up as the country song of all the 13 tracks until the final reprisal of the title track, “To Edge,” brings it back home but in complete Nashville style with a banjo and tonk-piano (be it wall or toy) under Cothron’s acoustic six-string and repeated lyrics.

Cothron's records, show dates and more can be found at kristencothron.com. She will appear Oct. 4 at Canvas Lounge in Nashville and Oct. 10 at The End.

Bucket City Bawdy House is kind of like the musical version of getting randomly partnered up for group projects in grade school. Recorded in a Rockvale, Tenn., studio, Bucket City Bawdy House, Volume 1, is a compilation of nine songs written by nine “faux” bands that amount to 35 musicians based in Middle and East Tennessee. All recruited for their musical prowess, many of the Bucket City members come from prominent bands in the Murfreesboro scene at present, including members of The GoldRoom, Boo Boo Bunny, A Secret Policeman’s Ball, Single Mothers, The Hellbillies, Seafood Hotline and The Hardin Draw.

Each group, which consists of three to five artists, was given eight hours to write and bang out one track, which made for a surprisingly cohesive, given the diversity of the musicians, record of rock—Southern, hard and experimental, sometimes separately and sometimes simultaneously.

The record opens with the creeping, overcast prog rock gem “Safety Off—The Director’s Cut,” sung and written by Jason Moore (The Katies), whose piercing vocals brought to mind Matt Tubandt’s of Thief. Jeff Keeran plays to his songwriting strengths on the more classic rock-sounding “$ – Tail Lights,” with Heavy Cream’s Tiffany Morton on drums, and Paige Crockett’s pouty Gwen Stefani vocals pour over gnashing Sunny Day Real Estate guitars on “Little Boy Butter— Driving All Day (To The Two Chord Rag).”

The Pinback-esque keys and bass of “The Look Sees—Limp Handshake” pour over Zeppelin-like vocal yowling and angry riffs.

Naturally, the influences of the assorted artists in each group are sometimes completely opposite, like the Pinback-esque keys and bass paired with Zeppelin-like vocal yowling and angry riffs. Or the twangy, Drive-By Truckers sort of riff on “Number Nine, Number Nine— Money Back” coupled with an out-of-the-blue accordion part contributed by Nikki Oliff (The Hardin Draw).

Considering the mixed lineup and the time constraints, BCBH, Volume I, is the definition of experimental, an example of how well random musicians work together, how heavily they influence each other and the songs and how they write under the pressure of a deadline. It’s the sound of collaboration, one of the most intriguing nonmusical elements of music.

— BRYCE HARMON

— JESSICA PACE

Show Me Where the Edge Is ...

22 * OCTOBER 2012 * BOROPULSE.COM

Bucket City Bawdy House, Volume 1

Joshua Scott Cochran

The Joy of Painting

The Fade EP

Lighten Up

Sometimes life throws people through loops. SomeThe Joy of Painting vocalist/guitarist Garreth Spinn times the best medicine to help deal with loopy woes says of the band’s new Lighten Up EP, “The guitars are thrown is to step back and reassess; to grasp a different bigger, the hooks are hookier, and we think people will view on the situation(s) before diving back in to conquer have fun listening to it, which is all we wanted when them. Keyboardist Joshua Scott Cochran of Murfreeswe started this band.” boro’s house funk band Sky Hi has utilized this solutionLighten Up is unshakably happy, true to The Joy of based instrospection with his first solo release, the Painting form, and it is bigger—than the band’s debut 6-track The Fade E.P. in collaboration with Invincible Zen LP Asterisk, that is, meaning volume, energy, tempo and Recordings and GED Soul Records. instrumental layers have all been turned up.

The Fade E.P. “represents a personal journey through Released Sept. 25 via Sound Division Resadness, betrayal, loss, and loneliness, but cords, Lighten Up is available ultimately culminates in acceptance and We’re working only in digital format and on determination,” according to Cochran, in a hard to promote vinyl, and is a mere three songs, “chillwave”, or organic electronic pop manbeginning with “Charades.” It good music in opens with the buzzy, grating ner, such as a mix between Sigur Ros and Air. Middle Tennessee. guitars reminiscent of Nashville Recorded in pretty much any space possible over a five-year period, The Fade begins garage rockers Natural Child, Bands: Send your albums with the title track that puts the listener right then a piano comes bubbling up, and promotional materials to into Sigur Ros territory while the cello and and the track blasts open with The Murfreesboro Pulse, 116-E North Walnut St., softly brushed snare drum of Damon Scott a jangly pop rock melody backMurfreesboro, TN 37130. relaxes into simplistic Air-ish Wurlitzer fingering TJOP’s standard wryness: ing driven by the cliché introductory lyrics, “Charades are what we play/a “Please allow me to introduce myself;” this E.P. begins on guessing game, prone to mistake/it’s make believe; it’s a depressing note as “Fade” eventually falls into the chant not the real thing/maybe the real thing feels the same.”

