VOL. 16, ISSUE 5 • JANUARY 31, 2019
finding the optimum You Caring for your body and all of its parts
CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
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FROM THE EDITOR VOLUME 16, ISSUE 5 • JANUARY 31, 2019
BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher James Brewer, Sr. FOUNDED 2003 BY ZACHARY COOPER & MICHAEL KULL
EDITORIAL Managing Editor Gary Poole gary@chattanoogapulse.com Assistant Editor Jenn Webster City Editor Alex Curry Music Editor Marc T. Michael Film Editor John DeVore Contributors Rob Brezsny • Robyn Wolfe Fogle Matt Jones • Mike McJunkin Tony Mraz • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib Michael Thomas • Jason Tinney Editorial Intern Jason Dale Cartoonists Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow
ADVERTISING Director of Sales Mike Baskin mike@brewermediagroup.com
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Account Executives Rick Leavell • Cindee McBride Libby Phillips • John Rodriguez
CONTACT Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Fax 423.266.2335 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 © 2019 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.
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Finding The Optimum You When you think about improving your health and fitness, what comes to mind? Eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, adding some distance to your cardio routine or reps or weight to that gym workout?
KENYATTA ASHFORD
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BOB MARLEY’S BIRTHDAY
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The demand for cooks needed to appease society's insatiable appetite creates innumerable jobs, typically with low wages and long hours.
Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6th, 1945. He passed away on May 11 in 1981. In that short span of time he became an inadvertent cultural ambassador with few peers.
7 DAY TRIPPIN'
SAFELIGHT DISTRICT
A milestone for Chattanooga’s film photography community is approaching on Friday, February 22 with the grand opening of Safelight District.
BEST PICTURE PONDERINGS
It’s time again for the Academy Awards, the yearly glorified trade show of the film industry where rich people give other rich people awards for arguable contributions to film.
15 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
18 MUSIC CALENDAR
12 ARTS CALENDAR
15 JONESIN' CROSSWORD
21 NEW IN THEATERS
14 ART OF BUSINESS
17 MUSIC REVIEWS
22 SUSHI & BISCUITS
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BEGINNINGS · CITY LIFE
Kenyatta Ashford: Historian Chef
Cons ider This w ith Dr. Rick
Bringing African culinary heritage to Chattanooga By Alex Curry Pulse City Editor
“The inspiration you seek is already within you. Be silent and listen.” —Rumi A friend of mine has started taking long walks every morning before work. Even in rough weather, he’ll do his best to get out there and explore. Along the way, he’ll take photos of whatever catches his eye—birds, bugs, flowers, trees, railroad tracks—are all potential subjects. He began this walking ritual to improve his health. But it became much more than that. He finds serenity and a spiritual centeredness that he’d never experienced before. And the endorphins improve his mood and outlook on life. What a great way to begin the day! I thought about the similarity to personal growth. We need commitment to embark and succeed on our journey; we need to stop along the way, take a breath, and appreciate where we are; then, over time, we reap the rewards. What a great way to live an inspired life!
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Some chefs are drawn into the kitchen from such a fundamental sentiment that it is inherent in their bones. They have no chance of staying away.”
— Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.
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OME CHEFS ARE DRAWN INTO THE KITCHEN AS A means of putting food onto their own tables. The demand for cooks needed to appease society's insatiable appetite creates innumerable jobs, typically with low wages and long hours.
Sometimes, these chefs find a home. Often times, other careers are more viable. It’s a hard and demanding life. Other chefs find or create an existence of passion. Some chefs are drawn into the kitchen from such a fundamental sentiment that it is inherent in their bones. They have no chance of staying away or escaping to another path. Gastronomy is synonymous with their identity, their approach to a meaningful life. These cooks create beautiful symbiosis with and within their kitchens. In this case, Chef’s name is Kenyatta Ashford. His soul, love, and passion for cuisine stems from his deeply seeded desire to understand his own history and where he stands
both as a chef and as a living and proud continuation of that history. This burning exigency drove Kenyatta to attend the Culinary Institute of America in NYC. It propelled him to work in some of the great kitchens in his hometown of New Orleans under Chef John Besh. It has taken him to visit the Southern Foodways Alliance. His drive has challenged and rewarded him. It has provided objectivity, compassion, and a humble validation of his skills. Kenyatta brings a unique point of view to Chattanooga’s kitchens. “In south Louisiana, it’s hard to say where (food history) started and where it is now,” he explains. “Slaves were there before the Acadians. Natives were there before anyone.
