The Pulse 15.04 » January 25, 2018

JIMMY DORMIRE · THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES · COMING OF AGE

JANUARY 25, 2018

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

Weeding Out Our Food Deserts Fighting to ensure everyone in Chattanooga has access to a healthy diet

VOL. 15, NO. 4 • JANUARY 25, 2018

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THE LEVITT AMP MUSIC SERIES

The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation has named Chattanooga as one of 15 small to midsized towns and cities across America to win a Levitt AMP Grant Award of $25,000.

FROM NOVEL TO TV TO THE CIRCLE THEATRE

If you really want to step back into the world of early 20th century Great Britain, then look no further than Agatha Christie’s “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” at the Theatre Centre.

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THE FLOWING POSITIVE CHEMISTRY OF THE GUITAR

Raised in a music-friendly household in Michigan on a diet of country music and Motown soul along with rock, Jimmy Dormire has forged a remarkable career.

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HOLLYWOOD LOVES A COMING OF AGE STORY

Every year, Hollywood releases a good comingof-age story. It’s a popular genre, one that has been rewritten over and over again, in a variety of ways. Last year, we saw The Edge of Seventeen.

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Weeding Out Our Food Deserts When new customers come in the market on the first floor of Patton Towers, an affordable housing space in the downtown, Bingo’s Market manager Tara Williams will ask if they are familiar with what the market is trying to accomplish and if they have any suggestions on what they would like to find nestled in among its shelves.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 3

BEGINNINGS ∙ CITY LIFE

Levitt AMP Music Series Returns Chattanooga wins $25K grant for second year of concert series

By Mary Howard Ade Pulse constributor

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 Mary Howard Ade • Adam Beckett Rob Brezsny • Daniel Jackson Matt Jones • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib • Michael Thomas Brandon Watson • Addie Whitlow Editorial Interns Adrienne Kaufmann • Austin M. 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.

T

HE MORTIMER & MIMI LEVITt Foundation has named Chattanooga as one of 15 small to mid-sized towns and cities across America to win a Levitt AMP Grant Award of $25,000 in matching funds to present a free concert series on the lawn of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center.

“We are beyond excited to receive funding for the second year in a row to produce the Levitt AMP Chattanooga Music Series,” says Chattanooga CEO & President, Bob Doak.

“Last year, this series did an incredible job uniting the community in one of our city’s most historic districts for some of today’s best entertainers. We are grateful to the Levitt Foundation and to our local partners for making this happen. I can’t wait to see what 2018 brings.”

Jazzanooga submitted its Levitt AMP proposal and will oversee the production and talent booking for the series. Jazzanooga is partnering with the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, Bessie Smith Cultural Center, and the City’s Office of Multicultural Affairs.

“Last year, I was honored to work alongside my community partners to not only highlight the cultural and historic significance of the MLK Blvd. district, but to also provide a free and safe community space to celebrate our city’s unique diversity through music. I was pleasantly surprised and very humbled to see that our city has received support from the Levitt Foundation another year,” says Shane Morrow, Jazzanooga CoFounder & Director.

In June, the Levitt Foundation invited nonprofits to submit proposals that would reflect the three goals of the Levitt AMP awards: Amplify community pride and the city’s unique character; enrich lives through

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“Last year, this series did an incredible job uniting the community in one of our city’s most historic districts for some of today’s best entertainers.” the power of free, live Music; and illustrate the importance of vibrant public Places. Nonprofits that received a previous Levitt AMP grant were eligible to reapply.

“We are thrilled to announce the 2018 Levitt AMP Grant Awards winners. Each made a compelling case for how the Levitt AMP Music Series will create vibrancy in a public space and strengthen the social and economic fibers of their communities,” says Sharon Yazowski, Executive Director of the Levitt Foundation.

“It will be exciting to see the positive impact of last year’s Levitt AMP Chattanooga Music Series

continue on the lawn of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, shining additional light on the historic Martin Luther King District and helping to reestablish the area as a thriving cultural destination.”

2017 local headliner, Nick Lutsko was effusive in his praise for the series. “We had a blast playing Levitt, and it was really great to check out all of the other amazing talent as well,” he says. “It was exciting to play in such a historical part of the city, known for its musical heritage, and to see people gathering on the boulevard today, once again for music. We’re so thrilled to hear it will be returning in 2018.”

Consider This with Dr. Rick

EdiToon

by Rob Rogers

“What you believe about yourself on the inside is what you will manifest on the outside.”

Putting Chattanooga On The Innovation Map It’s no secret that Chattanooga is a hotbed of innovation, but what might surprise some ‘nooga natives is how far and wide this news has spread.

I learned this a few years ago when a friend from Scotland told me she studied Chattanooga’s renaissance in an urban planning class at her Scottish university. “The New Localism”, a book by the Brookings Institution’s Bruce Katz and the Lindy Institute’s Jeremy Nowak, features Chattanooga as a city that is developing bold solutions to urban problems.

This Monday, Chattanoogans

have the opportunity to meet Katz and Nowak, buy a signed copy of “The New Localism”, and attend a panel discussion with Katz, Nowak, and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. This free event will be held at the Edney Innovation Center and is

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 7

a fantastic opportunity to learn more about what makes Chattanooga unique.

Innovation Center President Ken Hays states, “We believed that by intentionally bringing talented knowledge workers together and giving them the tools and resources they need to thrive, we could spark the kind of innovations that will help prepare Chattanooga for the 21st century economy—and we were right.”

Get all the details and register online at the Enterprise Center’s Facebook page at facebook.com/theenterprisectr — Adrienne Kaufmann

We have two worlds. Our inner world, filled with private experiences, thoughts, feelings, doubts, joys, confusion, grief…all that we experience as we traverse life in this wild, adventurous state of being human.

Our outer world is our environment.

From your office desk through your favorite haunts around town, to whatever surrounds you that others can also see and perhaps share with you.

Your inner world and outer world have a deep relationship. If you are happy and content within, your exterior will reflect happiness. If you’re depressed and angry, you will experience an angry world. If you love yourself, you’ll be around love. What is in is out, and vice versa.

Take a careful look at your immediate environment. How is it reflecting what is happening within? Chaos around you, confusion within? Peace in, peace out?

Consider this: In life, the question is not “Why me?” but rather, “What is this here to teach me?”

— Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

AIR BAG

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

12

ARTS CALENDAR

19

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

16

MUSIC CALENDAR

21

NEW IN THEATERS

18

MUSIC REVIEWS

24

GAME ON!

Daniel Jackson is an independent journalist working in the Chattanooga area. He studied Communications at Bryan College and covered national events at the Washington Times. Follow him on Twitter @jcksndnl

David Traver Adolphus, our resident car geek, is a freelance automotive researcher who recently quit his full-time job writing about old cars to pursue his lifelong dream of writing about old AND new cars.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 5

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COLUMN ∙ AIR BAG

Our Big Dumb Automotive Future Connected everything comes to cars and it is simply stupid

David Traver Adolphus Pulse contributor

I

N THE ERA OF ALEXA EVERYTHING and the smarthome, you’d expect cars to leap onto that connected bandwagon, and they have, as much as things with wheels can leap.

If you’re a curmudgeon, which I think most people secretly are, deep down where we keep our secrets and all our best lint, you’d expect it to be pointless and stupid because beyond navigation and voice commands, how much does your car actually need to do?

Good news, then, NIMBY off-my-lawners, because I can sum up exactly how idiotic the connected car future is with one, I guess, equation: C-V2X. C-V2X is what Ford has requested the press call “cellular vehicle-to-everything”, which from the skimpy details offered at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, CES, is a mesh communications network that includes car-to-car data transfer. The idea being if the car around the corner from you has an accident, your car would know about it in real time, and you could then have a software crash first, then followed by a real one.