“Everything you know will fade away,” but, fortunately, it’s “Soul Man” sort of horns surge through “Good Man” sung to a soft blend one would want to hear driving alone courtesy of Kansas Bible Company (who’ve lent their down the freeway in the wee hours of a summer night. brass section out before to local hardcore punk band The two following tracks also supply lyrical drear, but Tetsuo), pitting a brassy retro dance vibe against indie instrumentally expand with a fine blend of gentle acouspop. Things change again in “Come Clean,” which wraps tic guitar and several of Cochran’s synthesized and organ up the brief recording with spazzy electronic noises and sounds under a vocal similarity to Elliott Smith. The guy garage rock riffs that sound chipper rather than too cool. has a great ear for a build-up during these tracks, too.

The common thread among these genre-dabbling Just when you thought everything was going to stay tracks is spastic pop sensibility. It’s the framework for down in the slump, the instrumental “Wintertime Blues,” all The Joy of Painting songs, inside of which are junky misleadingly follows with an up-tempo, Flobot-ish drum garage rock influences, synthy touches and damper progression. The final two tracks, “Not Afraid,” and “Mislyrical musings. Like it or dislike it, the sound is gettake,” stand as proof stepping back introspectively can ting sonically bigger. If Asterisk sounded like a party bring about some peace and solutions. warming up, Lighten Up is the peak.

Though just 6 tracks, The Fade will not disappoint and Order the limited edition 7" (in randomly assorted one might even daze out in a head-bob without even realmulti-colored vinyl), or download the three tracks izing it. For a copy, look for The Invincible Zen Produc(name your price) at joyofpainting.bandcamp.com.

— JESSICA PACE tions link on skyhifunk.com. — BRYCE HARMON

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RATINGS: AVERAGE

A CLASSIC BELOW AVERAGE

OUTSTANDING AVOID AT ALL COSTS

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OCTOBER 2012

* 23

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tracks from his newest album as well as old favorites the crowd eagerly sang along to.

When meeting him at his van parked behind the stage out of the rain’s way, I accidentally called the American staple “Bro” during an interview where he spoke about Woody Guthrie in a mumble.

Banjoist Dr. Ralph Stanley, who has a performance coming up at the Cumberland Cavern’s Bluegrass Underground on October 27, played afterwards and the man’s fingers were on fire, as usual.

New York’s O’Death’s set came right after that as they nailed it the same way they did during their 2011 performance in Cookeville, except I didn’t get to tune their banjo mid show this year. (These guys play hard and break strings.)

Bedtime came around once again in the wee hours of the morning as the final trek up that monstrous hill was conquered as both Wesenberg and I turned, bowed in appreciation overlooking the setup the fine organizers of the festival provided again this third annual Muddy Roots Music Festival 2012, and crashed hard with the flaps open on both our tents, waking up in pools of water and myself coming home feverish.

Details of the 2013 Muddy Roots Festival in Cookeville, along with the newly added yearly event Muddy Root Europe, played in Belgium,

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can be found at muddyrootsmusic.com. Ticket prices, news updates and eventually the line up for next year are there as well.

So get out there and keep country music alive. It’s well worth the time doing so, especially if it’s around a mass of like-minded fans with mud caked as far up on their bodies as you have on yours. MP

DE LUNA FEST 2012 PHOTO GALLERY Visit boropulse .com/ gallery to view more photos of Muddy Roots and De Luna Fest 2012.

