The Pulse 15.03 » January 18, 2018 by Brewer Media Group

JANUARY 18, 2018

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

FOR THE LOVE OF

COFFEE OUR DAILY DOSE OF JAVA IS GOOD FOR YOU. HERE COMES THE SCIENCE.

THE CHATTANOOGA

WOMEN'S MARCH IS BACK

THOUSANDS OF WOMEN GATHER IN SOLIDARITY AGAIN THIS YEAR

MULTI-FACETED ART OF

EDWARD VERNER

MULTI-DISCIPLINARIAN RUNS THE GAMUT OF COMPOSITIONS

THE 9TH STREET

STOMPERS ARE BACK IN TOWN

MUSICAL HISTORIANS TAKE A DESERVED BREAK FROM THE ROAD

ALSO INSIDE IS THE EARTH REALLY FLAT? THINKING OUTSIDE THE NEEDLE A SUREFIRE ANYTIME PICK ME UP IF ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S JANUARY, IT MUST BE CHATTACON CHAMPIONING THE POWER OF THE PRESS

VOL. 15, NO. 3 • JANUARY 18, 2018

CHATTANOOGA’S 2018 WOMEN’S MARCH

Last year, brave women across the face of our nation stood together, marched together to elevate the voices of marginalized women.

THE MULTI-FACETED ART OF EDWARD VERNER

All artists are like gems, but there are few who have as many facets as Edward Verner. If variety is the spice of life, then this multi-disciplinarian creator is like an entire spice rack.

THE 9TH STREET STOMPERS COME BACK TO TOWN

When you haven’t heard from or about a band in a while, you start to wonder. Are they on hiatus? Have they split up? Are they festering in a Tijuana jail? Did the rapture happen?

CHAMPIONING THE POWER OF THE PRESS

Given the political climate, it makes sense that The Post is being released now. Art is often a reflection of national consciousness. Our movies reveal what we, as a people, are thinking..

For The Love Of Coffee For almost half of Americans, a hot cup of coffee is the way to start their day, especially during these cold winter months. And although coffee has been around for centuries, there may not be a more controversial drink that exists in our daily lives.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 3

BEGINNINGS ∙ CITY LIFE

Chattanooga’s Women’s March Thousands of women gather together in solidarity again this year By Brooke Brown

Pulse Assistant Editor

BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher & President Jim Brewer II FOUNDED 2003 BY ZACHARY COOPER & MICHAEL KULL

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Gary Poole Assistant Editor Brooke Brown Music Editor Marc T. Michael Film Editor John DeVore Contributors Rob Brezsny • Steven W. Disbrow Kevin Hale • Matt Jones Rebekah Jones • Kelly Lockhart Tony Mraz • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib Alex Teach • Michael Thomas Editorial Interns Adrienne Kaufmann • Austin Hooks Cartoonists Max Cannon • Rob Rogers Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow

ADVERTISING Director of Sales Mike Baskin

Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Rick Leavell Libby Phillips • John Rodriguez Danielle Swindell • Logan Vandergriff

CONTACT

Offices 1305 Carter St., Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Email info@chattanoogapulse.com Website chattanoogapulse.com Facebook @chattanoogapulse THE FINE PRINT: The Pulse is published weekly by Brewer Media and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on music, the arts, entertainment, culture and local news. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publisher may take more than one copy per weekly issue. The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors. Contents Copyright © 2018 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.

AST YEAR, BRAVE WOMEN across the face of our nation stood together, marched together to elevate the voices of marginalized women and the ripple effect it’s had on not only the lives of women today, but also on the future for young girls everywhere is something to truly be proud of. “As I march, searching for signs held by little hands with pride,” says Women’s March organizer Candy Janish, “my heart swells to see the wonder and strength in the children’s faces as they look with admiration at the people they love standing up for what is right. I march to show the youth that they do not have to stay quiet when faced with injustice and inequality, and that there are always others that will stand and fight with them.” It was on the shoulders of women like this, with unwavering morals in the face of injustice, that we rallied together in honor of a female future. The women’s march is part of a time-honored tradition of women kicking ass for what’s right by means of protest. “Last year’s march grew out of a need to have our voices heard in a time when politics were becoming increasingly partisan,” says Women’s March public information officer Ginger Moss. “And the policy that comes out of that political climate often disregards women’s rights to sovereignty.” This year’s march is, simply put, a continuation of that effort. To continue pushing forward with what’s right for all, not just some. “Coming out once in the face of injustice is powerful,” says Moss. “But continuing to come out, to speak up, to band together, to demand better—

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“Continuing to come out, to speak up, to band together, to demand better—that’s when sustained effort can turn into real change.” that’s when sustained effort can turn into real change.” Chattanooga’s 2018 Women’s March will be held at Coolidge Park on Saturday at 11am, with special guest speakers at 11:30, and the march itself beginning at noon. Throughout the event there will be music, food trucks, and tables for local, women-run businesses. If you’re wondering what you as an individual can do beyond just attending the Women’s March, “get close to the things that keep gender inequity alive, and do your small part to dismantle them,” says Moss. Get involved in organizing events to better the living and working conditions of women in your area. Get your friends involved, tell people why you

march, who you’re marching for. Just do your part; whatever that may be. Reverend Alaina Cobb, the MC for the March, had this to say about her reasons for marching. “I march to remind myself and others that the power to change our world is within our grasp. I march because someone marched for the rights I have today. I march because the work of liberation is not done. I march for my daughters. I march for my sisters. I march for me.” So show up Saturday. Make a sign, a banner, a sweatshirt. Bring your girlfriends, bring your mother, sister, aunt. Let your voice be heard. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

Consider This with Dr. Rick

EdiToon by Rob Rogers

“I looked in temples, churches, and mosques. But I found the Divine within my heart.” — Rumi

If It’s January, It Must Be Chattacon For over four decades, fans of science fiction, fantasy, comics, gaming, art and music have come to the Scenic City for the annual gathering known as Chattacon. Starting this Friday, nearly a thousand fans will descend upon the Chattanoogan Hotel (a new venue for them) for three days of fun and entertainment. Among the many guests this weekend include longtime novel, television, film and comic book author Peter David, New York Times bestselling author Todd McCaffrey, award-winning artist Sam Flegal, game designer and artist Michael Bielaczyc, and fan-favorite writer

Wendy Webb as the “Toastmistress”. Among the many events scheduled for the weekend include Doctor Osborn’s Newfangled Medicine Show, the Dystopian Dance, a special Burlesque show with the Vamp Valley

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Vixens, an eye-opening “Masquerade” costume contest, and hours upon hours of panel discussions, workshops, gaming events, cosplay showcases, film discussions, and more. There’s also a full dealer’s room with all sorts of interesting things to buy, a curated art show with the latest ion fantasy and science-fiction art, and a round-the-clock consuite with lots of free refreshments and beverages. Admission is $60 for the entire weekend, which is one of the best bangs for the entertainment buck around town. Get all the details atchattacon.org — Kelly Lockhart

If you have ever been on a hike and felt the presence of our Creator (or Spirit, Universe, Higher Power, or the God of Your Understanding) then you know what it’s like to be in the presence of something/someone greater than yourself—even when not in a brick-and-mortar house of worship. Many have claimed to be one with God while fly-fishing. Some while sitting and talking with an elderly relative. Some at the first sight of their newborn baby. Can you even imagine what the astronauts must feel when gazing at our planet from so many miles away! Personally, when younger, I had some of my most powerfully spiritual experiences in a beautiful stainedglass church. And later, just as powerful experiences occurred in my woods, at the beach, and on mountaintops. Consider this: Where you dwell, so dwell’s your God. When the Spirit moves you, I hope you pay attention and dance your shoes off. You and the Universe are one. — Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

JUST A THEORY

NEW IN THEATERS

ARTS CALENDAR

THE COMIX

MIXOLOGY

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

MUSIC CALENDAR

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

MUSIC REVIEWS

ON THE BEAT

Our cover story is written by Kevin Hale, a freelance journalist and experienced internet and television marketer living in North Chattanooga. He also enjoys chasing flying saucers and saving bees with his 6-year old son.