EDITOONS
Photo by Gwen Davis
There was Spanish Louisiana before there was French Louisiana. South Louisiana has so much depth. It is so unique. It’s not Appalachia or Dixie or anything else.” Chef’s past began in New Orleans, but his major jump start came when he was awarded the Jean-Louis Palladin Grant by the venerable James Beard Foundation. Kenyatta began to travel the Southeast and dove further into studying his culinary heritage. But Chef is interested in researching his upbringing in Creole country from a much more thorough angle. “I want to explore all of the African influences in the western hemisphere,” he says. “Focusing on the foods that I grew up eating is where I started.” In March 2018, he traveled to Ghana on the Roots to Glory tour with several chefs, including awarded culinary historian Michael Twitty. Concerned with balancing violent control and maintenance of economic viability of enslaved Africans and their children, colonizers didn’t pay much attention to keeping detailed records about the histories of the people that
they regarded as mere chattel. Because of this methodical erasure, food has become the means of discovering, recovering, and sharing a history that is fragmented and often lost. “If we don’t start preserving our history, it won’t be around,” he continues. Kenyatta has the goal of exploring his historical cuisine and bringing it to Chattanooga with a restaurant. His dream is to offer a glimpse into the history of African food and its influence on modern civilization. Inspired by chefs like Edouardo Jordan, BJ Dennis, and JJ Johnson, Kenyatta hopes to expand their foundation. Kenyatta is calm and focused, present in a world where people are often distracted. He is not playing on his phone or daydreaming. He is intensely present as he tells me about his dreams and aspirations. He answers my questions about the fruition of his goal with an innate sense of destiny. “Patience is key. I can only control what I can control,” he says. “If I set a hard date, I don’t allow life to happen. It will happen in its own time.” CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 31, 2019 • THE PULSE • 5
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COLUMN · DAY TRIPPIN'
Tennessee Whiskey Trail, Part Two Exploring the Middle and West Tennessee regions
I Jason Tinney
Pulse columnist
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One thing we try to do is be complimentary to the other tours people experience by giving them a little different angle but in a way anybody can relate to,”
Jason Tinney is the author of “Ripple Meets the Deep” and co-author of the play “Fifty Miles Away”. He's also an avid fan of lawn darts.
WAS SIX YEARS OLD WHEN I HAD my first taste of Tennessee Whiskey. I had wandered into the garage while my father worked in the backyard. Sliding open a cabinet beneath his workbench, I discovered two bottles. I was old enough to recognize the name Jack. “Take a drink,” he said, catching me mid-curiosity. A bittersweet brush fire engulfed my throat. A coughing spasm rattled through my body. I thought my toes had fallen off. “Remember that,” he said. I’m of the generation where corporal punishment in schools was accepted and lawn darts were harmless. I remember my father’s cautionary lesson as I crest Monteagle Mountain. Jack Daniels is one of the first stops west of Chattanooga along the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, a self-guided journey into the history and craft of whiskey. The trail, created by the Tennessee Distillers Guild, boasts more than 30 distilleries in East, Middle, and West Tennessee. Last November, I explored the East Region. This day-trippin’ jaunt propels a libation-seeking traveler through the Middle and West sections of the trail. Nashville Craft Distillery To bear the title Tennessee Whiskey, by law the product must be filtered through maple charcoal, a step known as the Lincoln County Process. Tennessee Whiskey, like bourbon, must also be 51 percent corn. Nashville Craft Distillery launched its first product, Naked Biscuit Sorghum Spirit, in 2016. Head distiller/ owner Bruce Boeko describes the spirit, sourced from local sorghum cane, as essentially Tennessee rum—but legally, you can’t call it that. “You can’t call a sorghum spirit rum because rum, by law, can only be made from sugarcane,” Boeko says. “Sorghum cane is a species of grass closely relat-
ed to sugarcane that produces a sweet juice from the stalk that can be cooked into a syrup, fermented with yeast and distilled.” Prior to opening Nashville Craft, Boeko spent 20 years as a forensic biologist and director of a DNA testing laboratory. Today his laboratory is his distillery. “I look at it from the perspective of a biologist. One thing we try to do is be complementary to the other tours people experience by giving them a little different angle but in a way anybody can relate to,” Boeko says. “We have a particular focus on the biology of the fermentation, the chemistry and physics of distillation.” Boeko also notes how distillers help each other out, calling attention to their peers’ distilleries along the trail. If biologist, distiller, and guitar/mandolin picker weren’t enough, Boeko has the distinction of being the first person to complete the Tennessee Whiskey Trail in its inaugural year. Old Dominick Distillery Near the banks of the Mississippi, a roof-top-strutting neon rooster is the lone beacon of the West Region, marking the Old Dominick Distillery, a familyowned business whose spirit-producing roots date back to 1866. Head distiller Alex Castle, a Bluegrass State native, studied chemical engineering at the University of Kentucky and cut her teeth at Alltech Lexington Brew-