Hyundai and Mercedes thought, the heck with formulae. Ford merely adopted stupid.

We were born in it, molded by it, and introduced, ugh, artificial intelligence entertainment systems for cars.

Hyundai’s version is called the Intelligent Personal Cockpit and is a dashboard AI that does something something jargon I

can’t even. It “voice-enables virtually every command” and “serves as a personal assistant and even checks the driver’s vital signs so the vehicle can take action if the driver is stressed.”

Weak sauce, Hyundai.

Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX—that’s right, Em Bucks) features a pair of 12-inch wide holographic touchscreens for you to poke at while you rear end a street sweeper. The best part is that it’s going into production this year on the A-class. MBUX (“Mmm buxxx”) replaces the entire traditional dashboard, console, gauges and everything else; “learns thanks to artificial intelligence;” “can be individualized and adapts to suit the user;” and “creates an emotional connection between the vehicle, driver and passengers.”

Which is great, because you use it—and this is true—by saying “Hey Mercedes,” which is exactly what you want your spouse to hear you mumbling in the garage. Like all connected cars, it’s continually online and receiving over-the-air updates so it will almost immediately brick your screens and thus your $60,000 “entry level” Mercedes.

None of that even remotely compares to the Toyota e-Palette (seriously) one of five (seriously) i- or e- prefix vehicles they are sucking our brains out with. All I can do is quote them, because the eightwheeled i-TORTureBox had an entire MBA program glossary thrown at it.

“I’ve barely touched on the iceberg of a future where we are supposed to want to be pals with our cars.”

The e-Palette “is a fully-automated, next generation battery electric vehicle (BEV) designed to support a range of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) offerings. Created as part of a new mobility service business partnership, the e-Palette Alliance, the concept vehicle provides an open interior design layout that is scalable and customizable for various uses—including logistics services, ride sharing, and other on-the-road e-commerce.”

I’ve barely touched on the iceberg of a future where we are supposed to want to be pals with our cars that we call by porn star names and surround us with blinky lights and, I assume, slushy dispensers.

Is it just me? Kitschy AIs are not what I want out of my future—you

just know you’ll be able to download an emoji pack for your Mercedes that pops up a big embarrassed face when you drift out of your lane.

Maybe it still seems like a good idea, but say that when your infotainment has been taken over by Russian spam bots playing ads for sketchy casinos, or automated McDonalds popups every time you stop near one.

The automated, connected future is going to make itself not smart, but exactly as dumb as we deserve. Let’s just hope it stays off my lawn.

David Traver Adolphus is a freelance automotive researcher who quit his full time job writing about old cars to pursue his lifelong dream of writing about old AND new cars.

Follow him on Twitter as @proscriptus.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 7

COVER STORY

Weeding Out Our Food Deserts Fighting to ensure everyone in Chattanooga has access to a healthy diet

By Daniel Jackson Pulse contributor

B

INGO’S MARKET, A MERE FOUR-AND-A-HALF months old, is in full start-up phase. Just ask Tara Williams, manager at the market. When new customers come in the market on the first floor of Patton Towers, an affordable housing space in the downtown, she’ll ask if they are familiar with what the market is trying to accomplish and if they have any suggestions on what they would like to find nestled in among its shelves.

By the cash register, the store keeps a running list of those suggestions. And in a quiet moment when guests are not shopping for Gatorade, Georgiagrown pinto beans and Tylenol, she glances through it.

Two round tables sit in the center of the store. A refrigeration unit hums while a sage and citrus Yankee Candle burns by the register. One person suggested Ginger Ale. Williams strikes it out. It’s a no-no. The store doesn’t sell items with high fructose corn syrup.

Like a bodega corner store that you might find in New York City, Bingo’s Market tries to offer a little bit for everybody. It offers cans of La Croix for workers in the nearby Edney Innovation Center, for example. But there are some notable differences. Gone are the offerings of beer, so is the quintessential bodega cat.

The primary goal of the market— which was established by the YMCA with help from Causeway, the Lyndhurst Foundation and The Enterprise Center—is to bring healthy food options to the residents of Patton Towers. Without

Bingo’s, many would have to hop on a CARTA bus to the closest Food City stores, either on Brainerd Road or Tennessee Avenue. Without the market, poverty plus the distance to healthy, affordable food options would mean the residents of Patton Towers would be living in a food desert.

The market’s customers include Melissa Yother, who before Bingo’s, would sometimes take a buggy and walk to Publix on the Northshore, she said, taking breaks and enjoying the walk. Being a diabetic, she shops at Bingo’s often for their selection of fruits and veggies.

Verna Stone, on the other hand, got her groceries at Buehler’s Market until it closed in April. She usually catches the elevator from her apartment above and walks through the market’s door once maybe twice a day, often to get a bottle of peach iced tea.

“The people is nice in here,” Stone said. “They treat you with respect.”

Part of William’s job is explaining healthy foods, just what is organic foods and why they are preferable to produce treated with pesticides, for example.

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Bingo’s Market is one of the most recent efforts to shrink the food deserts in this city, to provide healthy, affordable food to low income residents who might not have the ability to drive out and get it.

Over the last few years, the city has continued to search for long-term solutions to food deserts. What seems to be working at the moment isn’t attracting supermarkets, but smaller initiatives, like corner stores.

In the coming months, Bingo’s market is working on becoming self-sustaining, attracting a reliable stream of customers so it can continue to open its doors.

“We need the support of the community if this is to continue,” Williams said.

By the numbers It’s not just Chattanooga. The USDA’s Economic Research Service estimated about 19 million Americans

live in food deserts.

Essentially, the USDA defines a food desert as a census tract where 20 percent of the residents live below the poverty line and at least 33 percent live more than a mile away from a grocery store if in an urban area.

If that census tract is rural, then 33 percent of the residents have to live more than 10 miles from a grocery store.

Furthermore, a significant number of households in food deserts don’t have vehicles to travel the distance to the store.

According to the Food Access Research Atlas produced with data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2015, the food deserts in the City of Chattanooga include many of the familiar names that often are mentioned when it comes to issues surrounding poverty: Alton Park, East Lake, and the Chattanooga

COVER STORY neighborhoods to the east that include Gaylon Heights and Eastdale.

Chattanooga’s food deserts are the same places that face significant health problems due to unhealthy diets. According to data recently published by the Centers for Disease Control through their 500 Cities project, these are often the same census tracts that face increased numbers of people with diabetes and obesity, which can exacerbate health problems.

Interestingly enough, neighborhoods like North Chattanooga and Riverview suffer the highest numbers of binge drinkers. The places where food deserts reign show the lowest instances of that “unhealthy behavior,” according to the CDC. Band-Aids Bill Rush, project manager at the Chattanooga YMCA, remembers a time when access to affordable, healthy food wasn’t as big a concern in Chattanooga.

“I lived in East Chattanooga, I grew up in Chattanooga, and we had a grocery store,” Rush recalled. “It was called Red Food, five blocks from the house.

Now that store is empty and it’s been empty for years.”

Like any other business, Rush said, grocery stories need steady traffic in order to be sustainable.

Six years ago, Food Lion announced that it was closing six of its stores in the Chattanooga area, exacerbating the city’s access to food.

In the meantime, several organizations have started community gardens, for example. The Brainerd Farmer’s Market, which is held near the edge of a food desert boundary, accepts SNAP (the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) and EBT card purchases, according to its website, and it even got a grant that matched those purchases, effectively doubling the purchasing power to buy produce at that market.

Besides Bingo’s Market, the YMCA

“Over the last few years, the city has continued to search for long-term solutions to food deserts.” offers the Mobile Market, which rides a circuit to the Emma Wheeler Homes, Gateway Towers and College Hill Courts, for example. It is a trailer that stops, and opens up essentially a one-aisle store.