A lover of books, pizza, and all things happy, Brooke Brown joined The Pulse in 2016 with an brand-new English degree from UTC and an unyielding desire to correct grammar, leading her to a staff editorial position.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 5

COVER STORY

For The Love Of Coffee Our daily dose of java is good for you. Here comes the science. By Kevin Hale

Pulse contributor

OR ALMOST HALF OF AMERICANS, A HOT CUP of coffee is the way to start their day, especially during these cold winter months. And although coffee has been around for centuries, there may not be a more controversial drink that exists in our daily lives. Only recently has the science and research started to become clear as to the health benefits associated with that steaming mug of java. As you know, the news on coffee has not always been positive; in fact, the argument over the merits of your daily cup of joe dates back to the 1500s. “There has been contradictory information about coffee and a lot of people just don’t know what to believe,” says Ian Goodman of Goodman Coffee Roasters. Goodman has spent his career reading and studying coffee and tea. As a college student, he launched Greyfriar’s Coffee and Tea in Chattanooga in 1995. Confusion and mystery has surrounded coffee from its origins. Legend has it that coffee was discovered by Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder, after he caught his suddenly frisky goats eating glossy green leaves and red berries and then tried it for himself. But it was the Arabs who first started coffeehouses, and that’s where coffee got its first black mark. Patrons of coffeehouses were said to be more likely to gamble and engage in “criminally unorthodox sexual situations,” according to author Ralph Hattox. By 1511, the mayor of Mecca shut them down. He cited medical and reli-

gious reasons, saying coffee was an intoxicant and prohibited by Islamic law, even though scholars believed it was more likely a reaction to the unpopular comments about his leadership. The ban didn’t last long and coffee became so important in Turkey that it was said a lack of it provided grounds for a woman to seek a divorce. By the 1600’s, as the popularity of coffee grew and spread across the continent, the medical community began to extol its benefits. It was especially popular in England as a cure for alcoholism, one of the biggest medical problems of the time. Water wasn’t always safe to drink, so most men, women and even children turned to the hard stuff. By midcentury, local ads popularized coffee’s healthy status, claiming that it could aid digestion, prevent and cure gout and scurvy, help coughs, headaches and stomachaches, and even prevent miscarriages. But in London, women were concerned that their men were becoming impotent, and in 1674 The Women’s Petition Against Coffee asked for the closing of all coffeehouses, saying in

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part: “We find of late a very sensible Decay of that true Old English Vigour. … Never did Men wear greater Breeches, or carry less in them.” By 1730, tea had replaced coffee in London as the daily drink of choice. That preference continued in the colonies until 1773, when the famous Boston Tea Party made it unpatriotic to drink tea. Coffeehouses popped up everywhere, and the marvelous stimulant qualities of the brew were said to contribute to the ability of the colonists to work longer hours. In the mid-1800s, America was at war with itself, and one side effect was that coffee supplies ran short. Substitutes such as Kellogg’s “Caramel Coffee” and C.W. Post’s “Pos-

tum” came along introduced as a toasted grain-based beverage. They advertised with anti-coffee tirades to boost sales. C.W. Post’s ads were especially vicious claiming coffee was as bad as morphine, cocaine, nicotine or strychnine and could cause blindness. The early 20th century didn’t start out great for coffee’s reputation. While inventions and improvements in coffee pots, filters and processing advanced at a quick pace throughout the 1900s, so did medical concerns and negative public beliefs about the benefits of coffee. Good Housekeeping magazine wrote about how coffee stunts growth. And concerns continued to grow about coffee’s impact on com-

COVER STORY

“Harvard and McGill studies also found coffee helps prevent Parkinson’s and lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s. Coffee also lowers the risk of type two diabetes by 20 percent, no matter if it’s regular or decaf.” mon aliments of the era, such as nervousness, heart palpitations, indigestion and insomnia. Science Magazine’s study on September 2, 1927, didn’t help the caffeinated concoction at all. 80,000 elementary and junior high kids were asked about their coffee drinking habits and found that most of them drank more than a cup of coffee a day. When compared with those students grades, it found mostly negative results. It wasn’t until later on in the century that outrageous claims begin to surface. “There was a lot of misinformation in the 1970’s,” says Goodman. A 1973 study in the New England Journal of Medicine of more than 12,000 patients found drinking one to five cups of coffee a day increased risk of heart attacks by 60 percent, while drinking six or more cups a day doubled that risk to 120 percent. Another New England Journal of Medicine study in 1978, found a short-term rise in blood pressure after three cups of coffee. Authors called for further research into caffeine and hypertension. Research methods at the time were shoddy at best and a 38-year study by the Johns Hopkins Medical School of more than a 1,000 medical students found in 1985 that those who drank five or more cups of coffee a day were 2.8 times as likely to develop heart problems compared with those who didn’t consume coffee.

But the study asked questions only every five years and didn’t isolate smoking behavior or many other negative behaviors that tend to go along with coffee, such as doughnuts and pastries. “Consistent consumption of coffee doesn’t increase your heart rate,” adds Goodman. “Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others, though.” The turn of the century saw the rise of meta-analysis, where researchers looked at hundreds of studies and applied scientific principles to find those that do the best job of randomizing and controlling for compounding factors, such as smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and many other lifestyles issues. That means a specific study, which may or may not meet certain standards, can’t “tip the balance” one way or another. It was only then when the research methods became more advanced did the health benefits of coffee reveal themselves. Some of these data analyses found preventive benefits for cancer from drinking coffee; one showed that drinking two cups of black coffee a day could reduce the risk of liver cancer by 43 percent. Those findings were replicated in 2013 in two other studies. “Drinking black coffee can also reduce cavities,” says Justin Sweeney, owner of the Spot, a coffee shop and restaurant on East Main Street in >> Continued on pg. 8 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 7

COVER STORY

Chattanooga. Sweeney also touts coffee’s mental health benefits and how it helps alleviate depression. On the subject, he remembers a particular story about when he met his wife at a coffee shop in New Orleans. “The coffee shop was a key in the community,” he recalls. “I met her and then ran into her six months later. She happened to remember my name! So, if it doesn’t do anything else, coffee helps get you out and socialize, therefore putting you in a better mood.” Goodman concurs on the social benefits of coffee. “It brings people together,” says Goodman. He also cites a 10-year study of 86,000 female nurses that showed a reduced risk of suicide in coffee drinkers. Another study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who drank four or more cups of coffee were 20 percent less likely to suffer from depression. Another misconception is people think tea is higher in antioxidants than coffee. “Coffee is overwhelmingly the stronger antioxidant, more than green or black tea or wine,” says Goodman. “Harvard and McGill 8 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 18, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

studies also found coffee helps prevent Parkinson’s and lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s. Coffee also lowers the risk of type two diabetes by 20 percent, no matter if it’s regular or decaf. Coffee also lowers cirrhosis risks by 20 percent and lowers heart failure by 11 percent.” Something a lot of coffee drinkers may not be able to do without is what they put in their coffee. “The majority of what’s bad for you in coffee is what you add,” says Lauren Eggert, Director of Marketing for Barney’s Coffee and Tea Company. “It turns out coffee is healthier when you don’t add cream or sugar.” “It’s really come full circle in a lot of ways,” says Goodman. “Coffee is healthy like wine but not if you drink two bottles a night. Everything is moderation. The research really does seem consistent over the last three decades that coffee does have positive health effects.” Sweeney adds the fact that coffee also helps him keep up with his children, which could be attributed to the four shots of espresso he takes each morning. “Two cups of coffee after a workout also helps reduce muscle pain,” says Sweeney. “Coffee really is life in abundance. It can take your whole day and turn it around.”

COLUMN ∙ JUST A THEORY

Is The Earth Really Flat? The “Anti-Science” movement is not only wrong, it’s harmful

Steven W. Disbrow Pulse contributor

S I’VE NOTED IN THE PAST, there’s an undercurrent of anti-science that has always been a part of the American life-style. This undercurrent holds that science and the pursuit of knowledge is somehow undesirable or even “evil.” Ironically, this anti-science sentiment now spreads more quickly than ever thanks to advances in communications brought about by science. So, I thought I’d take this month’s column to push back a bit against some of the more popular anti-science concepts that are out there now. The Earth is Flat No, it isn’t. I don’t care how many YouTube videos you see that say it is, it isn’t. Even the ancients knew the Earth was a sphere and they proved it with simple experiments like…looking at the shadow of the Earth on the moon. It’s round. There. Done. You didn’t even have to launch yourself into space for this one. Vaccines cause autism No, they don’t. And even if they did, so what? Would you rather have an autistic child, or a dead one? But, again, vaccines do not cause autism. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that vaccines have made our current world possible by slowing down and in some cases halting, the spread of diseases that would otherwise make our global civilization impossible.