ing and Distilling Company where beer could have been her muse. “For me there was a kind of artistry to distilling,” Castle says. “The stills themselves are beautiful. And there was a finesse you had to have while distilling that I didn’t see in the brewing world.” Under Castle’s direction, distilling returned to Memphis in 2016. “It’s interesting being in Tennessee and seeing such an old industry be very new,” Castle says. “There’s definitely a balancing act of making sure we honor the tradition and history of this product but at the same time we want to have a little fun and experiment.” Just 31 years old, Castle is not only one of the youngest distillers, but as a woman in a business traditionally dominated by the bearded set, she is among a growing voice carving a new path upon the trail. “Because of a male dominated industry the focus was a male consumer,” she says. “Finally there are more and more women in the industry who are saying, ‘No, women do drink bourbon, women do drink gin. You’ve got to start paying attention to them.’ I think we’re finally acknowledging a consumer that has been neglected for too long.” Castle laughs when I share the story about my father. Ironically, it was Castle’s mother who encouraged her to take her love of science into the world of alcohol. “The funny thing is,” Castle says, “she doesn’t really drink.”
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COVER STORY
Finding The Optimum You Caring for your body and all of its parts
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HEN YOU THINK ABOUT IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH and fitness, what comes to mind? Eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, adding some distance to your cardio routine or reps or weight to that gym workout? By Robyn Wolfe Fogle Pulse contributor
We hear these recommendations a lot, and they’re all great, but maybe you’re looking for more. You’re ready to take your body’s health and fitness to the next level! Whether you’re an elite athlete, an aspiring one, or even in the process of rehabilitation, let me introduce you to some lesser-known ways to care for your body that will have you functioning optimally. Ever experience a tight muscle you’re constantly stretching? Or maybe a weak muscle that never seems to strengthen despite your dedication to performing those targeted exercises? Maybe you’ve tried to treat it with massage, more stretching, physical therapy, or even chiropractic adjustments. Or perhaps you just take a steady dose of ibuprofen, grit your teeth and chalk it up to “aging”. When our bodies experience trauma, stress or overuse, certain muscles tighten in response as our brain alerts our body to go into defense mode to protect those weakened muscles. Although designed to protect us initially, over time stronger muscles continue to work overtime to compensate for weaker muscles that quit working. This causes imbalances in our bodies that we may not even be aware of. Muscle Activation Technique Whatever your preferred “fix”, it probably brings some relief temporarily, yet in the end is only treating symp-
toms, not addressing the root cause of your pain, tightness, or weakness. If this sounds familiar, you’ll likely benefit from Muscle Activation Technique (MAT). “MAT is a process that evaluates and corrects muscular imbalances,” explains Bethany Macke, a personal trainer and one of only two practicing certified MAT trainers in Tennessee. Her husband, Adam Macke, is the other. Adam explains how muscle tightness is an indicator of muscle weakness. “You might be doing a strengthening movement, but your body has already learned a different recruitment process,” Adam remarks, explaining why things like targeted exercises or therapies don’t always work. MAT, on the other hand, identifies dysfunction at its source and re-activates inactive muscles to not only correct muscular imbalances, but also address joint instability and limitations in range of motion. It’s a non-invasive technique that begins with an assessment process in which the practitioner takes the client through over 300 joint positions to determine which muscles may have lost the ability to contract efficiently. When an inactive muscle is discovered, the practitioner has the client isometrically “resist” specific joint positions in order to “re-activate” the muscle and trigger it to contract again. When all muscles are actively working again, the body is able to function at maximum efficiency, automatically easing any tightness and pain. And often, results can be immediate.