According to Rush, it was only meant to be a temporary solution until something more permanent could be found.

“The real story isn’t whether it’s going to be around for the next 100 years, the real story is, is it helping someone now?” Rush said speaking about the Mobile Market. “We know people have changed their diet, we know people lower their blood pressure medicine because of their diet.

So, there are things beyond measurement.”

The Mobile Market first started making 12 stops. Now it makes nine. That was because a few community corner stores started offering more fresh fruits and veggies, and other healthy options, Rush said.

Meanwhile, Laura Kilpatrick, director of agency and government relations at The Chattanooga Area Food Bank, said the organization distributed 16.3 million pounds of food across

the Chattanooga area and surrounding counties last year.

“Chances are if a church or nonprofit is doing hunger relief, they are getting their food from us,” Kilpatrick said.

CAFB hands food out to school children who might not have guarantees of meals on the weekends. It assists filling the coolers of community kitchens. It helps compile and distribute food boxes that weigh over 50 pounds.

All this though, is intended for shortterm or emergency assistance. CAFB has someone who helps people apply for SNAP – a longer-term solution that is “the most successful program of getting people out of poverty,” Kilpatrick said.

“There’s been great strides to kinda put Band-Aids on some of these issues, and we all know that it’s BandAids,” Kilpatrick said.

Searching for long-term solutions At first glance, the solution to all of this seems simple: open grocery stores in the food deserts. But it’s not that simple, Kilpatrick said.

“Location of a grocery store may not be the barrier,” she said. “It may

be the cost of food that’s an issue for some families. Getting there might not be the problem, it might be paying for it and that’s one of the things we assist with.”

Ultimately, Kilpatrick doesn’t see a solution to food deserts in food policy or attracting the right kind of program or business to an area.

“I think that really what solves food deserts is just a better economy where people can actually afford to get to a store,” Kilpatrick said.

Meanwhile, in the next few months, Congress will deliberate to reauthorize the Farm Bill, which includes funding to the SNAP program.

In September, Jimmy Wright of the National Grocers Association testified before Congress about a SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot that could have the potential to wipe out much of America’s food deserts. Wright, who owns Wright’s Market, a grocery store three hours away in Opelika, Alabama, tested the program by allowing users of SNAP to purchase groceries online. Wright’s Market then delivered the groceries to residents who lived in rural food deserts, eliminating the distance between them and healthy, affordable food.

Moving forward, the National Grocers Association opposes some proposed changes to the SNAP program, such as adding tax on retailers.

In a statement, Greg Ferrara, executive vice president of advocacy, public relations and member services for the NGA said, “Independent retail supermarkets and the wholesalers that supply them play a vital role in the communities they serve through access to food items and as a contributor to the local economy.”

Rush said there are neighborhoods in Chattanooga working to attract smaller grocery stores to their area. “There’s a lot of moving parts and we didn’t get here overnight. We’re not going to get out of it overnight,” Rush said. “We call these marathon races, not sprints.”

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

From Novel To TV To The Circle Theatre Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles

A Fairy Tale For The Whole Family Late January is the perfect time of year to bundle up and go see a good musical. After all, there’s not much to look forward to after the holiday decorations are packed away and the parties have wound down. What could be better for battling the doldrums than getting a dose of magic at the Tivoli?

This weekend, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Tony-award winning musical, Cinderella, is coming to the Tivoli stage.

Cinderella is the only musical written specifically for television by the famous Broadway duo, and at its original 1957 airing, was the most-watched television broadcast of all time.

The show was adapted for the stage shortly thereafter and has been delighting audiences with its fresh take on the old fairytale ever since. This production stars Tatyana Lubov as Ella and Louis Griffin as Prince Topher, Broadway professionals that are sure to bring the old story new life.

Make plans now to come to the Tivoli and see the classic tale, accompanied by a whimsical score, powerful performances, and original staging. Childhood memories and new surprises are guaranteed, but be sure to leave by the stroke of midnight.

And with both of your shoes.

— Adrienne Kaufmann Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella Friday, 7 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday, 1 & 6:30 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 www.tivolichattanooga.com 10 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 25, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

By Addie Whitlow Pulse contributor

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HEN MANY PEOPLE THINK OF BRITish period pieces, the PBS series Downton Abbey may be the first thing to come to mind. However, if you really want to step back into the world of early 20th century Great Britain, with murder, mystery, and dialects alike, then look no further than Agatha Christie’s “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre starting this weekend.

“The Mysterious Affair at Styles”, Christie’s first novel, tells the tale of Hercule Poirot, Inspector Japp, and Arthur Hastings. Poirot is a Great War refugee, and he’s starting his life over in England with the help of Emily Inglethorp. However, Inglethorp is murdered, after the arrival of Hastings, and it’s up to Poirot to put his detective skills to the test to solve her murder.

The Theatre Centre’s production, which is based on an adaptation by playwright David Hansen, has been streamlined into a shorter version. The

production is directed by Steve Ray, Chair of Theatre at UTC. Ray has collaborated with the Theatre Centre on several different occasions; however, this is his second directorial debut.

“Most people think of Agatha Christie and think of being there for four hours. This doesn’t even have an intermission, so we’re going to do it all without an intermission, and it will be boomboom-boom,” Ray explained. “But you’re going to get all the things that you want out of Agatha Christie. You’re going to get all the clues that eventually add up to things.”

Although the Theatre Centre’s performance will be considerably shorter than the novel itself, it still has many of the same elements, like the surprise twist ending Ray is especially looking forward to.

In addition to the surprise ending, another vital aspect of the performance is the way in which Hastings learns about detective work.

“One of the fun parts of the play is watching Poirot kind of bring [Hastings] along and nurture him as a detective, encouraging him to put his ideas out there,” said Ray. “That’s Hastings’ jour-

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“Most people think of Agatha Christie and think of being there for four hours. This doesn’t even have an intermission, so we’re going to do it all without an intermission, and it will be boom-boom-boom.” ney, getting to learn what to look for, what clues are important, what people are really saying when they say what they say, and that’s one thing that Poirot is so good at. He’s meticulous, and he’s observant, and he teaches Hastings that through the course of the play.”

In terms of practice, the cast has been extremely dedicated to their roles. The performance features Evans Jarnefeldt, who teaches at Chattanooga State and has a lot of experience with both dialects and regional theater, as Hastings.

Patrick Brady, who portrays Poirot, and Courtenay Cholovich, who will be playing the role of Mrs. Mary Cavendish, have spent many years working in New York theater, but they are back in the Chattanooga area to help with regional theater.

“We have several other people who have worked in local theaters, and we have some people who have done a lot of work for the Theatre Centre,” explained Ray. “But we have other people who have not worked at the

Theatre Centre before, so we’re trying to expand the circles.”

The show itself will be performed at the Circle Theatre, starting Friday and running through Feb. 11. Ray said the Circle Theatre has been a bit of a challenge because it’s a smaller stage, but he thinks that it will provide a much-needed sense of intimacy, making it easier for attendees to grasp the important plot clues.

“In a novel, you can go back and reread the things you weren’t sure about, but on the stage, you have to get it the first time. So if you have too many characters, too many plot twists, [the audience] gets frustrated and tunes out,” Ray said. “I think this playwright has done a great job of cutting what he could while still keeping all the elements we want from an Agatha

Christie novel.”

While this may only be Ray’s second directorial debut with the Theatre Centre, he is really looking forward to this performance, and he’s happy to be working with the Theatre Centre again.

Ray is very passionate about regional theater, and he’s excited to work on expanding the circles of theater in the Chattanooga area.

“As a director, I always go to the plays I direct to watch the audience, so I’m really looking forward to seeing the audience experience this and see where their minds go as far as what clues they think are important,” explained Ray. “Part of the joy as an audience member is at the end; when you’re surprised by the ending, it also has to feel inevitable.”