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THEATER 39 Steps

On Golden Pond

OCTOBER PERFORMANCES A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM 7 p.m. Oct. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20; 2 p.m. Oct. 7, 14 and 21 Murfreesboro Little Theatre 702 Ewing Ave. mltarts.com CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20; 2 p.m. Oct. 7 and 14 The Arts Center of Cannon County 1424 John Bragg Hwy. artscenterofcc.com HALLOWEEN BURLESQUE 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26–28 Out Front on Main 1511 E. Main St. outfrontonmain.com ON GOLDEN POND 7 p.m. Oct. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20; 2 p.m. Oct. 7, 14 and 21 Murfreesboro Center for the Arts 110 W. College St. boroarts.org THE 39 STEPS 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 and 27 and Nov. 2 and 3; 4:30 p.m. Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 Lamplighter’s Theater 14119 Old Nashville Hwy., Smyrna lamplighterstheatre.com

Cheaper by the Dozen

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OCTOBER 2012

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LIVING ROOM CINEMA

MOVIES REVIEWS

column by NORBERT THIEMANN

cinespire@gmail.com

Nashville Bound MY PERSPECTIVE OF NASHVILLE is colored by the nostalgia of growing up there from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s.

These films are precious gifts to me made from that same period. For many it was a time for travel, hitchhiking and frequenting seedy motels. Aside from the glamour, there was a fermenting seedy culture underneath.

Nashville was a complex, vibrant and multidimensional destination for many.

LOOPER Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt Directed by Rian Johnson

Rated R

Rian Johnson’s worlds are rich and detailed, self-contained terrariums in which his colorful characters fulfill their cog-like machinations and every action has a purpose akin to clockwork. His films are clever, funny and intriguing; a pretty puzzle for both the eyes and the mind. So far, he’s tackled high school neo-noir in Brick (2005), confidence men in The Brothers Bloom (2008), and now with Looper, Johnson takes on time travel.

Looper is set in 2044, where Joe (a facially altered Gordon-Levitt) works as an assassin for a mob of the future who sends their victims back to Joe’s time to be shot and disposed of, effectively erasing them from the future. Joe gets paid well for his work, affording him an upper echelon life of night clubs and eye-drop drugs until he notices all his looper associates start having to close their loops. This means your last

target and your last pay-off, in which the man sent from the future for you to kill is you, and you’re given a 30-year retirement until that time when you become you own victim. Loop closed.

Of course, Joe fails to close his loop. His old self (Bruce Willis) is on an assassination mission of his own to stop the creation of a future kingpin called the Rainmaker who is closing all the loops to the past. Joe wants to kill old Joe, and the mob wants to kill them both. Joe seeks refuge on a farm with a single mom (Blunt) whose son may or may not grow up to be the Rainmaker. It’s 12 Monkeys meets T2, and if it’s confusing to read, it’s just as confusing to write, yet somehow, not to watch.

The dark, future-noir look is both gritty and slick, and many scenes stand-out as candidates for best in the genre. One in particular pits present and future Joe in conversation at a diner, almost daring the audience to shout “paradox!”

But even with all the “rules” of time travel, Johnson’s Rubik’s cube story gets neatly solved, proving the pattern projected by his previous works that his skill as a craftsman is no fluke. If anything can be said against his oeuvre, it’s that the technique often overshadows the heart (he got closest with The Brothers Bloom) and this remains true in Looper, but you’ll hardly notice in a world this engrossing.

nel trying to kill them, all with a race against the clock to get to the rendezvous point.

This movie . . . where do I begin? It’s like an endurance run of nonsense. First of all, the movie acknowledges that it jumped the shark by recapping the forgettable events of the last movies. It also makes a really cheap plea for attention by trying to bring back your “favorite” characters, even though their involvement in the stories prior is as dead as the zombies being fought. Also, how is this evil company still functioning even though the world’s ended? And WHY for that matter? The world’s ended. What do they have to gain by spending billions of dollars on zombies and clones? And how in the hell are they generating any manner of profit from

ANY of this, or have any workers left? The world just ended. Also, at what point were the Uroboros creatures introduced into this franchise?

The fight scenes really aren’t all that spectacular. The special effects aren’t all that stunning. The acting is what you’d expect. So what does this movie really have to offer? Not really a whole lot of anything. Even hardcore fans of the decade-spanning game series are displeased with the movie knockoff. So how are these movies still making money?

My advice: treat the movie like the T-Virus, and quarantine yourself. If any of your friends try to drag you along, treat them as you would a zombie.