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“The biggest problem I have is that it works,” jokes Adam, adding that sometimes a handful of MAT sessions is all it takes in order to re-activate weak muscles and eliminate pain for clients. Many clients do continue to come back for training with the Mackes, who are always utilizing their MAT skills even while personal training. “If I notice something during training, I’ll bring it to the table,” says Bethany. “If we see limitations in a client—for example, an exercise where a client has limited range of motion—we address that with MAT,” continues Adam. Lori Emerson, a retired physician and client of the Mackes, sought out MAT because of chronic neck and shoulder pain, as well as hip soreness. She had tried things like chiropractic help, massage therapy, and yoga to address these issues and associated headaches but had experienced limited success as none of these addressed the root problems.
“At the time, I was moderately debilitated at age 53,” she recounts. After only two or three MAT sessions with Adam she saw marked improvement in her pain. “I regained strength in both upper extremities and improved my hip situation. I feel I have better balance and strength overall.” “I decided to give it a try when a neighbor of mine swore it changed his life and how he felt on a daily basis,” says fellow MAT enthusiast Ashley Thompson. She had a former neck injury that used to prevent her from doing things like overhead exercises, and she also experienced hip flexor issues that hindered her trail running. “Bethany looked at things that I wouldn’t even have imagined would have been causing my pain,” remarks Thompson, noting that after only two weeks her pain was much improved. “I was able to lift my children without my neck going into spasms, and my running also improved without pain in my
hip.” “For the general person who doesn’t experience symptoms, MAT is still an important way to make sure the foundation of the muscular system is functioning properly without compensation,” Bethany explains. Continuous athletic progression, lack of injury, less pain, improved coordination, and greater strength and flexibility are just a few of the results that MAT offers. Manual Lymphatic Drainage and CranioSacral Therapy While most athletes are acutely aware of their muscles, the lymphatic and craniosacral systems are not often given as much thought or concern (if we’re aware of them at all!). Yet the gentle massage modalities known as Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) and CranioSacral Therapy (CST) are also important ways to proactively boost our health and fitness. “Our lymphatic system regulates fluid balance, helps eliminate waste our circulatory system cannot, and is an integral part of our immune system,” explains Cypris Birkel, a massage therapist specializing in MLD and CST, as well as orthopedic deep tissue, prenatal, and shiatsu massage. “The benefits of stimulating this system include faster injury repair, reduced swelling, increased immunity and pain reduction.” Even if we don’t necessarily have indicators that there is an issue in our body, MLD works as a way to detox the system and move any bacteria through it more quickly. “Basically it’s like taking out the trash,” suggests Wesley Walker, another MLD therapist who has been practicing the technique for more than ten years following extensive study and training at the Vodder School of North America. “People feel a lot lighter, clearer, and more relaxed following a session.” In contrast to modalities such as Deep Tissue or Swedish massage where firmer pressure is desired, this unique modality is a gentle technique that uses less than five grams of pressure. This lighter touch allows the therapist
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We ask a lot of our bodies. And as we age, the stresses of life, especially an active one, begin to take their toll.”