Vaccines have saved countless, countless lives and if you don’t vaccinate your kids, you’re putting your child’s life in danger, as well as the lives of the children around them and the elderly in your social circle. Also, get a flu shot. Yes, it’s not as effective as we’d like it to be this year, but it does work. And even at a reduced effectiveness, it reduces the effect of the flu and saves lives. Evolution isn’t real Yes it is real and it’s happening all around us all of the time. There are experiments that show it happening in real time with microbes, and there are populations of fish and birds that have been observed to evolve at such speeds that we can observe it directly over a few years. Furthermore, pretty much all of modern medicine is based on evolution. Without it as a unifying, underlying concept, very little of medicine makes sense. And, if someone you know trots out that, “If we evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?” question, ask them if they have any cousins. The reason there are still monkeys, is because monkeys are our cousins. We didn’t replace them, we have a common ancestor (like the grandparents you share with your cousins), and evolved beside them. The Earth is 6,000 years old No it isn’t. It’s about 4.5 billion years old. There are multiple lines

No, this is not accurate

of evidence (geological, fossil, etc.) that give us the same age for the earth. The belief in a “Young Earth” as it’s called, is just plain willful ignorance. Climate Change isn’t real Yes, it is. I’ve been over this multiple times in this very column, so you can go back and re-read those articles online if you want the detailed explanation. The short version is this: The planet is warming at an alarming rate, with each of the past few years hotter than the last. We’ve seen more frequent (and more extreme) weather events as a result, and they are costing us more and more each year in disaster relief and rebuilding. And, yes, it’s our fault. Human civilization is pumping out more carbon every year, which traps more heat, which pushes the climate to change faster and faster. If we don’t address it soon, it may

actually end our civilization. So there you go, five anti-science concepts that we all need to fight back against. The best way is to vote for pro-science and proeducation candidates for office. Also, get involved with your kid’s school and make sure they are teaching fact-based science. If they aren’t, show up at a PTA meeting and talk to the teachers and principal until it gets fixed. Also, don’t be afraid to engage your anti-science friends and family in a discussion of the facts. The power of science is not just in uncovering knowledge, but also in sharing it. The more knowledge we all have, the better off we all are. Steven W. Disbrow is a programmer who specializes in e-commerce and mobile systems development, an entrepreneur, comicbook nerd, writer, improviser, actor, sometime television personality and parent of two human children.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Multi-Faceted Art Of Edward Verner Multi-disciplinarian runs the gamut of compositions By Tony Mraz

Pulse contributor

Is Any Family Truly Next To Normal? Chattanooga is never on the short side of good theatre. Between our various theatres, playhouses, and university productions, Chattanooga is rife with outstanding productions, and the kick off to 2018 at the Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga is no exception. To start their lineup of 2018 productions, the ETC is putting on the award-winning musical Next to Normal. The musical is based around a family “on the brink of self-discovery” and deals with what all of us normal human being’s must face at some point or another in our lives: grief, depression, self-confidence, denial, love, and so much more. It’s show-stopping musical numbers, and outstanding cast is sure to please. Mary Beth Torgerson takes on the psychologically challenging role of Diana, a mother “stuck in a destructive past”, while veteran ETC performer Kyle Dagnan will portray an equally challenging role of Dan, a father “stuck in a veiled present.” If you know anything about Next to Normal, you’ll understand that these won’t be easy feats. And if you do, then all the more reason to come what an incredible adaptation of a play that hits so close to home for so many. — Brooke Brown Next To Normal Friday & Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 2:30 o.m. Midtown Central 5705 Uptain Rd. (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com 10 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 18, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

LL ARTISTS ARE LIKE GEMS, but there are few who have as many facets as Edward Verner. If variety is the spice of life, then this multi-disciplinarian creator is like an entire spice rack. Though the material content and composition of his work are incredibly diverse, it has a consistent quality that is timeless and macabre. One of his greatest advantages is a drive to create that he attributes to growing up with dyslexia. From a young age, he would disassemble things and rebuild them. He did this consciously, as a means of communication and expression. “I didn’t talk until I was eight years old,” he says. “I couldn’t read correctly like other kids could, so I had to figure out another way to learn. That age developmentally was a vital time. Growing up, I would create stories for myself, play with things, take them apart, deconstruct, put them back together again, so that I could grasp and understand. Looking back at it now, all those steps I took along the way, I realize I was learning my own language through what I created.” Verner’s work has gone beyond painting, to sculpting, building, and machining. He puts great care and attention to detail into every aspect of his works, from the processes he uses to where he sources his materials. “When building frames, I like to use cabinet wood that is a few hundred years old, so that a piece has more of a story to it,” Verner explains.

“Each part has a connection with something else, and the other half of the art is the story associated with it.” He was inspired early on by film. w“My earliest artistic influence visually was the first time I went to the movies by myself, to see Dune,” he says. “This turned me on to David Lynch at age 11, a film maker whom I later fell in love with. I created scenes, drawings, made toys that looked like something out of Dune. Everything after that I compared to that movie visually.” He has never chosen to concentrate on one form of construction. He has always worked on

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“A few of the projects he is currently working on are plaster sculptures, paintings, drawings, mixed media wall hangings, clocks, and road bikes.” multiple fronts, taking on many projects simultaneously. During the course of this, he noticed that they all influence one another. “I might be working on everything from a life size bust of a head to a very small drawing, and I feel a flow, in the transition between completely different mediums, maybe a certain angle that’s used or a certain curve.” Verner is constantly seeking to challenge himself. A few of the projects he is currently working on are plaster sculptures, paintings, drawings, mixed media wall hangings, clocks, and road bikes. He is doing his largest pointillism drawing thus far, a 4x4’ piece—he built the canvas for it out of masonite, and has already gone through over 15 sharpies while working on it. After long periods of staring at it, pointillism can have negative effects on vision, so he has to take regular breaks.

With his newest plaster castings, he is making life size sculptures of the human form. For these, he uses medical grade plaster because it is stronger, more versatile, and less expensive than the fine art variety. He applies a few thin layers of plaster to his subject, allows it to dry and harden, and then uses a different medium to fill the form. When looking at his plaster pieces, it is hard to tell what they are made of—they look as if they are heavy, as if made of metal or stone. This is in part because of a surface quality he achieves by staining the plaster with tattoo ink. He was a professional tattoo artist for years, and has re-purposed many of the supplies for fine art—he has a few tattoo machines that are

strong enough to use as etching tools for metal working. He uses these etching machines to create delicate filigree designs on metal. He removed all of the paint from some 1962 Raleigh bicycles, and is etching onto the polished aluminum bodies. He takes apart and rebuilds clocks, and etches the gears—and he is also building a massive 8’ wide clock from scratch, out of wood. Regardless of what media he is working with, Verner is always exploring. “I express myself best through what I create,” he says. “It is an inner dialog that I have outside myself in a tangible way—when I rebuild a clock that already works, I have something to express through that action. I like to challenge myself to create something that will translate well if it was seen in a 1920’s sci-fi movie, or 50 years from now. How is the piece going to affect me, and other people, years from now? There’s always a balancing point.”