— JAY SPIGHT

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION Starring: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Bingbing Li Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson

Rated R

Paul W.S. Anderson puts the “hack” back in “hack-n-slash” with the fifth installment in a franchise that can only be described as a cinematic train wreck; there’s enough senselessness and gore to keep you from looking away, but you’re immediately disgusted with yourself afterward.

Following the events of Resident Evil: Afterlife, our hero Alice (played by Milla Jovovich, who is married to the director AS WELL as the franchise) finds herself in an underwater training facility in the Arctic after being captured by the Umbrella Corporation. Freed, she learns that Ada Wong and Albert Wesker (a bad guy who died in the last movie) now want to help her escape because he sees her as the savior of humanity (even though an army of her clones were no match for the Umbrella Corporation in the last movie). Desperate to keep her in the franchise, Wesker sends a search-and-rescue crew to take Alice and Ada back to the surface. Trapped in the underwater facility, the two must fight off hordes of zombies, bio-organic weapons and armed security person-

RATINGS:

A CLASSIC

26 * OCTOBER 2012 * BOROPULSE.COM

OUTSTANDING

— JUSTIN STOKES

AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

 Nashville (1975) is directed by Robert Altman. Filmed extra wide, Nashville is a big film that follows many characters and hits some of the city’s interesting locations. It tells the stories of people seeking stardom, and those who try to maneuver for power around them. Many of the characters are nods to the living legends of the time. Truly underrated, Nashville is considered by some critics as Altman’s crowning achievement.

Payday (1972) is directed by Daryl Duke and stars Rip Torn. Yet to achieve the accolades of being a superstar, Torn plays a musician on tour with his crew heading to Nashville. The film holds no punches and shows the many events which can occur on the road over the course of a day for a certain breed of songwriter. Rip Torn does a bang-up job in this gritty, realist drama.

 Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) is directed by the British director Michael Apted (previously famous for the The Up Series documentaries). Talk about the outside looking in, Apted does a surprisingly wonderful job in telling the story of Lorreta Lynn’s troubled journey to becoming known as the First Lady of Country Music. Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones both offer astounding performances within the backdrop of rural Kentucky and Nashville.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

DEAD

SCARY MOVIES

3

Horror lurks in the Student Union at MTSU’s Scarefest.

2

9

9 Rocky Horror, first released in

7

F

righten yourself into a monthlong film frenzy when MTSU’s Student Programming and Activities Films Council brings “October Scarefest,” its annual offering of horror movies, back to campus.

Monday and Tuesday nights in October will make your blood run cold with classic public-domain thrillers likeBucket of Blood, Night of the Living Dead and Freaks.

Oct. 19 and 20 marks MTSU’s thirdyear showing of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with a toast-tossing live shadowcast by Little Morals, a Nashville-based group of Rocky Horror performers.

The weeknight movies will be screened free at 6 p.m. inside the new Student Union Video Theater, located in Room 208 of the newly opened building on the east side of campus.

Admission is $5 for Rocky Horror, which will be shown at midnight Oct. 19 and 20 in the second-floor Keathley

University Center Theater.

All films are open to the public as well as the on-campus community.

SCAREFEST SCHEDULE:

1 M, the 1931 noir thriller from di-

1975, is the longest-running release in film history and has been playing in theaters’ midnight showings for decades. The science-fiction/Bmovie musical parody is renowned for its audience participation, which often includes dressing like the film’s characters and acting out scenes.

Squirt guns or candles won’t be allowed in the theater during the screenings for safety reasons. Presale tickets for Rocky Horror will be available in Student Union Room 340 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, call (615) 898-2551, visit mtsu.edu/events or follow@MTSUStudProg on Twitter.

rector Fritz Lang, on Monday, Oct. 1 2 Bucket of Blood, a 1959 offering from Roger Corman, on Tuesday, Oct. 2 3 Deep Red, a 1975 mystery by the groundbreaking Dario Argento, on Monday, Oct. 8 4 Kill Baby Kill, Italian horror great Mario Bava’s 1966 classic, on Tuesday, Oct. 9 5 Night of the Living Dead, the 1968 gorefest from George Romero, on Monday, Oct. 22 6 Bloody Pit of Horror, the 1966 gothic horror film by Massimo Pupillo, on Tuesday, Oct. 23 7 The Tingler, the 1959 offering from William Castle that tied on-screen scares with in-theater gimmicks, on Monday, Oct. 29 8 Freaks, Tod Browning’s 1932 terrifying glimpse into circus sideshow life, on Tuesday, Oct. 30 BOROPULSE.COM