to target the lymphatic system which is directly underneath the skin. “Lymphatic Drainage is technically a skin technique, as opposed to actual tissue manipulation,” Walker clarifies. “Most people have excess lymph somewhere,” says Birkel, explaining that this may be experienced as a feeling of heaviness, soreness behind the knees, or aches and pain in the armpits or groin area. By moving fluid through the body using a series of slow, repetitive and rhythmic strokes, MLD can help reduce swelling, heal muscles, enhance recovery, and optimize the functioning of the body. Interest in MLD is growing as more and more athletes are discovering the benefits of this technique. “As a full-time rock climber, my body is in constant need of bodywork from the natural aches, pains, and imbalances incurred from my profession,” admits Cody Grodzki, Director of Routesetting at High Point Climbing and Fitness. “Wes, being a climber himself, is able to pinpoint these problem areas and work them out in a way that allows me to perform at my highest level each
time I walk into the gym or head outside to climb.” Stimulating the craniosacral system has similar results. CST supports and nourishes the body’s central nervous system which can improve overall health and well-being. This modality works with the natural and unique rhythms of the body systems, allowing the therapist to address any problem sources that are discovered. The stress and strain of daily life can cause tissues to tighten and distort the craniosacral system, causing tension and restrictions around the central nervous system (comprised of our brain and spinal cord) that need released in order to alleviate dysfunctions and pain in the body. A CST therapist is trained to detect such restrictions by feeling the cranial rhythm, which is caused by the flow of our spinal fluid flowing in and out of our brain cavity. “Most people have some kind of restriction. I can feel if one bone is moving faster than another. I can tell which bones are moving and which are not,” says Birkel, who laughingly admits it took her a while to perfect this unique
discovery technique. Once restrictions and problem areas are detected, soft-touch techniques are then employed to gently release those restrictions in tissues influencing the craniosacral system. In doing so, CST improves the fluid flow and tissues that surround our central nervous system and this has effects on our entire body. Some of the primary benefits include stress reduction, pain relief, and improved mental well-being. “The craniosacral massage by Cypris is like a one-hour vacation to Jamaica—a stress-reliever guaranteed to induce mental and physical calm,” explains Jim Orlando, who sought out CST to help ease the stress he was experiencing. “My biggest challenge here in Chattanooga has been educating folks about the benefits of gentle touch and the whole body affects that can occur simply from working on these two systems [craniosacral and lymphatic drainage],” admits Birkel, who moved here from California less than a year ago. While many Americans still see massage therapy as purely a luxury, modalities such as these should in fact be viewed as an integral part of preventive care and health maintenance. We ask a lot of our bodies. And as we age, the stresses of life, especially an active one, begin to take their toll. But don’t settle for pain or limitations. Instead, tap into new ways to care for your body. Our bodies are capable of incredible feats and athletic challenges. So set those goals! Push those limits! Achieve that higher tier! But listen to your body, and treat it with care…it’s the only one you have. Robyn Wolfe Fogle writes for the love of it! She spends the rest of her time running a business with her husband, and trying to wear out her crazy Aussie, Whipper.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Safelight District Building a community darkroom
Solving Your Own Murder Remember the noir film D.O.A.? No longer abbreviated, “Dead on Arrival”—based on the 1949 classic film—is being updated with a Cold War themed stage production by Back Alley Productions at The Mars Theater in Lafayette, kicking off this weekend. The plot is classic noir: newspaper writer Frank Bigelow is set to interview Jack Nelson, a celebrity actor running for a seat in the Senate. He lands in Philadelphia and proceeds to the hotel where the interview is taking place, only to arrive amidst a busy sales conference. He socializes in his newfound situation, partaking in some partying, then rests the night away in his hotel room. In the morning, Frank notices something isn’t quite right; he finds that he had been poisoned the night before. With no one else to help him, Frank attempts to solve his own murder before his life is taken from him. Fans of both the noir and mystery genre should appreciate the new atmosphere of the classic film, and those unfamiliar with the film can experience what is considered a high achievement in the genre. Audiences often see characters solve the murders of others; rarely do the characters on stage have to solve their own murder. For more information and to get tickets, go to bapshows.com or call (706) 996-8350. — Jason Dale
By Tony Mraz Pulse Contributor
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The [community] darkroom is the realization of a lifelong dream by two local photographers, Tori Fyfe and Jet Smith.”