“The Mysterious Affair at Styles” opens Friday at 8 p.m., and will be include both evening and matinee shows through Feb. 11. Tickets start at $11. If you want to experience a truly authentic British period piece with both a great director and a great cast, then look no further than Agatha Christie’s first novel.

Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 2:30 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 www.theatrecentre.com

THU1.25

FRI1.26

SAT1.27

Movie Masterworks

Next To Normal

Pink! Gala

Kayoko Dan and the musicians of the CSO take you to the movies!

From Citizen Kane to Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.

7:30 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com

ensemble theater of chattanooga

A masterful story about a family on the brink of self-discovery, the kind of musical that tears right into the story with no apologies.

7:30 p.m.

Midtown Central 5705 Uptain Rd. (423) 987-5141

Fundraiser for the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center to ensure they have the latest equipment and provide the highest quality care available.

6 p.m.

Convention Center 1150 Carter St. memorial.org/foundation

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR THURSDAY1.25 Dinner & The Arts Gala 5 p.m.

Center for Creative Arts 1301 Dallas Rd. centerforcreativearts.net Opening Reception: Alex Paul Loza’s Solo Exhibition 5:30 p.m.

Arts Build 301 E. 11th St. (423) 756-2787 artsbuild.com Reinventing Romance 5:30 p.m.

The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Book Release & Signing: Vincent Ivan Phipps 6:30 p.m.

The Edney 1100 Market St. (423) 643-6770 theedney.com Poetry is LIT 7 p.m.

LIT Gallery 4015 Tennessee Ave. (423) 401-8171 litartgallery.com Chattanooga Symphony: Movie Masterworks 7:30 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Jason Cheny 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

FRIDAY1.26 Red Tent: Celebrating Endings & Beginnings 6:30 p.m.

Movement Arts Collective 3813 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 401-8115 movementartscollective.com Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella 7 p.m.

The Harlem Globetrotters

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Jeff Bertrand Exhibition 7 p.m.

Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St. facebook.com/frequencyarts Social Justice 4th Friday Movie: Gandhi 7 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Church 3224 Navajo Dr. (423) 624-2985 uucc.com The Harlem Globetrotters 7 p.m.

UTC McKenzie Arena 720 E. 4th St. (423) 425-4706 utc.edu/mckenzie-arena Next To Normal 7:30 p.m.

Midtown Central 5705 Uptain Rd. (423) 987-5141 Jason Cheny 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles 8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com

12 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 25, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

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. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com

SATURDAY1.27 Portrait Painting with Timur Akhriev 10 a.m.

Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Taylor Talk: Fire Building 101 10:30 a.m.

Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Let’s Learn to Dye 10:30 a.m.

Crabtree Farms 1000 E. 30th St. (423) 493-9155 crabtreefarms.org Terrarium “Make & Take” Workshop 11 a.m., 3 p.m.

ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT Born and raised in Taiwan, re-raised in America, toiled in Canada and soiled in a military school.

Jason brings nuances of life from multiple comedic perspectives.

Jason Cheny The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

The Barn Nursery 1801 E. 24th St. Pl. (423) 698-2276 barnnursery.com Abigail Wetmore Book Reading 1 p.m.

River Gallery 400 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033 river-gallery.com Artful Yoga: Heating Up Your Resolutions 1:30 p.m.

The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella 1, 6:30 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Cherokee Napoleon: Dragging Canoe, Tsiyu Gansini 2 p.m.

Chickamauga Military Park 10 Hamm Rd. (706) 866-9241 nps.gov/chch English Country Dance 4 p.m.

Brainerd United Methodist 4315 Brainerd Rd. (423) 698-6951 brainerdumc.org The Divine Poetess & The Frequency 5:30 p.m.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR The Divine Poetess

The Spot 1800 E. Main St. (423) 803-5744 Winter in West Village 6 p.m.

West Village 802 Pine St. westvillagechattanooga.com 13th Annual Pink! Gala 6 p.m.

Chattanooga Convention Center 1150 Carter St. memorial.org/foundation Family Mystery Dinner Theater 7 p.m.

Brainerd United Methodist 4315 Brainerd Rd. (423) 698-6951 brainerdumc.org Next To Normal 7:30 p.m.

Midtown Central 5705 Uptain Rd. (423) 987-5141 Jason Cheny 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Winter Contra Dance 7:30 p.m.

Brainerd United Methodist 4315 Brainerd Rd. (423) 698-6951 brainerdumc.org Week in Review 8 p.m.

First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave.

(423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles 8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Improv vs. Standup 10 p.m.

First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com

SUNDAY1.28 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella 1, 6:30 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Nuclear Survival Skills 1 p.m.

Crabtree Farms 1000 E. 30th St. (423) 493-9155 crabtreefarms.org Next To Normal 2:30 p.m.

Midtown Central 5705 Uptain Rd. (423) 987-5141 Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles 2:30 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Family Mystery Dinner Theater 3 p.m.

Brainerd United Methodist 4315 Brainerd Rd. (423) 698-6951 brainerdumc.org Southern Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition Concert 4 p.m.

Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists 4829 College Dr. E. (423) 396-2134 collegedalechurch.com Jason Cheny 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

MONDAY1.29 Watercolor with Durinda Cheek 9 a.m.

Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com “The New Localism” Book Signing and Panel Discussion 4:30 p.m.

The Edney 1100 Market St. theedney.com

New Year Belly Dance Session 5:45 p.m.

Movement Arts Collective 3813 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 401-8115 movementartscollective.com Paws ‘n Feet Monthly Dog Walk 6 p.m.

Fleet Feet Sports 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 531-6113 noogapaws.com Oil Painting with Mia Bergeron 6 p.m.

Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com

TUESDAY1.30 Drawing Essentials with Stan Townsend 10 a.m.

Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Wake Up & Run 6 a.m.

Fleet Feet Sports 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 771-7996 fleetfeetchattanooga.com Northside Farmers’ Market 3 p.m.

Northside Presbyterian Church 923 Mississippi Ave. (423) 266-1766

Tuesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m.

Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com Second Life Tennessee Info Session 6 p.m.

The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Intro To Improv 7 p.m.

First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Bubba Que’s Beauty & The Beast 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

WEDNESDAY1.31 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 Running for Brews 6:30 p.m.

Fleet Feet Sports 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 771-7996 fleetfeetchattanooga.com Matt Mitchell 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

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 13

MUSIC

The Flowing Positive Chemistry Of The Guitar Jimmy Dormire brings the Peace Merchants to town

Lew Card Is A Song So, this guy, Lew Card? Some would say he’s “not just a songwriter, he is a song.” Why is this? Performing this Friday at JJ’s Bohemia just so happens to be a local, bluegrass, folk-singing montage of Southern grit.

He comes from Austin, Texas, yet his soul and wit are all Tennessee. A bit of a traveling songbird, Card has come a long way in recent years, with four albums and over 1,000 social media followers.

Since moving back from Texas, Card feels Chattanooga has seen an upward shift in musical growth. “It’s places like Oddstory Brewing, that aren’t necessarily music venues, that help provide the catalyst for that growth,” he explains.

He will have you wading in and out of intricate finger pickings with a soft voice which will have you likewise swimming in tears. This is what makes the man poised for success—carrying a uniquely, somber voice which reverberates alongside delicate acoustics, focusing on tempo and mood, without sacrificing intricacy.

Card takes the stage early this Friday, starting at 8 p.m., and will be showcasing his album release Takeouts Vol.1, so don’t be late or miss out on the opportunity. Don’t take it from me though, as Neil Young (one of Card’s favorite artists) said it best, “live music is better.”