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OCTOBER 2012

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SPORTS NFL, TITANS PISSING THE TRAIN OFF

L

adies and Gentleman, the statements I heard about boys and girls, children the integrity of the league; of all ages: the Train some compared the league to Daddy proudly brings a circus with no ringleader, to you sports in a others said the league was like genius yet comedic way that the famous painting Mona Lisa only the Train Daddy himself and the owners were painting can deliver, so to all my a mustache on her and some loyal readers, let’s get ready folks said the league was like to rumble. a $25,000 pair of loafers that All kinds of crazy stuff just continued to step in crap has been going on in the week after week. I get that sports world: the real refs you have two sides, one being column by Z-TRAIN are back and the fake refs the union and the other being titanman1984@ yahoo.com are gone, the Titans defense the owners and Roger, both is the worst in the league, butting heads and not giving Chris Johnson rushed for more than 10 yards an inch, but from what I saw and observed over and the Train Daddy can’t get a win in Fantasy this fiasco was the league treated the real refs Football. It’s crazy, baby! like a commodity and not a vital tool for success.

So I guess after the awful call in Seattle, Mr. Guess what NFL, the real refs are vital for sucGoodell decided enough is enough and caved in cess.But people still watched bad football, bad to the demands of the REAL refs. I love some of calls, and ratings were up.

SPORTS TALK

28 * OCTOBER 2012 * BOROPULSE.COM

Ed  Hochuli and his veteran ref buddies are back.

At least now we can turn our attention to hating on something new. Granted, we will still hate on the real refs, but let’s turn the attention to something new like Tebow taking Sanchez’s job or Tony Romo sucking or the Titans sucking.

This country can’t get enough football.

We love it and cherish it, and no matter what pisses us off, we will always watch and cheer.

I love this game, baby!

I am going to stay away from Titans talk as much as possible, but real quick, here’s my two cents on the matter. The Titans suck and that is everything in a nutshell.

OK, I will say a little more. What’s wrong with the Titans? The Titans have given up more points than any team in the league, they are 31st in yards allowed (out of 32 teams) and 27th overall in passing and 27th overall in rushing yards allowed; it’s all bad. On offense the Titans’ numbers are all bad, and there is no need to get specific. I am sure you can imagine how bad the running game is (29th overall).

What did Vince Lombardi say? Defense and the running game, that’s how you win football games. The fact that the Titans are so awful in both categories it’s a miracle they defeated the Lions and have a 1-3 record. Anyone who keeps up with my articles knows that I am a true blue, loyal, loving Titans fan, and I am loyal to the bitter end, but you can’t hide from the truth here.

So what’s the solution to this problem? Well, you finish the season out, you pray the team can grow, create chemistry, maybe get a little better on all sides of the ball and win a few games.

The first time I saw the NFL schedule come out prior to the season I knew the Titans were in trouble starting out with the Pats, the Texans, the Chargers and the Steelers, and it turned out just as I imagined. It was too early for Jake the Snake and I believed that when I saw how difficult their schedule was the first half of the season. If I was the coach of the Titans, Matt would have started, I would have got a feel for the team and then planned accordingly from there. Instead, Munchak has created somewhat of a quarterback controCajun Cove customers relax in the shade versy, has taken Jakecanopy Locker'sthat conficovers dence and under the large the restaurant's outdoor area. flushed half of it down the dining toilet and turned the Titans into the laughing stock of the league.

I was all aboard Jake the Snake’s train, but he has been put in a tough situation, absolutely no running game, receivers dropping passes and a bad defense, you can’t win as a quarterback with that recipe. Man, I hope it turns around for the Titans and Jake, but right now it’s tough to hold your head up high.

So now that I declared the Titans hopeless and labeled them the laughing stock of the NFL, what else is there talk about here? I could talk about Obama vs. Romney or the collapse of the US team in the Ryder Cup or the 0-4 Saints; I don’t want to talk about any of that. I could get into a discussion about Fantasy Football and the science of points for/points against

 The Texans are running off with the division, and a couple of Matt Hasselbeck’s passes.

and how sometimes people like myself get screwed over when every week the point leader has a hay day on your team. I don’t think my loyal readers want to hear me rant about my 0-4 record in Fantasy Football. It’s not over Mafia; I don’t finish in the top 3 four years in a row for no reason; I will come back.