Edward Verner Art Exhibition Friday, February 23, 7 p.m. Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St. www.facebook.com/frequencyarts

THU1.18 Tyson Smith

The Photographic Society of Chattanooga presents photographer Smith's new show, “Focus Stacking”. 7 p.m. St. John’s United Methodist 3921 Murray Hills Dr. (423) 892-2257 stjohnumc.org

FRI1.19 Chattacon 43

Get your geek on and head downtown for the annual gathering of the "wow", the "cool", and "that's amazing!" 3 p.m. The Chattanoogan Hotel 1201 Broad St. (423) 756-3400 chattacon.org

SAT1.20 Winter in West Village

Downtown lights up with food trucks, entertainment, a beer wagon, great local live bands, cocktails and a laser light show at 8 p.m. 6 p.m. West Village 802 Pine St. westvillagechattanooga.com

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Lookout Wild Film Festival

THURSDAY1.18

Used Books, CDs, Movies, & More

7734 Lee Highway • McKayBooks.com Mon-Thu 9am-9pm • Fri-Sat 9am-10pm • Sun 11am-7pm

Food Rx: A Journey Toward A Whole Food Plant-Based Diet 11 a.m. North River YMCA 4138 Hixson Pike (423) 877-3517 ymcachattanooga.org “The Man With the Golden Arm” 2, 7 p.m. Heritage House Arts Center 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474 chattanooga.gov Ooltewah Farmers Market 3 p.m. Ooltewah Nursery 5829 Main St. (423) 238-9775 ooltewahnursery.com Signal Mountain Farmers Market 4 p.m. Pruett’s Market 1210 Taft Hwy. (423) 902-8023 signalmountainfarmersmarket.com “Precarious Structures” 6 p.m. Southern Adventist University 4881 Taylor Cir. (800) 768-8437 southern.edu Wilderness First Aid Part 1 6 p.m. Outdoor Chattanoooga 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Reading and Signing with Paul Luikart

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6 p.m. Star Line Books 1467 Market St. (423) 777-5629 starlinebooks.com Photographic Society of Chattanooga: Tyson Smith 7 p.m. St. John’s United Methodist 3921 Murray Hills Dr. (423) 892-2257 stjohnumc.org Lookout Wild Film Festival 7 p.m. Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Etta May 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

Country Line Dancing Class 8 p.m. Westbound Bar 24 Station St. (423) 498-3069 westboundbar.com

FRIDAY1.19 Chattanooga Market at Erlanger 10:30 a.m. Erlanger Hospital Medical Mall 975 E. 3rd St. chattanoogamarket.com Chattacon 43 3 p.m. The Chattanoogan Hotel 1201 Broad St. (423) 756-3400 chattacon.org All In For ALS 6 p.m.

ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT What’s the best way to describe Etta May? “Minnie Pearl with a migraine.” She is the reigning Queen of Southern Sass and a longtime Chattanooga favorite. Etta May The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

Stratton Hall 3146 Broad St. (423) 667-4332 strattonhall.com Erlanger’s Dinner of Distinction 6 p.m. The Chattanoogan Hotel 1201 Broad St. (423) 756-3400 erlanger.org Kathleen Vlodek Art Exhibition 7 p.m. Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St. facebook.com/frequencyarts Lookout Wild Film Festival 7 p.m. Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Etta May 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Next To Normal 7:30 p.m. Midtown Central 5705 Uptain Rd. (423) 987-5141 Nooga! Visit Rock Village 8 p.m. First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Improv Showdown 9:30 p.m. First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Chattacon 43 (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com

SATURDAY1.20 Chattacon 43 9 a.m. The Chattanoogan Hotel 1201 Broad St. (423) 756-3400 chattacon.org Watercolor Sketching: Half-Day Workshop 9 a.m. Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com St. Albans Hixson Market 9:30 a.m. St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 7514 Hixson Pike (423) 842-6303 Landscape Painting in Acrylics with Brett Weaver 9:30 a.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Brainerd Farmers Market 10 a.m. Grace Episcopal Church 20 Belvoir Ave. (404) 245-3682 Chattanooga Women’s March 11 a.m. Coolidge Park 150 River St. (423) 643-6311 chattanoogawomensmarch.com Farmer’s Market 11 a.m.

Nutrition World 6237 Vance Rd. (423) 892-4085 nutritionw.com Civil War Author John Scales Book Signing Noon McKay’s Books 7734 Lee Hwy. (423) 892-0067 mckaybooks.com Red Wolf Feeding and Talk Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org String Theory: “Peter and the Wolf” 1 p.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Chattanooga Art Tour 1 p.m. Bluff View Arts District 411 E. 2nd St (423) 265-5033 bluffviewartdistrictchattanooga.com Michael Kessler Artist Talk & Demo 2 p.m. River Gallery 400 E. 2nd St (423) 265-5033 river-gallery.com Lookout Wild Film Festival 6 p.m. Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Winter in West Village

6 p.m. West Village 802 Pine St. westvillagechattanooga.com Etta May 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Next To Normal 7:30 p.m. Midtown Central 5705 Uptain Rd. (423) 987-5141 Week in Review 8 p.m. First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Whose Line Chattanooga 10 p.m. First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com

SUNDAY1.21 Chattacon 43 9 a.m. The Chattanoogan Hotel 1201 Broad St. (423) 756-3400 chattacon.org Landscape Painting in Acrylics with Brett Weaver 9:30 a.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com

Women’s Creative Workshop 1 p.m. LIT Gallery 4015 Tennessee Ave. (423) 401-8171 litartgallery.com Lookout Wild Film Festival 2 p.m. Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com “Winter Vistas: The Old Wauhatchie Pike” 2 p.m. Sky Harbor Court 2159 Old Wauhatchie Pike (423) 821-8619 skyharborbavarianinn.com Next To Normal 2:30 p.m. Midtown Central 5705 Uptain Rd. (423) 987-5141 Chattanooga Bach Choir Cantata Series 4 p.m. Christ Church Episcopal 663 Douglas St. (423) 266-4263 chattanoogabachchoir.org G.R. Goodwin & Friends 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

MONDAY1.22 Watercolor with Durinda Cheek 9 a.m. Townsend Atelier

301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com New Year Bellydance Session 5:45 p.m. Movement Arts Collective 3813 Dayton Blvd. (423) 401-8115 movementartscollective.com Oil Painting with Mia Bergeron 6 p.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com “Ralph McGill: A Conscious Voice from Chattanooga in the Segregated South” 6 p.m. Chattanooga Public Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattlibrary.org

TUESDAY1.23 Wake Up & Run 6 a.m. Fleet Feet Sports 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 771-7996 fleetfeetchattanooga.com Drawing Essentials with Stan Townsend 10 a.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Northside Farmers’ Market 3 p.m. Northside Presbyterian Church 923 Mississippi Ave.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Bitcoin Meetup (423) 266-1766 Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute Tour 4 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute 175 Baylor School Rd. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Bitcoin Meetup 5 p.m. Chattanooga Public Library Downtown Branch 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattlibrary.org Food Rx: A Journey Toward A Whole Food Plant-Based Diet 5:30 p.m. Chattanooga Lifestyle Center 325 Market St. (423) 803-2402 erlanger.org Tuesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m. Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com Intro To Improv 7 p.m. First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com English Country Dance For All 7 p.m. Heritage House Arts & Civic Center 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474 chattanooga.gov

14 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 18, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

WEDNESDAY1.24 Lookout Farmers Market 10 a.m. Memorial Hospital 2525 Desales Ave. lookoutfarmersmarket.com Main Street Market 4 p.m. 522 W. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com Still Life Painting Boot Camp with Melissa Hefferlin 6 p.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Using Collaging For Self Care & Expression 6 p.m. Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Jason Cheny 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Open Mic Comedy 8 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse. com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

FOOD & DRINK ∙ MIXOLOGY

A Surefire Anytime Pick Me Up Mixing the morning elixir of life with the spirits of the evening By Rebekah Jones Pulse contributor

LCOHOL HELPS YOU FORGET, but coffee makes you remember (supposedly). So what happens when you combine the two? Something interesting no doubt. Although coffee’s origin has been documented back to the 15th Century (read all about it in this week’s cover story), its popularity has risen steeply in the last decade. Specialty coffee consumption has risen over 16 percent since 2004. Every day, more than half of the adult population drinks coffee. That’s 108.9 million people. The United States itself accounts for 52 million of those coffee drinkers. Alcohol, on the other hand, has been popular since its origins around 2000 B.C. (for obvious reasons). The combination of the two, however, is relatively new in comparison. The first recorded alcoholic coffee beverages were in the early 1930’s. People had them after work or with desserts, and now they have developed into much more than just your average Irish Coffee; they’re an entire novelty of their own. Although most people know it, it is definitely worth the mention, the basic Irish Coffee. If you’re new to coffee mixed drinks, before you try anything else, you’ll want to sip on this. It’s a dip-your-toe-in-beforeyou-dive-in-headfirst kind of situation. Irish Coffee • 2 • 1 • 1 • 1