— Austin M. Hooks Lew Card “Takeouts Vol.1” Album Release Friday, 8 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400 www.jjsbohemia.com 14 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 25, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

By Ernie Paik

Pulse contributor

R

AISED IN A MUSIC-FRIENDLY HOUSEhold in Michigan on a diet of country music—his father’s preference—and Motown soul—his mother’s preference—along with rock, Jimmy Dormire has forged a remarkable career as a staggeringly versatile and articulate guitarist who is comfortable in many musical realms, including jazz, blues and funk.

Dormire received his formal training at the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston, and after relocating to Nashville in 1990, he honed his skills playing with country and bluegrass artist Clinton Gregory.

However, his most prominent gig was a 14-year run in the outlaw country/Southern rock band Confederate Railroad, and Dormire recalled one of his most humorously memorable performances with the group in Chattanooga.

“They brought us in on a boat from the backside of the big stage,” said Dormire, about Confederate Railroad’s 1995 Riverbend performance as the main headliner, which garnered the festival’s biggest attendance at the time of over 100,000 people. “I was scared to death to say the least; my knees were shaking.”

“We would do a guitar change on our hit ‘Queen of Memphis’ which is a baritone instrument,” said Dormire. “As the tune was counted off, I went to play and nothing came out.”

“I had not plugged the guitar in!” said Dormire.

“Our leader Danny Shirley just made a joke out of it, but from that point on, that tune with that guitar was a mental joke.”

More recently, Dormire could be seen on the television show Nashville for several seasons as a member of character Luke Wheeler’s band, and in 2015, Dormire frequently played alongside the late surrealist and jam band forefather Col. Bruce Hampton.

MUSIC

“As a young, budding guitarist, Dormire admired guitar legends such as Chet Atkins, Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore and took deep dives into blues, jazz and bluegrass.”

“Colonel Bruce brought about a total awakening within my playing, a no-holds-barred feeling of freedom to totally express my inner soul as a musician/human being,” said Dormire.

“He set my playing free aside from teaching me about life in general from a cosmic universal perspective.”

As a young, budding guitarist, Dormire admired guitar legends such as Chet Atkins, Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore and took deep dives into blues, jazz and bluegrass.

One of the most influential music encounters for Dormire as a teenager was seeing the Mahavishnu Orchestra guitarist John McLaughlin in his group Shakti in 1978 and meeting him backstage.

“There was a deepness and intensity of that show that was unearthly, as though the musicians were reaching to such a high place beyond, a place in which McLaughlin referred to as the ‘Floating Point’,” said Dormire. “John taught me my most valuable lesson, not in notes learned but that of musical prayer, playing ‘To The One’. Of course this led me to John Coltrane

as well.”

Dormire carries a torch for saxophonist Coltrane’s spiritual jazz today, heard in his various interpretations of Coltrane’s compositions such as the emotionally adoring “Naima” and “Acknowledgement” from the masterpiece A Love Supreme, and Dormire’s current trio, Peace Merchants, centers on jazz and blues with ample opportunities to spotlight Dormire’s improvisational prowess.

The “flowing positive chemistry” of Peace Merchants features drummer Ward Wilson and bassist Gary Hicks, and the trio takes its name from one of Dormire’s original compositions off his debut solo album Premonition, which was an anthem for peace.

“I’ve always wanted to create a band with a positive underlying message within our music, healing and peace,” said Dormire, in advance of the Peace Merchants’ January 31 show at Barking Legs Theater.

As a songwriter, Dormire cited some influences that may not be obvious, such as “the avant-garde blues of Chris Whitley and the spiritual peace

of Richie Havens,” and a more recent discovery for Dormire was the work of Nick Drake.

“I can’t get enough of his art,” said Dormire about Drake. “I hope through osmosis I can absorb this subconsciously within my songwriting. I guess I’m an ol’ folkie too at heart.”

“Underlying guitarists who have a deep impact on me still would be Pat Martino and Tony Rice alongside the legato aspect of Allan Holdsworth,” said Dormire.

“Also I may add I have a huge love for the Western swing players Leon Rhodes and Grady Martin. When playing traditional country, I always carry their spirit with me.”

Regarding advice for aspiring musicians, Dormire has some simple yet penetrating words.

“Follow your heart and stay inspired,” said Dormire. “Inspiration comes in all forms, all directions. Be yourself and keep reaching. Music is thee universal language that crosses all borders. Galaxies!”

Jimmy Dormire’s Peace Merchants Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Free admission Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org

THU1.25

FRI1.26

SAT1.27

Scenic City Super Show

9th Street Stompers

A Tribute to Janis Joplin

A fantastic mix of local comedians and local musicans & bands take the stage for one huge party!

9 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net

The traveling troubadours are back in town and ready to take you on a rich (and fun) musical journey through the American past.

7 p.m.

Oddstory Brewing Co. 336 E. MLK Blvd. oddstorybrewing.co

The Jess Goggans Band pulls out all the stops to pay homage to one of the greatest rock & soul singers of all time.

9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.c

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 15

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR THURSDAY1.25 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m.

St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Dustin Concannon 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Rush of Fools 7 p.m.

Chattanooga Convention Center 1150 Carter Dr. bandsintown.com Katherine Jolly & Emily Yap Chua 7 p.m.

Covenant College 14049 Scenic Hwy. covenant.edu Toby Hewitt 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Open Mic Night with Ryan Oyer 7 p.m.

Moccasin Bend Brewing Co. 3210 Broad St. bendbrewingbeer.com Neko Case, Mt. Joy 8 p.m.

Memorial Auditorium 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com Resurrection Mary 8 p.m.

Hush Lounge 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Keepin’ It Local 8 p.m.

The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com Scenic City Super Show 9 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Open Mic Night with Jonathan Wimpee 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com UnderGround Celebrity Open Mic Night

Neko Case

9 p.m.

SPOT Venue 3210 & 3214 Brainerd Rd. spotvenue.co

FRIDAY1.26 Danimal Planet Noon Peet’s Coffee 819 Chestnut Street chattanoogafun.com Amber Fults 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Jonathan Wimpee 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Scott & Helen Hoyt 7 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com 9th Street Stompers 7 p.m.

Oddstory Brewing Co. 336 E. MLK Blvd. oddstorybrewing.co Megan Howard 7 p.m.

The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com Rick Rushing and the Blue Strangers

16 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 25, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

7:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com The Steel Wheels 8 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Lew Card 8 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com KlusterfunK 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com

Alex Volz, Hap Henninger, Mark Andrew, Fridge 9 p.m.

Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St. facebook.com/frequencyarts Jordan Hallquist 9 p.m.

The FEED Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Tennessee’s Dead 9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Desmond Jones 9 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main

ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT A mix of Americana and Southern Rock, this Alabama-born, Nashville-bred quintet are pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and making fans with every show.

The Vegabonds Saturday, 9 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com

122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Outlaw 45 9 p.m.

Fireside Grille 3018 Cummings Hwy. firesidechattanooga.com Shay & Steven 9 p.m.

The Brew & Cue 5017 Rossville Blvd.

(423) 867-9402 Tyson Leamon 10 p.m.

Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com

SATURDAY1.27 Ryan Oyer 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com John Carroll 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Drew Sterchi and The Blues Tribe 7 p.m.

Songbirds Guitar Museum 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com DDM 7 p.m.

Moccasin Bend Brewing Company

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR 3211 Broad St. crustpizza.com Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com

The Steel Wheels

WEDNESDAY1.31

3210 Broad St. bendbrewingbeer.com Russel Gulley 7 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Danimal 7:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Matt Foster and Al Wade 8 p.m.

The Casual Pint 5550 Hwy. 153 hixson.thecasualpint.com KlusterfunK 8 p.m.