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MILESTONE FOR CHATTANOOGA’S FILM PHOTOgraphy community is approaching on Friday, February 22 with the grand opening of Safelight District. The community darkroom and gallery will be open for use by the public, will host a variety of workshops, and will also be home to a film-developing service. The darkroom is the realization of a lifelong dream by two local photographers, Tori Fyfe and Jet Smith. Tori has been involved in the arts since she was a child. She jokes, “I sweat fixer,” but she really does spend a lot of time in the darkroom. She and Jet Smith met during a photography class at Chattanooga State, where they both fell in love with the process of developing film. Jet approaches photography from a fine art standpoint, setting out to make art objects using the process. Wanting to continue the craft af-
ter their classes were over, they built a darkroom in Tori’s basement at home. When a space became available on Main Street, the pair decided to expand their operation and build a professional darkroom. They have been working on Safelight District since September of 2017, all the while working full-time jobs and funding it themselves. “When you first open a business, your vision always takes longer to become a reality than you think, [and] there is always more work than you anticipate,” Jet says. “We would think
that we had to do just one thing, then we would discover ten more things we had to do.” The studio includes a gallery area, office, darkroom, and several workspaces for artists. The office is dedicated to digital film processing, with a negative scanner and computer. A light-proof revolving door opens into the darkroom, where they have four enlargers of different types, a large sink for processing, a film drying cabinet, print drying rack, and all of the necessary darkroom tools ready to use. A darkroom is more than just an enclosed space that is absent of light. A roll of film is extremely light sensitive, and developing it must be done in complete darkness—otherwise images are foggy or blank. Even a pinhole of sunlight or the red safelight that is used during printing produces enough light to ruin a photo. Without the use of their eyes, the photographer cuts the film and places it into a light-tight tank with a developing chemical. There are different times for different types of film and for different chemicals. Then the film goes into the negative drying cabinet. When it is dry, it can be cut into strips with five to six negatives per strip and stored in sleeves.
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Safelight District is also offering the only service in town that develops film—this was previously only available online, and most companies don’t send back the negatives.” “The key is to get the negatives correctly,” Tori explains. “You can experiment—the possibilities are endless when it comes to printing—as long as you develop the negatives correctly.” The photos are printed on a variety of paper that is light sensitive, so any light that touches it produces a dark tone (except for the light of a safelight). The negative acts as a “light stencil”, allowing only certain areas to become dark. Depending upon focus, aperture, exposure time, and other factors, a single negative can produce many different photos. The photographer exposes the picture, puts it into three chemicals—developer, stop, fix—then rinses and hangs it to dry. Darkroom clients are provided with everything they need except for chemicals and paper. “People have different preferences when it comes to photographic chemicals,” Tori says. “When we have workshops, all of the chemicals and paper
will be provided and included in the cost. People can go online and book a time and date to use the darkroom, and the door opens with a code for 24-hour access. Members can book single sessions, or purchase monthly, three-month, six-month, or yearly memberships.” Safelight District is also offering the only service in town that develops film—this was previously only available online, and most companies don’t send back the negatives. “If you want your film printed properly, and you want your negatives back, this will be a great resource,” notes Jet. “It’s definitely a niche, but it is really needed.” Safelight District’s first round of workshops will be taught by William Johnson, Doug Barnett, and Mike Wan. Register online at safelightdistrict.com or catch their grand opening on Friday, February 22nd at 1804 E. Main St.