& 2/3 oz. hot coffee & 1/3 oz. Irish whiskey tsp. brown sugar oz. cream

Heat the coffee, whiskey, and sugar; do not boil. Pour into a glass and top with cream. Serve hot. Next is the Espresso Martini, a drink worthy of making Bond jealous. What you see is what you get with this drink. If you love vodka and you love the strength of a bold espresso, this one is for you. Espresso Martini • 1 oz. Absolut Vodka • 1 oz. espresso Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Black coffee is a classic for a reason, but it is not for everyone, which is why the Chocolate Mocha Latte is so popular among those with a sweet tooth. The strength of the espresso is met with the creamy milk, melted chocolate syrup, and sweet kahlúa to create the perfect sweet treat. If you think this one may be a little too sweet for your liking, substitute the Kahlúa for something darker and stronger, like whiskey. Chocolate Mocha Latte • 2 oz. espresso • 4 oz. skim milk • 3 tbsp. light chocolate syrup • 2 oz. Kahlúa Combine all ingredients in a glass filled with ice and stir. Last but definitely not least is a unique favorite: Paradise Found. This drink relies heavily on the

“Every day, more than half of the adult population drinks coffee. That’s 108.9 million people. The United States itself accounts for 52 million of those coffee drinkers. ” coffee and is helped along by two tasty ingredients: rum and butterscotch schnapps. Although it calls for a few more ingredients, it is very simple to make. Paradise Found • 6 oz. coffee • 1 oz. spiced rum • 1 oz. butterscotch schnapps • cream

• sugar • garnish: whipped cream and a coffee bean Combine all ingredients in a glass filled with ice and stir. Garnish with whipped cream and a coffee bean (if you’re feelin’ artsy.) Get knocked on your bum and get right back up with any of these delicious, unique coffee liqueur blends.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 15

MUSIC

The 9th Street Stompers Come Back To Town Musical historians take a deserved break from the road

Riding A Bluegrass Iron Horse It takes special hands to play bluegrass, and the fine tuned picking of strings and lilted vocals and harmony give bluegrass a sound all its own. Iron Horse Bluegrass combines that special sound with tributes to bands like Modest Mouse, Guns & Roses, Metallica and artists like Ozzy Osbourne, melding two genres seamlessly and making their shows something unique and wildly entertaining. Iron Horse Bluegrass consists of Tony Robertson on mandolin, Vance Henry on guitar, Anthony Richardson on banjo, and Ricky Rogers on bass, each adding their own talents in lead, tenor or low harmony vocals. Their ability to bring together two genres that wouldn’t normally be considered compatible in such a fluid manner demonstrates not only their skill in bluegrass but also the raw talent each member of the band possesses. Their out of the box thinking on crossovers caused them to be approached to record a tribute album to Metallica in 2003, and ever since they’ve been sharing their sound with the world. Their show will start at 9 p.m. this Saturday at the Revelry Room, and is 21 and up. Tickets are $12 and to see such talent for barely ten bucks is a steal. Don’t miss out! — Brooke Brown Iron Horse Bluegrass Saturday, 9 p.m. Revelry Room 41 Station St. (423) 521-2929 revelryroom.co 16 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 18, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor

HEN YOU HAVEN’T HEARD FROM or about a band in a while, you start to wonder. Are they on hiatus? Have they split up? Are they festering in a Tijuana jail? Did the rapture happen and only take them? Sometimes one or more of those things is the proper explanation. Other times, however, it’s something a bit more positive. In the case of the 9th Street Stompers, the only reason you may not have seen them around town lately, at least for a full show, is they’ve been busy touring.

Every once in a while though, it’s good to spend some time on your home turf so the Stompers, in conjunction with OddStory Brewing, have set up a show for Friday, January 26th. There is no cover charge for this 21 and up performance which scheduled to run from seven until ten that evening. The Stompers are well-known for their superlative early 20th Century style music encompassing the full run of swing, jazz, blues and gypsy, being less of a “reenactment” band than a fully modern group picking up where performers from that earlier era left off. That’s not so easy a feat as it may seem. There are groups whose whole point is to

MUSIC

“The 9th Street Stompers are one of the very few genre bands I know of who have immersed themselves in the style and trappings of a particular era of musical history.” recreate as accurately as possible a given era of music and while those bands are certainly entertaining to a point, they are also limited in their appeal and longevity, relegating themselves to the realm of novelty acts. Other groups will make a big show of being “influenced by” some particular style or genre, borrowing a few bits and pieces, sometimes with great effect and purpose, other times as mere window dressing. The 9th Street Stompers are one of the very few genre bands I know of who have immersed themselves in the style and trappings of a particular era of musical history (though they reserve the right to color outside the lines from time to time) while maintaining a complete sense of originality and freshness. Put another way, their technique is vintage, their music is brand new. That difficult melding of old and new goes a long way towards explaining their perennial appeal and ever- growing popularity.

It also explains why they are able to spend as much time on the road as they do, which in turn explains why maybe you haven’t seen them much outside of guest appearances lately, which in turn explains why this hometown gig is such a big damn deal. OddStory Brewing, located down on MLK Blvd., has carved out quite a niche for itself in a town with no dearth of breweries. Where competition is first, you either bring your best game or you get out of town, and OddStory isn’t going anywhere. Their popular line of flagship brews, including Golden Blackbird Belgian Blonde, Woven Stone Vienna Lager, Cloud Walker American Pale Ale, Monkey’s Heart India Pale Ale, and Snake Root Coconut Milk Stout have endeared them to the hearts and palates of the area’s most discriminating connoisseurs of suds. The band and the bar make for a wonderful pairing and a great way to bring some sizzle to an otherwise cold, cold winter.

ThunderSnowCone

Subterranean Cirqus and ThunderSnowCone Descend On JJ’s Bohemia River City Rumpus is at it again with another command performance by renowned Philly artists, performers and weirdoes ThunderSnowCone who are back in town to take the stake with beloved local artists, performers and weirdoes, The Subterranean Cirqus. This Saturday, the mayhem descends upon J.J.’s Bohemia starting at 9 p.m. with an ensemble cast of circus freaks, geeks, contortionists, dancers, jugglers, sword swallowers, fakirs, and pretty much any other sort of sideshow beauty you can imagine.

Always a packed house, never a dull moment, patrons are urged to get there early to enjoy the styling so such nationally known artists as Scarlett Storm, Titano Odd Fellow, Pinkie-The Princess of Pain, Rebel Rabbitt, Juno Mars, Leroy Lewis, Lazarus Hellgate, Pollyanna HighGloss, Bridgette Martin, Bobby F. Anderson and many more! It’s a night guaranteed to thrill, chill, fulfill and, probably, give you some erotic nightmares later on. Plus a lot of “did I just see what I saw?”... and yes, you did just see that. — MTM

THU1.18

FRI1.19

SAT1.20

Over Easy, Shabti

MPH

I Am The Law, FireWater Revival, Rent Veil, Bongsloth

Over Easy and Shabti will be sharing the stage, sharing equipment, and rotating 6 sets with no set change time for four hours of music. 8 p.m. Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com

You want rocking oldschool blues? You got rock old-school blues with the tightest trio in town in a very cool venue. 9 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center 752 Vine St. utc.edu/fine-arts-center

"I don't care what you play, as long as you play it loud!" Challenge accepted. 8 p.m. Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 17

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Backup Planet

THURSDAY1.18 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m. St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com River City Sessions: Busking Through The Hunter 6 p.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Forever Bluegrass 6 p.m. Whole Foods Market 301 Manufacturers Rd. wholefoodsmarket.com Prime Country Band 6:30 p.m. Motley’s 320 Emberson Dr. Ringgold, GA (706) 260-8404 Bluegrass & Country Jam 6:30 p.m. Grace Church of the Nazarene 6310 Dayton Blvd. chattanoogagrace.com Toby Hewitt 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Open Mic Night with Ryan Oyer 7 p.m.

18 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 18, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Moccasin Bend Brewing Company 3210 Broad St. bendbrewingbeer.com Bluegrass Thursdays 7:30 p.m. Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Jesse James & Tim Neal 7:30 p.m. Mexi-Wing VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. mexi-wingchattanooga.com Over Easy, Shabti 8 p.m. Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com Keepin’ It Local 8 p.m. The Social 1110 Market St.

publichousechattanooga.com John Carroll 8 p.m. The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com Open Mic Night with Jonathan Wimpee 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com The Stir w/ El Banditos 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com

FRIDAY1.19 Binji Varsossa 6 p.m.