Trip’s Tavern 4762 Hwy. 58 (423) 803-5686 Doc Holiday and Friends 8:30 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Sleazy Sleazy 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Mark Andrew 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com A Tribute to Janis Joplin with Jess Goggans Band 9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Sullivan Band 9 p.m.

Fireside Grille 3018 Cummings Hwy. firesidechattanooga.com The Vegabonds 9 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Outlaw 45 9 p.m.

Rumors 3884 Hixson Pike (423) 870-3003 Tyson Leamon 10 p.m.

Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com

SUNDAY1.28 Kelsi Walker 11 a.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Rock 4 Relief Noon Buds Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com Cary Hudson & Katrina Miller 1 p.m.

Chattanooga Brewing Co.

1804 Chestnut St. chattabrew.com Brooks Dixon 1:30 p.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Monthly Jazz Jam 3 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Open Mic with Jeff Daniels 6 p.m.

Long Haul Saloon 2536 Cummings Hwy. (423) 822-9775 Megan Howard 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Mathis & Martin 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. chattanoogapulse.com Maria Sable 8 p.m.

Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com

MONDAY1.29 Fiddle Slow Irish Session with Tom Morley 6 p.m.

Fiddlers Anonymous

2248 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 994-7497 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

TUESDAY1.30 Tim Lewis 5:30 p.m.

Big River Grille 222 Broad St. bigrivergrille.com Bill McCallie and In Cahoots 6:30 p.m.

Southern Belle 201 Riverfront Pkwy. chattanoogariverboat.com Danimal 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Open Mic Jam Session 7 p.m.

Crust Pizza

The Other Guys 6 p.m.

SpringHill Suites 495 Riverfront Pkwy. springhillsuites.com Jimmy Dormire’s Peace Merchants 7 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Brandon Lay 7:15 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. theatrecentre.com Joel Brothers 8 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Priscilla & Little Rickee 8 p.m.

Las Margaritas 1101 Hixson Pike (423) 756-3332 Corey Rose 8 p.m.

Buds Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com 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

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 17

RECORD REVIEWS ∙ ADAM BECKETT

New Music From C-Grimey, Bobby Fuego

C-Grimey Grand Theft Audio (Goldfinger Production$)

C

hattanooga has a flourishing music scene that is mounting by way of artists that demonstrate unique style, hard work, and dedication. Artists that love music to their core, and that will stop at nothing to let their rebel yell out through music; or to musically express their selves.

If people are paying attention, then it is impossible for them to have missed CGrimey, and the tremendous impact that he is making on the local music scene.

Besides the fact that CGrimey’s newest album

Bobby Fuego I Am Hip-Hop (bobbyfuego.bandcamp.com)

Grand Theft Audio hosted

by DJ Sleepy, is a phenomenal album, that guy is on his grind. Whatever music related happenings are going on in this city, that’s where you will find him, right smack dab in the middle. He is all over the place, seeing to it that the local music scene continues to blossom; every single day.

His raw, rugged, authentic, enlightened perspective is fascinating. He is a commanding emcee with a big voice, a lot of experience, and he has a whole lot to say about life in general. His

18 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 25, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

character combined with the graceful sounds produced by DJ Sleepy give Grand Theft Audio a prodigious sound.

While the album is great in its entirety, the standout tracks are “GTA Mission”, “Always 420”, “Too Young”, “Good for Me”, and “Still Grimey”.

These tracks all have stellar beats and thought-provoking lyrics to coincide.

While the general undertone of his lyrics seem to be built towards helping people step back to look at the bigger picture of reality, he finds a way to do it seriously, yet, with a hint of comedy behind it all.

This is truly a one of a kind person/artist, if there was a symbol to anthropomorphize Chattanooga’s music scene, C-Grimey would be it. He personifies Chattanooga’s music scene to the third power. Support local, give Grand Theft Audio a listen.

A

captivating statement album, coming from Knoxville, is Bobby Fuego’s I Am

Hip-Hop. This album emits an authentic hip-hop sound with razor sharp beats, and subzero lyrics.

The rhythm, soul, sound, and effortless flow that links the make-up of this music all join forces to produce an incredibly dynamic album that has a high listenability aspect.

I Am Hip-Hop is an album that cannot be boxed in, it is multi-dimensional and touches on the many styles inside of the hip-hop culture.

With the individual tracks all staying true to their specific swagger, they bend to join hands and unify to make beautiful music that is true to itself, and pure.

Touches of dirty south sounds, old school, and New York styled hip-hop, all mesh with its own self, and every hip-hop style in between, to put fourth this tremendous album. It is a bracing album with potent beats and intelligent lyrics.

It is sure to become a staple in any hip-hop head’s

collection.

The progression that takes place inside of the songs is astonishing, where they start out with a zig, they end up with a “dag”, and an awe-inspiring effort. Every song is a demonstration of that statement. The opening track “Altered Beasts” featuring Cuban Pete and Chief Rocka, sets the bar extraordinarily high for the rest of the songs on I am Hip-Hop, yet somehow Bobby Fuego and company finds a way to match it through and through.

Standout tracks “Here we go Again”, “Monsters” featuring Swank Lucas, and “Love Story” are relentless tracks that pave the way for the equally compelling and versatile track “Move Back” featuring Big Jig. This is a staple album for music in general. Regardless of genre, it has all the components that coagulate to produce that renowned “it” factor.

This is enlightened music from Knoxville, that will rock your world. Check it out.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ∙ ROB BREZSNY AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The pawpaw is a tasty fruit that blends the flavors of mango, banana, and melon. But you rarely find it in grocery stores. One reason is that the fruit ripens very fast after being picked. Another is that the pollination process is complicated. In response to these issues, a plant scientist named Neal Peterson has been trying to breed the pawpaw to be more commercially viable.

Because of his work, cultivated crops have finally begun showing up at some farmers’ markets. I’d like to see you undertake metaphorically similar labors in 2018, Aquarius. I think you’ll have good luck at developing rough potentials into more mature forms of expression. You’ll have skill at turning unruly raw materials into more useful resources. Now is a great time to begin.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): An iceberg is a huge chunk of ice that has cracked away from a glacier and drifted off into the open sea. Only nine percent of it is visible above the waterline. The underwater part, which is most of the iceberg, is basically invisible. You can’t know much about it just by looking at the top. This is an apt metaphor for life itself.

Most everyone and everything we encounter is 91 percent mysterious or hidden or inaccessible to our conscious understanding.

That’s the weird news, Pisces. The good news is that during the next three weeks you will have an unprecedented ability to get better acquainted with the other 91 percent of anything or anyone you choose to explore.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Anders Haugen competed for the U.S. as a ski jumper in the 1924 Winter Olympics. Although he was an accomplished athlete who had previously set a world record for distance, he won no medals at the games. But wait! Fifty years later, a sports historian discovered that there had a been a scoring mistake back in 1924. In fact, Haugen had done well enough to win the bronze medal. The mistake was rectified, and he finally got his long-postponed award. I foresee a comparable development happening in your life, Aries. Recognition or appreciation you deserved to have received some time ago will finally come your way.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1899, Sobhuza II became King of Swaziland even though he was less than five months old. He kept his job for the next 82 years, and along the way managed to play an important role when his nation gained independence from the colonial rule of the United Kingdom. These days you may feel a bit like Sobhuza did when he was still in diapers, Taurus: not sufficiently prepared or mature for the greater responsibilities that are coming your way. But just as he received

competent help in his early years from his uncle and grandmother, I suspect you’ll receive the support you’ll need to ripen.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In my ideal world, dancing and singing wouldn’t be luxuries practiced primarily by professionals. They would be regular occurrences in our daily routines. We’d dance and sing whenever we needed a break from the numbing trance. We’d whirl and hum to pass the time.

We would greet each other with an interpretative movement and a little tune. In schools, dance and song would be a standard part of the curriculum—as important as math and history. That’s my utopian dream, Gemini. What’s yours?