THU1.31
FRI2.1
SAT2.2
Vision + Verse: Black Woman Being
Art is for Lovers
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Poets Erika Roberts and Kanika Jahmila and singers Kimmie J Seoul and Keelah Jackson. 6 p.m. Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View St. huntermuseum.org
A one-of-a-kind unique show of local artists where you can find the perfect gift for your special Valentine. 5:30 p.m. Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. chattanoogaworkspace.com
The Bobby Stone Film Series continues with the Coen Brothers retelling of Homer's "The Odyssey". 3 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 31, 2019 • THE PULSE • 11
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR
“Literary Ink: A Wizards Journey”
THURSDAY1.31 Red Wolf Revival Film Screening Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Urban Farmers Market and Marketplace 3 p.m. Miller Park 910 Market St. millerparkmarket.com Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 5 p.m. Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. 431 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 760-3600 huttonandsmithbrewing.com Vision + Verse: Black Woman Being 6 p.m. The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View St. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org “Literary Ink: A Wizards Journey” 7 p.m. IMAX 3D Theater 201 Chestnut St. (423) 602-8465 literaryink.co Landry 7:30 p.m.
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The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Alcoholics Not Anonymous Comedy Open Mic 8 p.m. Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 682-8200 chattanoogabarley.com Country Line Dancing Class 8 p.m. Westbound Bar 24 Station St. (423) 498-3069 westboundbar.com
FRIDAY2.1 Literary INK Tattoo Convention Noon Chatt.Convention Center 1150 Carter St. literaryink.co Red Wolf Revival Film Screening Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org “Poems For The Sky” Opening Reception 5 p.m. In-Town Gallery 26 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9214
intowngallery.com Out On 8th 5 p.m. West Village 802 Pine St. (423) 424-1831 westvillagechattanooga.com Art is for Lovers: Open Studio Nights 5:30 p.m. Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Gotta Have He(Art) Show 6 p.m. Second Presbyterian Church 700 Pine St. (423) 266-2828 hartgallerytn.com This Is NOT Black History Month with Velvet Poetry 7 p.m. The Spot 1800 E. Main St. (423) 803-5744 spotvenue.co “Dead on Arrival” 7:30 p.m. Back Alley @ The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. (706) 996-8350 bapshows.com The Floor Is Yours 7:30 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Landry
7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Video Game Night 8 p.m. Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. (423) 521-3977 stonecupcafe.com Improv “Movie” Night: Classic Musical Film 8 p.m. Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Ruby Falls Lantern Tours 8:30 p.m. Ruby Falls 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com Good, Old-Fashioned Improv Show 10 p.m. Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Queens of the Palace with Dejah Banks Black 11 p.m. The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com
SATURDAY2.2 Watercolor Sketching: A Half-Day Workshop 9 a.m. Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Literary INK Tattoo Convention 10 a.m. Chatt.Convention Center 1150 Carter St. literaryink.co Red Wolf Revival Film Screening Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org
“Dead on Arrival” 2:30, 7:30 p.m. Back Alley @ The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. (706) 996-8350 bapshows.com Bobby Stone Film Series: “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” 3 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com North Georgia’s Dancing Stars 5 p.m. The Colonnade Center 264 Catoosa Cir. (706) 935-9000 colonnadecenter.org Winter in West Village 6 p.m. West Village 802 Pine St. westvillagechattanooga.com Landry 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Your Stories 8 p.m. Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Whose Line Chattanooga 10 p.m. Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com
SUNDAY2.3 Literary INK Tattoo Convention 10 a.m. Chatt.Convention Center 1150 Carter St. literaryink.co Explore the Sandhill Crane Migration 1 p.m. Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Bobby Stone Film Series: “Despicable Me”
Sandhill Crane Migration 2 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com
MONDAY2.4 Black Professionals @ the Hunter: Community. Connection. Culture 5:30 p.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Winter Belly Dance Session 5:45 p.m. Movement Arts Collective 3813 Dayton Blvd. (423) 401-8115 movementartscollective.com Joggers & Lagers 6 p.m. Chattanooga Brewing Co. 1804 Chestnut St. chattabrew.com Palette Knife Painting 6 p.m. The Arts Building 301 E. 11th St. (423) 756-2787 artsbuild.com First Monday Improv Comedy 7:30 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org
TUESDAY2.5 Wake Up & Run 6 a.m. Fleet Feet Sports 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 771-7996 fleetfeetchattanooga.com Chattanooga Self Improvement Meetup 8 a.m. The Edney Innovation Center 1100 Market St. theedney.com Red Wolf Revival Film Screening Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Introduction to Zentangle 6 p.m. Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Paths to Pints along the Riverwalk 6:30 p.m. The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com
WEDNESDAY2.6 Middle Eastern Dance 10:30 a.m.