PULSE MUSIC SPOTLIGHT Originally from the Hudson Valley in New York but now based out of Knoxville, Jonny Monster’s original mix of acoustic blues and hard dynamic electric guitar are not to be missed! The Jonny Monster Band

Saturday, 9 p.m. Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com

Cancun Mexican Restaurant 1809 Broad St. (423) 266-1461 Lew Card 7 p.m. Oddstory Brewing Company 336 E. MLK Blvd. oddstorybrewing.co Tim Lewis 7 p.m. El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Tunes on Tap 7 p.m. The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Rick Rushing and the Blues Strangers 7:30 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Flashback Bluegrass! 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Gino Fanelli 8 p.m. Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Amber Fults 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St.

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Caney Creek Company citycafemenu.com Thelma and the Sleaze, Chillhowie Royal 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com MPH 9 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center 752 Vine St. utc.edu/fine-arts-center Backup Planet 9 p.m. Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Permagroove 9 p.m. Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Zena Gottholm, One Timers, Praymantha 9 p.m. Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St. facebook.com/frequencyarts Ironchief, Beneath The Surface, remy neal 9 p.m. Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Outlaw 45 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com

SATURDAY1.20 Bluegrass Brunch

Noon The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy. thehonestpint.com String Theory: “Peter and the Wolf” 1 p.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Binji Varsossa 6 p.m. Cancun Mexican Restaurant 1809 Broad St. (423) 266-1461 Caney Creek Company 7 p.m. Songbirds Guitar Museum 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Tim Lewis 7 p.m. El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Danimal 7:30 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com I Am The Law, FireWater Revival, Rent Veil, Bongsloth 8 p.m. Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Courtney Daly and the Daly Grind

8 p.m. WRATH Burgers & Brew 61 RBC Dr. wrathbrewing.com Pamela K. Ward 8 p.m. Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Courtney Holder 8 p.m. The Casual Pint 5550 Hwy. 153 hixson.thecasualpint.com Sistern 8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org The Countrymen Band 8 p.m. Eagles Club 6130 Airways Blvd. (423) 894-9940 Taylor & Company 8 p.m. VFW Post 4848 2402 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 624-6687 Live Music 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com ThunderSnowCone, Subterranean Circus 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Iron Horse Bluegrass 9 p.m. Revelry Room 41 Station St.

revelryroom.co The Jonny Monster Band 9 p.m. Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Outlaw 45 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com

SUNDAY1.21 Cannon Hunt 11 a.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com The Mailboxes 1:30 p.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Bluegrass Jam 4 p.m. Fiddler’s Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd. (423) 994-7497 Chattanooga Bach Choir Cantata Series 4 p.m. Christ Church Episcopal 663 Douglas St. (423) 266-4263 chattanoogabachchoir.org Open Mic with Jeff Daniels 6 p.m. Long Haul Saloon 2536 Cummings Hwy. (423) 822-9775 Maria Sable 8 p.m.

Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com

MONDAY1.22 Open Mic Night 6 p.m. Puckett’s Grocery 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com String Theory: WindSync 6 p.m. The Tomorrow Building 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 521-1400 Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Open Air with Jessica Nunn 7:30 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Very Open Mic with Shawnessey Cargile 8 p.m. The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com

TUESDAY1.23 Bill McCallie and In Cahoots 6:30 p.m. Southern Belle 201 Riverfront Pkwy. chattanoogariverboat.com String Theory: WindSync 6:30 p.m.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 19

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Skeeter Shelton’s Spectrum 2 The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Danimal 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Open Mic Jam Session 7 p.m. Crust Pizza 3211 Broad St. crustpizza.com Ultrafaux: Original Gypsy Jazz 7:30 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com

WEDNESDAY1.24 No Big Deal 6 p.m. SpringHill Suites 495 Riverfront Pkwy. springhillsuites.com Old Time Fiddle & Banjo Show 6:30 p.m. Fiddler’s Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd. (423) 994-7497 Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St.

20 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 18, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

backstagechattanooga.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Skeeter Shelton’s Spectrum 2 with Joel Peterson 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Blake Morrison 8 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Cody Rogers + Parker Hodges 8 p.m. The Woodshop 5500 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 991-8876 thewoodshop.space Priscilla & Little Rickee 8 p.m. Las Margaritas 1101 Hixson Pike (423) 756-3332 Open Mic with Courtney Holder 8 p.m. The Casual Pint 5550 Hwy 153 hixson.thecasualpint.com Prime Cut Trio 9 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse. com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

RECORD REVIEWS ∙ ERNIE PAIK

Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet, Palm

Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet Ladilikan (World Circuit)

his writer has a healthy amount of skepticism for projects that meld non-western-world traditions with western-world aesthetics, so it’s refreshing— and relieving—to hear when well-intentioned musicians not only don’t embarrass themselves but also get it right. The collaborative album Ladilikan created by the Malian group Trio Da Kali and the prominent American string quartet Kronos Quartet never feels like an imposition, nor distractingly forced. The Kronos Quartet seems to function musically like lightweight prosthetic wings, fitted onto the arms of Trio Da Kali and giving

Palm Shadow Expert (Carpark)

them an extended reach and lift without weighing them down or reducing any dexterity. Trio Da Kali was assembled from members of celebrated musical families, including balafon (xylophone) virtuoso Fodé Lassana Diabaté, singer Hawa Diabaté (the daughter of acclaimed singer Kassé Mady Diabaté, and bass ngoni (lute) player Mamadou Kouyaté, the oldest son of Bassekou Kouyaté and member of Ngoni Ba. The Kronos Quartet enhances this trio delicately—but not in a flimsy or insubstantial way—and the album never feels crowded; breathtakingly fast balafon runs are mirrored by the strings with a remarkable precision, like on

“Lila Bambo.” The song arrangements don’t trample upon the songs, some of which are drawn from the traditional Mande culture of southern Mali. However, there are a few idiosyncratic details present, like the wispy string notes on “Sunjata” or the wild glissandos and calculated squeaks and grinds on “Eh Ya Ye” perhaps evoking the failed attempts of a fraudulent marabout (West African cleric) to conjure a jinn, as part of the song’s storyline (the lesson: don’t let your mouth write a check your ass can’t cash). Hawa Diabaté sings with a powerful, hearty conviction, and she reminded Kronos Quartet founder and violinist David Harrington of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. So, it’s no accident that a rendition of the gospel song “God Shall Wipe All Tears Away”—previously sung by Jackson and here translated to the Bamana language—is here, with the quartet contributing sustained string notes that resonate like church organ chords. The album’s title track adapts Jackson’s “I’m Going to Live the Life I Sing About in My Song” and is an indictment of hypocrisy, extended to cover violent religious extremism, matched with

passionate playing and unflinching lyrics, like the translated line “You can’t pray on Friday, then go out on Saturday and chop off limbs and murder little children.” Ladilikan isn’t watered down “world music” for western audiences, but instead, it magnifies and enhances where cultures— and faiths—overlap.

ere’s an interesting question this writer encountered on an online forum: if faced with a permanent choice today, would you rather only be able to listen to music from the past or music that has yet to come out? This writer wouldn’t hesitate to go with only listening to music from the past, although bands such as the Philadelphia quartet Palm make him think that the future of music can still hold surprises, even with the common rock combo lineup of two guitars and a bass/drums rhythm section. The 6-song EP Shadow Expert is invigorating in spirit and execution, tossing off herky jerky tempo changes effortlessly along with tight math-rock patterns that sometimes bring to mind This Heat. Dissonance is used as seasoning, and the seemingly flawless musicianship recalls the

rigorous and unconventional rhythmic tug of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. It’s a release that seems like it wants to be simultaneously difficult and challenging while agreeable, easygoing and playful, particularly with the pop-oriented vocals, such as the vocal harmonies on “Two Toes” that wouldn’t sound out-of-place on some radio station broadcast in the ‘70s. The band’s precision imbued with a recreational attitude provides a sort of sporty mood; for example, on “Sign to Signal,” the off-kilter guitars act as if they are dueling and taking turns firing at each other with colorful paintball pellets, perhaps magnified by the stereo channel separation. The track also throws the listener off balance by slyly and subtly shaving just a fraction of a second off its rhythmic pattern. Despite the band’s prickly approach, the title track is actually bright and hopeful, using octaveseparate notes and distinctively chiseled guitar timbres, evoking a shiny sharpness. Shadow Expert is a snappy and arresting EP brimming with vim and vigor that has more ideas and bristling energy than most albums do, nowadays.