That’s about it my loyal people. I have been so irritated with the NFL and with the Titans all I wanted to do was rant. If you want to read something a little more insightful later this month, check me out at boropulse.com under the sports section; I will have something special for you.

Forgive me for being so pissed and negative.

I promise next issue I will be so positive and will give you some happy sports news. Come on Titans, get your act together and NFL don’t ever piss your fans off like that again. It’s not you or the players that make this league successful; it is us fans, peace!

BOROPULSE.COM

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OCTOBER 2012

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ART

Todd Hosts Graphic Design, Clay This Month MTSU Art Faculty Fills City Hall THROUGH FRIDAY, OCT. 12, the artwork of eight faculty and staff members of the Department of Art at MTSU is on display in Murfreesboro’s City Hall. Participating are Charles Clary, Andrew Kosten, Melissa Newman, Kathleen O’Connell, Meghan O’Connor, Eric Snyder, Thomas Sturgill and Patricia Tenpenny.

“The exhibit was organized to showcase the wide array of fine art talent found on the campus of MTSU through the Department of Art,” stated Eric Snyder. While also participating, Snyder who currently serves as director of MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery, as well as chair of the City Hall Art Committee identified the city’s intent for the committee to elevate community awareness for art and local artists.

“Because the City Hall Art Committee is responsible for advancing the awareness and support of Murfreesboro’s visual arts resources, involving MTSU seemed natural,” said Patricia Tenpenny, art committee member and exhibit participant.

Further, Snyder stated that, “the artists included represent the art department’s focus on training students through the development of a strong foundation for art through the study of its many disciplines including book arts and printmaking represented respectively by new faculty members Kathleen O’Connell and Andrew Kosten.”

Meet the artist’s at a closing reception in the Rotunda from 4:30–6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11.

City Hall is located at 111 W. Vine St. For more information or directions, call (615) 893-5210.

30 * OCTOBER 2012 * BOROPULSE.COM

MTSU’s TODD ART GALLERY begins October with the annual Graphic Design Juried Student Exhibit sponsored by the MTSU chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, scheduled through Oct. 11.

“Forms of Expression: A Survey of Contemporary Clay” follows and will present a unique combination of cultural history with the pioneering artistry of six ceramic artists. They include Dana Chapman-Tupa, William DePauw, Lisa Elrich, John Oles, Quintin Owens and Adam Paulek. Curated by Art Professor John Donovan, the exhibit opens Oct. 17 and concludes Nov. 1 with a reception Monday, Oct. 22 from 6–8 p.m.

An accompanying lecture by Longwood University professor and ceramicist Adam Paulek will be held Friday, Oct. 19 from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Exhibitions, receptions and lectures are free and open to the public. Todd Art Gallery hours are Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The gallery is closed on state and university holidays. For additional exhibit or parking information and directions, call Eric Snyder at (615) 898-5653.

Art League Collaborates on Center Exhibit THE MURFREESBORO ART LEAGUE will be having an exhibit at the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts through Oct. 30. Works of art shown will range from abstract to representational. All art is done by artists in the Middle Tennessee area.

A reception will be held Oct. 5 from 5–7 p.m.

Food and punch will be available. This coincides with the opening of the play On Golden Pond.

The artists in the Murfreesboro Art League are as varied as their paintings. There are currently 76 members. Their styles may be different, using various media like oils, acrylics, pastels, encaustic and others, but they have a common bond. Each loves the creative experience and wants to spread the joy of art.

The Art League also offers adult art classes on the first three Mondays of every month (except December), from 7–9 p.m. at Cannonsburgh Village.

“We try to have a variety of classes,” stated Suzanne LeBeau, league secretary. “This way, our members can stretch their creative thinking by trying mediums that may be new to them.”

Previous classes have included the more traditional oil and watercolor painting, as well as encaustic, batik and torn paper painting, with just about everything in between. October’s classes will be palette knife painting with Clarice Nelson, and November will be watercolors.

For more information on the art league or the exhibit, visit murfreesboroartleague.blogspot. com or e-mail suzanne.lebeau@att.net. The Center for the Arts is located at 110 W. College St.

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