In accordance with the astrological omens, I urge you to identify the soul medicine you’d love to incorporate into your everyday regimen. Then go ahead and incorporate it! It’s time for you to get more aggressive about creating the world you want to live in.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Psychology pioneer Carl Jung believed that most of our big problems can never be fully solved.

And that’s actually a good thing.

Working on them keeps us lively, in a state of constant transformation. It ensures we don’t stagnate.

I generally agree with Jung’s high opinion of our problems. We should indeed be grateful for the way they impel us to grow. However, I think that’s irrelevant for you right now. Why? Because you have an unprecedented opportunity to solve and graduate from a major long-running problem. So no, don’t be grateful for it. Get rid of it. Say goodbye to it forever.

JONESIN' CROSSWORD ∙ MATT JONES

putting up with trends that have been subtly bothering you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the late 1980s, Budweiser used a Bull Terrier to promote its Bud Light beer in commercials. The dog, who became mega-famous, was presented as a rich macho party animal named Spuds MacKenzie.

The ad campaign was successful, boosting sales 20 percent. But the truth was that the actor playing Spuds was a female dog whose owners called her Evie. To earn money, the poor creature, who was born under the sign of Libra, was forced to assume a false identity. To honor Evie’s memory, and in alignment with current astrological omens, I urge you human Libras to strip away any layers of false identity you’ve been pressured to acquire. Be your Real Self—to the max.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The giant panda is a bear native to China. In the wild, its diet is 99 percent bamboo. But bamboo is not an energy-rich food, which means the creature has to compensate by consuming 20 to 30 pounds of the stuff every day.

Because it’s so busy gathering its sustenance, the panda doesn’t have time to do much socializing.

I mention this, Scorpio, because I want to offer up the panda as your anti-power animal for the coming weeks. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you should have a diversified approach to getting your needs met—not just in regards to food, but in every other way as well. Variety is not just the spice of life; it’s the essence.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Between now and March 21, you will be invited, encouraged, and pushed to deepen your understanding of intimate relationships. You will have the chance to learn much, much more about how to create the kind of togetherness that both comforts and inspires you. Will you take advantage of this eightweek opportunity? I hope so. You may imagine that you have more pressing matters to attend to. But the fact is that cultivating your relationship skills would transform you in ways that would best serve those other pressing matters.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You’re the star of the “movie” that endlessly unfolds in your imagination. There may be a number of other lead actors and actresses, but few if any have your luster and stature. You also have a supporting cast, as well as a full complement of extras. To generate all the adventure you need, your story needs a lot of dramatis personae.

In the coming weeks, I suggest that you be alert for certain minor characters who are primed to start playing a bigger role in your narrative. Consider the possibility of inviting them to say and do more to advance the plot.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In December, mass protests broke out in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city. Why? The economy had been gradually worsening. Inflation was slowly but surely exacting a toll.

Unemployment was increasing.

But one of the immediate triggers for the uprising was a 40-percent hike in the price of eggs. It focused the Iranian people’s collective angst and galvanized a dramatic response. I’m predicting a comparable sequence in your personal future, Virgo. A specific irritant will emerge, motivating you to stop

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Thirty-five miles per hour is typically the highest speed attained by the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. That’s not very fast.

On the other hand, each ship’s engine generates 190 megawatts, enough to provide the energy needs of 140,000 houses, and can go more than 20 years without refueling. If you don’t mind, I’m going to compare you to one of those aircraft carriers during the next four weeks. You may not be moving fast, but you will have maximum stamina and power.

“Oh, It’s ON”—they’re on, first.

ACROSS 1 Candy brand that comes in twos 5 One of Australia’s six 10 “The King and I” character 14 Planetarium roof 15 Hardwood playing surface 16 Ending for concert or movie 17 Banana peel, in British English 18 Image transmitter to the brain 20 Early Doritos flavor 22 Cuatro doubled 23 Charles played

by Jamie Foxx 24 Bitter beer variety, for short 26 It spits out bills 28 Cassis-andwine cocktail 29 Altar-ed statement?

30 Flowers related to tobacco, tomatoes, and deadly nightshade 33 The Bahamas’ capital 35 Dress rehearsal follower 37 Ricky’s portrayer

on 1950s TV 38 Bread in an Indian restaurant 39 Doesn’t feel so great 43 Potential award winner usually announced in January 48 2016 Lady Gaga album 51 TNT drama whose 77th and final episode aired on Christmas 2012 52 Abbr. on food labels 53 Certain Wall Street trader, slangily 55 In medias ___ 56 Voting yes 57 Bread for a Reuben 58 “Afternoon of a ___” (Debussy work) 60 Train travel 62 2019 and 2021, e.g.

65 House, in Havana 68 “Switched-On Bach” synthesizer 69 “This one goes out to the one ___ ...”

70 “Monday Night Football” network 71 Muppet with a goldfish 72 Burn perfume, in

religious ceremonies 73 “Take ___!

(And ___!)”

DOWN 1 6-pt. plays 2 Panda Express vessel 3 Knocks off 4 Lucy Lawless title role 5 Make more room at a booth, perhaps 6 Highest-ranked 7 Car, alternately 8 End-of-October option 9 Art done with acid 10 Candle count 11 Actor Chuck with a “Facts” meme 12 McCarran International Airport’s home 13 Words before ready or serious 19 “Come Away With Me” singer Jones 21 “What ___ do?”

24 The Touch is the only one still produced 25 “Muppets Tonight” prawn 27 ___ cum laude 31 Group with dues

32 Hair tangle 34 Flight component?

36 Word before child or peace 40 Very quickly 41 Brick that hurts when stepped on 42 Fortune teller 44 Screw-up 45 Like some tiles 46 Direct 47 Tableland 48 Former halfback Bettis 49 Detergent that debuted in 1914 50 The world of simians 54 “Haven’t Met You Yet” crooner Michael 59 Element #10 (Really, it’s that early in the sequence? Wow.) 61 “Law & Order: SVU” costar 63 The Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders, e.g.

64 Homes parked in parks 66 Tranquil destination 67 Colony insect

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. 868 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 19

FILM & TELEVISION

Hollywood Loves A Coming Of Age Story Lady Bird is another in a long line of strong stories

How To Fall In Love With Opera Opera is a funny thing. Opera is an art form that either sinks into your soul and wraps around your heart or simply leaves you unmoved and unsure what all the fuss is about.

If you are new to opera, or simply willing to try something new and find out for yourself if it works for you (or not), a great place to start is with the ongoing The Met: Live in HD series featuring New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

This Saturday, The Met showcases Puccini’s magnificent Tosca. Rivaling the splendor of Franco Zeffirelli’s Napoleonic-era sets and costumes, Sir David McVicar’s ravishing new production offers a splendid backdrop for extraordinary singing.

Featuring an exciting cast led by soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the title role of the fiery diva and Vittorio Grigolo as her passionate lover, Cavaradossi. The pair are “youthful, ardent, and innocent...their duets electric, their kisses hot and numerous”, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The story, set in Rome in 1800 (and sung in Italian) is wonderfully complicated with many twists and turns and all the intrigue and delight one could hope to expect. So instead of giving it all away, treat yourself to an afternoon at the theater and fall in love in a whole new way.

— Michael Thomas Puccini’s Tosca Saturday, 12:55 p.m.

East Ridge 18 Hamilton Place 8 5080 South Terrace 2000 Hamilton Pl. Blvd.

(423) 855-9652 (844) 462-7342 www.fathomevents.com 20 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 25, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor

E

VERY YEAR, HOLLYWOOD RELEASES a good coming-of-age story. It’s a popular genre, one that has been rewritten over and over again, in a variety of ways. Last year, we saw The Edge of Seventeen. In 2015, there was Me, Earl, & the Dying Girl. Before that, Boyhood.