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CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 21

FILM & TELEVISION

Championing The Power Of The Press

The Post reminds us of the vital need for a free press

A Stark Look At Heroin Addiction The International Film Series at the Heritage House Arts & Civic Center kicks off their 2018 season this Thursday night with a Frank Sinatra classic. Noted as the first mainstream American feature film to focus on the issue of drug addiction as the central theme, 1955’s The Man With The Golden Arm helped build the reputation of Otto Preminger as a director not shy about tackling controversial issues. In fact, the Motion Picture Association of America originally refused to issue a seal for this movie because it shows drug addiction. The next year the production code was changed to allow movies to deal with drugs, kidnapping, abortion and prostitution. This milestone film pulls no punches, portraying heroin addiction in stark, dramatic terms and setting the standard against which later drug addiction films would be compared. Frank Sinatra, his singing career temporarily in eclipse, delivers a masterful performance, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1955. There will be two screenings, a matinee at 2 p.m. and an evening screening at 7 p.m. Admission is free and light refreshments will be available. — Michael Thomas The Man With the Golden Arm Thursday, 2, 7 p.m. Heritage House Arts Center 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474 www.chattanooga.gov 22 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 18, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor

IVEN THE POLITICAL CLIMATE, IT makes sense that The Post is being released now. Art is often a reflection of national consciousness. Our movies reveal what we, as a people, are thinking far more than most people realize. Right now, the news media is facing a time of persecution. It can be argued that the charged attitude towards the Fourth Estate is one of their own making, borne out of the popularity of entertainment journalism and the twenty-four-hour news cycle. There has long been an insistence that journalists in this country are biased against conservatives, which in turn caused a massive overcorrection in the form of Fox News. These thoughts have come to a head in the past year, with the current occupant of the White House calling many mainstream news organizations the

enemy of the American people and regularly attacking them at every turn. Given that the president lies about most things, these assertions can be dismissed out of hand. Politicians and journalists have long had an uneasy relationship—a symbiosis necessary for both policy promotion and newspaper sales. It can be sometimes friendly, sometimes adversarial. Friendless only exists to a point, though. Any journalist too friendly with a politician runs the risk of losing credibility. The news exists to inform the public and protect them from the people they elected, lest those they elected become to self-interested. These ideas are the forefront of The Post, an excellent addition to the Spielberg filmography. The Post tells the story of a scrappy, local, and family owned newspaper known as The Washington Post. Before Jeff Bezos, before Democracy Dies in Darkness, on the cusp of the scandal that would bring down a president, Katherine Graham was the owner and publisher of the newspaper.

FILM & TELEVISION

“Spielberg isn’t as heavy handed as he might have been, although there’s no love lost for Nixon and his administration, shown as shadowy and evil, authoritarian in every sense of the word.” The Washington Post has long been thought of as the kid brother of The New York Times. Graham’s tenure came on the heels of her husband’s death by suicide, thrusting her into a position she wasn’t prepared for and likely never quite wanted. She was tasked with maintaining the paper her father owned for posterity and prestige. Portrayed by Meryl Streep with a kind of nervous strength, The Post tells the story of a tense moment in American history. Daniel Ellsburg, a whistling blowing Marine turned analyst, has turned over pages from a damning study on the Vietnam War to The New York Times, a study that, among other things, shows that the U.S. has long known that the war was unwinnable but continued the conflict to avoid embarrassment on the world stage. Richard Nixon orders an injunction on the NYT, forbidding them from publishing further in-

formation by claiming that doing so would damage the U.S. and constitutes treason. Ellsburg then leaks the same information to the Post. Editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) insists the paper publish, despite everyone involved facing serious consequences if the courts don’t decide in favor of the freedom of the press. The film is tense and uplifting, painting reporters and journalists as guardians of democracy. Of course, there is no more competent director than Steven Spielberg and no more consistent actors than Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. The film was always going to be well made. The question becomes then: is the film consequential? It certainly portrays a moment in history as gripping and weighty. Spielberg isn’t as heavy handed as he might have been, although there’s no love lost for Nixon and his administration, shown as shadowy and evil, au-

thoritarian in every sense of the word. Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood) has some especially harrowing words describing him in one highly effective scene. Still, the film doesn’t quite rise above a good vs. evil tale. Its lessons are learned but it doesn’t argue that they need to be regularly revisited. Maybe that’s a lesson for today’s journalists and tomorrow’s movies. There will be plenty of fodder for Hollywood drama to come out of the current administration, maybe even more for farce and comedy. As we’re watching it unfold, it seems like a time period we’d all be eager to forget. Twitter is unlikely to let us. Maybe I’m optimistic, but I think there’s plenty of integrity left at places like The Washington Post and The New York Times. Spielberg thinks so too. We’ll just have to wait and see if we’re right.

✴ ✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴ ✴

12 Strong 12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban. Director: Nicolai Fuglsig Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon

Den of Thieves A gritty crime saga which follows the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank. Director: Christian Gudegast Stars: Gerard Butler, Jordan Bridges, Pablo Schreiber

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 23

THE COMIX

24 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 18, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ∙ ROB BREZSNY CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Bubble gum is more elastic and less sticky than regular chewing gum. That’s why you can blow bubbles with it. A Capricorn accountant named Walter Diemer invented it in 1928 while working for the Fleer Chewing Gum Company. At the time he finally perfected the recipe, the only food dye he had on hand was pink. His early batches were all that color, and a tradition was born. That’s why even today, most bubble gum is pink. I suspect a similar theme may unfold soon in your life. The conditions present at the beginning of a new project may deeply imprint the future evolution of the project. So try to make sure those are conditions you like! AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “When one door closes, another opens,” said inventor Alexander Graham Bell. “But we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened.” Heed his advice, Aquarius. Take the time you need to mourn the lost opportunity. But don’t take MORE than the time you need. The replacement or alternative to what’s gone will show up sooner than you think. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Gilbert Stuart painted the most famous portrait of America’s first president, George Washington. It’s the image on the U.S. one-dollar bill. And yet Stuart never finished the masterpiece. Begun in 1796, it was still a work-in-progress when Stuart died in 1828. Leonardo da Vinci had a similar type of success. His incomplete painting The Virgin and Child with St. Anne hangs in the Louvre in Paris, and his unfinished The Adoration of the Magi has been in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery since 1671. I propose that Stuart and da Vinci serve as your role models in the coming weeks. Maybe it’s not merely OK if a certain project of yours remains unfinished; maybe that’s actually the preferred outcome. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Many American women did not have the right to vote until August 18, 1920. On that day, the Tennessee General Assembly became the 36th state legislature to approve the Nineteenth Amendment, thus sealing the legal requirements to change the U.S. Constitution and ensure women’s suffrage. The ballot in Tennessee was close. At the last minute, 24-year-old legislator Harry T. Burns changed his mind from no to yes, thanks to a letter from his mother, who asked him to “be a good boy” and vote in favor. I suspect that in the coming weeks, Aries, you will be in a pivotal position not unlike Burns’. Your decision could affect more people than you know. Be a good boy or good girl. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the

coming weeks, Destiny will be calling you and calling you and calling you, inviting you to answer its summons. If you do indeed answer, it will provide you with clear instructions about what you will need to do expedite your ass in the direction of the future. If on the other hand you refuse to listen to Destiny’s call, or hear it and refuse to respond, then Destiny will take a different tack. It won’t provide any instructions, but will simply yank your ass in the direction of the future. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Looks like the Season of a Thousand and One Emotions hasn’t drained and frazzled you. Yes, there may be a pool of tears next to your bed. Your altar might be filled with heaps of ashes, marking your burnt offerings. But you have somehow managed to extract a host of useful lessons from your tests and trials. You have surprised yourself with the resilience and resourcefulness you’ve been able to summon. And so the energy you’ve gained through these gritty triumphs is well worth the price you’ve had to pay. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Every relationship is unique. The way you connect with another person—whether it’s through friendship, romance, family, or collaborative projects—should be free to find the distinctive identity that best suits its special chemistry. Therefore, it’s a mistake to compare any of your alliances to some supposedly perfect ideal. Luckily, you’re in an astrological period when you have extra savvy about cultivating unique models of togetherness. So I recommend that you devote the coming weeks to deepening and refining your most important bonds. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): During recent weeks, your main tasks have centered around themes often associated with strain and struggle: repair, workaround, reassessment, jury-rigging, adjustment, compromise. Amazingly, Leo, you have kept your suffering to a minimum as you have smartly done your hard work. In some cases you have even thrived. Congratulations on being so industrious and steadfast! Beginning soon, you will glide into a smoother stage of your cycle. Be alert for the inviting signs. Don’t assume you’ve got to keep grunting and grinding. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (18631944) created four versions of his iconic artwork The Scream. Each depicts a person who seems terribly upset, holding his head in his hands and opening his mouth wide as if unleashing a loud shriek. In 2012, one of these images of despair was sold for almost $120 million. The money went to the son of a man who had been Munch’s friend and patron. Can

JONESIN' CROSSWORD ∙ MATT JONES

you think of a way that you and yours might also be able to extract value or get benefits from a negative emotion or a difficult experience? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to do just that. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “I think I like my brain best in a bar fight with my heart,” says poet Clementine von Radics. While I appreciate that perspective, I advise you to do the opposite in the coming weeks. This will be a phase of your astrological cycle when you should definitely support your heart over your brain in bar fights, wrestling matches, shadow boxing contests, tugs of war, battles of wits, and messy arguments. Here’s one of the most important reasons why I say this: Your brain would be inclined to keep the conflict going until one party or the other suffers ignominious defeat, whereas your heart is much more likely to work toward a winwin conclusion. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): When he was 24 years old, Scorpio-born Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398) was a novice monk with little money who had just learned to read and write. He had spent years as a wandering beggar. By the time he was 40 years old, he was the emperor of China and founder of the Ming Dynasty, which ruled for 276 years. What happened in between? That’s a long story. Zhu’s adventurousness was a key asset, and so was his ability as an audacious and crafty tactician. His masterful devotion to detailed practical matters was also indispensable. If you are ever in your life going to begin an ascent even remotely comparable to Zhu’s, Scorpio, it will be in the coming ten months. Being brave and enterprising won’t be enough. You must be disciplined and dogged, as well. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 1892, the influential Atlantic Monthly magazine criticized Sagittarian poet Emily Dickinson, saying she “possessed an extremely unconventional and grotesque fancy.” It dismissed her poetry as incoherent, and declared that an “eccentric, dreamy, half-educated recluse” like her “cannot with impunity set at defiance the laws of gravitation and grammar.” This dire diss turned out to be laughably wrong. Dickinson is now regarded as one of the most original American poets. I offer this story up as a pep talk for you, Sagittarius. In the coming months, I suspect you’ll be reinventing yourself. You’ll be researching new approaches to living your life. In the course of these experiments, others may see you as being in the grip of unconventional or grotesque fantasy. They may consider you dreamy and eccentric. I hope you won’t allow their misunderstandings to interfere with your playful yet serious work.

“Portrayed-Off”—something’s lost in the interpretation. ACROSS 1 Trivia contest locales 5 Went over like ___ balloon 10 Sheep sounds 14 Racecar driver Luyendyk whose son is currently “The Bachelor” 15 How some rooms are lit 16 Shrek or Fiona, e.g. 17 Hanging around, being a particle, losing its charge, catching up on reading, etc.? 19 Like some histories 20 Piece of property 21 Gym fixture 23 Take out 25 May honoree 26 Anticipating a little devil? 33 Furor 34 Leachman of “Young Frankenstein” 35 Caffeinecontaining nut 37 “Rebel Without a Cause” costar Sal

39 “Superman” archvillain Luthor 40 Abate 41 Tennis player Wawrinka 42 Copper coating 44 “May ___ now?” 45 Nonexistent grades like “G+”? 48 “Westworld” network 49 Photos, slangily 50 Chain that sells a lot of cups 56 Time periods 60 “Free Willy” whale 61 “Give it up!” (or what the theme answers do) 63 Clock face 64 Pulitzer-winning novelist Alison 65 Spiced tea beverage 66 Gardener’s purchase 67 Streisand title role of 1983 68 Russian ruler, before 1917 DOWN 1 NATO phonetic alphabet letter

after Oscar 2 Web addresses 3 Confirmation ___ 4 Iroquois League nation 5 Big bother 6 Pick-me-up 7 Abu Dhabi leader, for instance 8 Lip balm ingredient 9 Phenomenal performers 10 Soundstage equipment that hangs high 11 Cultural leader? 12 Kazakhstan border “Sea” that’s really a lake 13 Auction off 18 Exterior finish for some houses 22 Palme ___ (Cannes Film Festival prize) 24 ___ Tuesday (“Voices Carry” group) 26 Water filter brand name 27 Kidney-related 28 “The Dark Knight” trilogy director 29 “Lady Bird”

writer-director Gerwig 30 Hyphenated descriptor for a repairperson 31 Recurrent theme 32 Not-so-subtle promos 33 Contacts online, for short 36 Abbr. on military mail 38 Spellbind 40 Sumptuous 42 In a self-satisfied way, maybe 43 Little bite 46 Flow’s counterpart 47 Look forward to 50 Covers with turf 51 Muse, for one 52 Antioxidantrich berry 53 Heavy metal’s Mötley ___ 54 “Freak on a Leash” band 55 Barbecue rod 57 Satisfied sounds 58 March Madness gp. 59 Make Kool-Aid 62 ___ Aviv, Israel

Copyright © 2018 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents perminute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 867 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 25

COLUMN ∙ ON THE BEAT

Thinking Outside The Needle Has Philadelphia found a more effective way to treat drug addiction?

Alex Teach

Pulse columnist

They found her out in the fields About a mile from home Her face was warm from the sun But her body was cold I heard a policeman say Just another overdose ...Just another overdose “Heroin Girl” — Everclear

“S

AFE INJECTION SITES.” I CAN remember the first time I heard of this phenomena…partly because it was too shocking to the conscious to conceive as real and partly because the concept of being “shocked” is clearly coming to an end in this world, but mostly because I’d only heard of it maybe five days prior to writing this. For those blissfully unaware, this is a mechanism in which people bring their own drugs to shoot up under the watch of medical staffing a facility that provides clean needles and other equipment. Advocates say the goal is to provide a bridge to treatment. The tip of the spear (needle?) in this case is the City of Philadelphia, who cites success stories from 90 other such facilities across the world—none of which are on American soil, of course. They are at this point because they are clearly desperate as a city who saw over 1,200 fatal overdoses last year. (That was “twelve-HUNDRED”… drug related overdoses, so yes. You get to be “desperate” at such a point.)

The city’s new district attorney, Larry Krasner, has promised he would not prosecute users at the safe-injection site. “Supervised injection sites are a form of harm reduction,” says Krasner, who was sworn into office just last week. “The only way to get people to turn their lives around,” he says, “is to keep them alive long enough so they can do that. And we’re going to do that.” Did I mention that this was the District Attorney for the City of Philadelphia? The size and lethality of the problem, Krasner says, should be shifting the conversation away from the country’s long history of responding to drug users with criminal punishment…which conveniently leads us to the slack-jawed response of law enforcement. You can brace yourself but as it turns out, the Philly Police Commissioner (Richard Ross) has a hard time signing off on designating a legal place for the use of an illegal narcotic...but his opinion may be moot because the Federal Government has already promised to “aggressively crack down” on similar plans in Vermont. Patrick Trainer, a special agent out of the Philly DEA’s field office, politely states “This…is just not a concept we can get behind.” Would a centralized spot not attract dealers and therefore increase sales? And if the overdoses continued…what was the next step? Government supplied drugs as well as a government facility to

26 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 18, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

“The only way to get people to turn their lives around,” Krasner says, “is to keep them alive long enough so they can do that. And we’re going to do that.” inject illegal drugs “for the greater good”? This is an opinion column and my word limit is drawing near, so what’s your humble narrators take on this idea? Philadelphia’s fatal overdose rate is four times that of its homicide rate. This is, at best, an average number from city to city (Chattanooga included). People are shooting up with or without OD’ing under bridges, in alleyways, on the streets, in abandoned buildings…not to mention

the backyards and stoops and basements of our houses, our elementary schools and churches. My opinion is only that whatever we are doing now is clearly not working. We’re all in the same boat and I’m just “the help” after all, so the real question is… what do you think our next step should be? When officer Alexander D. Teach is not patrolling our fair city on the heels of the criminal element, he spends his spare time volunteering for the Boehm Birth Defects Center.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 18, 2018 • THE PULSE • 27