These films may feature different struggles— drinking, sex, disease, etc. But primarily, they are about young adults discovering who they are and how they fit into the world that will soon belong to them.

They’re about relationships, the importance of family, coming to terms with the humanity of parents, the inevitability of growing up, and the sadness found in those last moments of childhood.

The popularity is easy to understand. As adults, we’ve all been there. We’ve all worried about the

same things, at least here in the United States.

These stories remind us who we were and how we changed. A bildungsroman is nothing if not self-reflective. Who doesn’t enjoy thinking about themselves?

This year’s story is Lady Bird, a film about a young woman looking to escape the world she knows and find something better in a world she doesn’t. Lady Bird McPhereson (Saoirse Ronin) has a flair for the dramatic. She’s the type of girl who will leap from a moving car to escape the passive aggressive attacks of her well-meaning mother.

Marion McPherson (Laurie Metcalf) regularly fights with her daughter over small things. But sometimes with teenagers, those small things are a reflection of a larger disapproval, one of embarrassment and entitlement. Lady Bird has the markings of every teenage girl—a life apart from her parents, filled with friends and experiences that they have no knowledge of.

FILM & TELEVISION

“What the film captures well is how mothers and daughters excel at talking around their issues without every discussing them directly. Anyone with a wife and daughter has seen this happen first hand. ” The film spends a year with Lady Bird, her final year of high school at a Catholic school in Sacramento, California, watching her lash out at her home town. She develops new friendships and new relationships by pretending to be someone else, at the expense of her other friends.

We see a constant reinvention, attempting to be anyone other than herself, or at least her current version of herself.

In other words, the film is like every other coming-of-age story you’ve ever seen.

Still, there is a freshness to the story that comes from the relationship between Lady Bird and her mother. In one especially powerful scene, Lady Bird is choosing a dress for prom (at a thrift store), and comes across one that she loves. Her mother asks if it’s too pink.

This seemingly innocuous comment is received as a judgment on taste, leading Lady Bird to ask her mother if she

likes her. Marion responds: “Of course I love you…”

But that wasn’t the question.

What the film captures well is how mothers and daughters excel at talking around their issues without every discussing them directly. Anyone with a wife and daughter has seen this happen first hand (and likely knows better than to get involved).

Writer/director Greta Gerwig shows her talent in scenes like this one, allowing the characters to respond to each other in relatable and real ways, with dialogue that doesn’t sound overwrought.

The characters feel real, the situations more than plausible, and the overall effect is that the film is pleasant and watchable.

Of course, this couldn’t happen without strong performances. Both Ronin and Metcalf deliver in the film, which is to be expected from such competent artists. But also of note are Tracey Letts as Lady Bird’s father

Larry and Beanie Feldstein as Lady Bird’s best friend Julie.

Letts knows how to play his part as a struggling provider both intimidated by the women in his life while defending them in understated ways.

Feldstein, however, is simply wonderful onscreen, a glowing presence of light and levity, a counterbalance to Lady Bird’s endless self-involvement. Without a cast this good, the film would struggle to find its feet.

Still, Lady Bird doesn’t break new ground. It doesn’t really have to. Every coming-of-age story is the same, just with different variations on a theme.

They are a vehicle for great acting, wonderful direction, and affecting storytelling. They are the opposite of the big Hollywood picture, which is refreshing to say the least.

Films like Lady Bird are pallet cleansers between the Disney special effects bonanzas. We all need one of those.

✴ ✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴ ✴

Maze Runner: The Death Cure Young hero Thomas embarks on a mission to find a cure for a deadly disease known as the "Flare" in the latest chapter of the ongoing series.

Director: Wes Ball Stars: Rosa Salazar, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario

Hostiles In 1892, a legendary Army captain reluctantly agrees to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory.

Director: Scott Cooper Stars: Scott Shepherd, Rosamund Pike, Ava Cooper, Stella Cooper

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 21

COLUMN ∙ GAME ON!

Stranger Games For A New Year Three games to try for your birthday, séance, or exorcism

Brandon Watson Pulse columnist

H

APPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS! Okay, I may be a wee bit late, considering it’s almost February, but there’s nothing like starting a fresh year with eminent nuclear disaster and a new Tide Challenge or whatever Darwinian Sadomasochist Award thinning mankind’s already dubious genepool.

On a lighter note, I’ve just celebrated 35 years of surviving on the pale blue dot and decided a night of roasting marshmallows, doing trivia for money, solving a murder mystery and conjuring the dead was just what I needed. Let’s just say that pinning tails on donkeys seems very pedestrian next to good old fashioned necromancy.

HQ Trivia I do loves me some trivia, especially if money is to be won. HQ Trivia is a live game that airs at 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. every day. It’s like a primetime television game show blended with You Don’t Know Jack games. Players with the app attempt to answer 12 trivia questions with a chance to split a $2,000 prize at the end.

Vine created their trivia game with a short fuse for each question so there is very little chance of Googling the answers. HQ Trivia does have a noticeable lag on Apple IOS and is prone to freezing up on a player’s phone causing them to be eliminated even though they selected the correct answer.

Hopefully with the immense popularity and viewership ranging in the millions HQ Trivia will fix the bugs and maybe expand

that glorious prize to equal that number.

Mysterium A ghost haunts a Scottish Manor and a brilliant astrologist assembles a team of world renowned psychics to help solve who was behind the ghost’s death finally sending it to eternal peace. Mysterium can best be explained as Clue! having a spooky baby with a Rorschach test.

This game comprises of at least two psychics and another player who assumes the role of a mute amnesiatic ghost. The ghost player must lead the psychics to a murder suspect, murder location, and murder weapon within seven turns through the use of vision cards.

Vision cards feature beautiful abstract artwork that channels a bit of Burton with Gaimen with a splash of Dali.

Mysterium is a real exercise in abstract thinking for both the ghost player and the psychic players. Setup is a bit labor intensive but the rules are straightforward.

The real fun is in the theatrics that one can have while being a ghost or even the psychic. I utilized my new salt lamp to answer questions with one flicker for yes and two for no.

Mysterium is a family friendly game and if you have little ones that can’t sit still you can employ them as child “ghost helpers” to sneak vision cards under the table to add a bit more creep to the fun. Definitely a must have for the board game collection.

22 • THE PULSE • JANUARY 25, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Stranger Things Quija Board There is nothing like sending the little ones off to bed while the adults slip into a mellow buzz with adult style beverages only to scare the living crap out of one another.

Maybe the sweet neon red Stanger Things logo tempted me or maybe the spirits were beckoning me to finally tap into some spiritual awareness.

I think my biggest drive to want a Quija board for my birthday is trying to figure out what the heck makes it a game in the first place.

Sure there are rules, always say goodbye to the spirit after each session, have an open mind, never feed your Quija board after midnight and so on. That’s it really, no dice, no points, just you and the threat of imminent demonic possession I guess?

The Stanger Things Quija board is designed look like Winona Ryder’s mental breakdown from the popular show. The letters are easy to read but the plastic planchette

leaves much to be desired especially if the thing drifts towards the edge of the board when the “spirits” dial in numbers.

Either the planchette needs to be smaller or the board needs to be at least an inch wider at the top and bottom. If you have large lands manipulating this thing can be problematic.

The Quija still carries some otherworldly sense of the unknown and is great fun taken seriously or not. I think we spent the first 15 minutes touching the planchette and laughing hysterically at ourselves.

Stanger Things Quija Board is a nifty novelty item that is light and easy to pack out for a family game night fit to scare Grandma into a coma.

So if that is your game, I highly recommend it.

When not vaporizing zombies or leading space marines as a mousepad Mattis, Brandon Watson is making gourmet pancakes and promoting local artists.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 23