Jewish Cultural Center 5461 North Terrace (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com Red Wolf Revival Film Screening Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Main Street Market 4 p.m. 522 W. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com Understanding Dog Behavior 6 p.m. Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 7:30 p.m. The Bitter Alibi 825 Houston St. (423) 362-5070 thebitteralibi.com Mr. Showtime David Scott 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 31, 2019 • THE PULSE • 13
THE ART OF BUSINESS
Getting Literary With Main Line Ink
T Mike McJunkin
Pulse contributor
“
“This is not your typical tattoo convention. It’s almost like a cosplay convention and a tattoo convention mixed together.”
The Scoop Literary INK: The Convention of Secrets Chattanooga Convention Center Friday through Sunday www.literaryink.co
HIS WEEKEND, GATHER ALL your favorite muggles, squibs, witches, and wizards and head downtown to the second annual Literary INK Tattoo Convention—The Convention of Secrets. Main Line Ink is sponsoring this one-of -a-kind event that runs this Friday through Sunday at the Chattanooga Convention Center, with a special screening of the documentary A Wizard’s Journey and a Butter Beer Ice Cream Social at the IMAX Theater on Thursday night to kick off the festivities. Literary INK was designed as a Harry Potter themed tattoo convention that seeks to “create, exhibit, and celebrate the intersection of literary fantasy and artistic magic.” In this case, the artistic magic comes from some of the best tattoo wizards in the world, who are converging on Chattanooga to display their work and tattoo the city’s biggest Harry Potter fans—you! “This is not your typical tattoo convention,” says founder and Main Line Ink coowner Jennifer Edge. “It’s almost like a cosplay convention and a tattoo convention mixed together.” There will be lots of characters from your favorite books walking around the convention and attendees are encouraged to dress in their favorite cosplay to get into the spirit of the event or for a chance at winning Saturday’s cosplay contest. This magical weekend starts early on Thursday with a limited seat screening of the documentary A Wizard’s Journey. This fascinating film follows four tattoo wizards, exploring their lives, dreams, techniques, and artistic inspiration during the first Literary INK Convention in Chattanooga last year. “If you love tattoos, you’ll love the documentary,” Edge says with a huge smile.
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“If you love Harry Potter, you’ll love the documentary. And if you love both, you just can’t miss it.” The red-carpet, black-tie, or “wizardry best” screening kicks off at the IMAX theater downtown with a Clumpies Butter Beer Ice Cream Social. After the film, fly over to Big River for an awesome afterparty. Only 100 tickets are available for this special screening, so grab yours soon! On Friday, the convention cranks up at the Convention Center with special music by Scarlet Love Conspiracy and Amber Fults, magic shows, panel discussions, and the sound of tattoo machines purring. This year, the convention has nearly tripled in size from last year, with around 170 artists and vendors from all over the world. Among the impressive roster of tattoo artists scheduled to attend this year’s convention are about 15 who have competed on the reality competition series Ink Master. Speaking about the artists slated to attend, Edge says, “We are excited to have so many talented artists again this year. Artists such as Kelly Doty, Gian Karle, Erin Chance—there are just too many to
name! What’s especially exciting is that we have so many artists coming this year who typically do not do conventions, so it’s a great opportunity for anyone who’s a fan!” Saturday, along with the tattoo contests and the pageantry of the cosplay contests, there will be lots of things to fascinate and excite the kids. The Chattanooga Zoo will be bringing Fantastic Beasts, such as Rosie the owl, for attendees to meet and greet, and circus performers will be wandering around throughout the day (one unconfirmed rumor claims there will be performers playing Quidditch on unicycles). There will also be a wand shop and wandmaking station on premise that you can walk through, as well as an escape room experience. “We want this to be a weekend of magic where you can get away from the madness in the world and have a blast,” says Edge. “Some of the most good-hearted people I know are Harry Potter fans. Whether you’re Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or even Slytherin, when you get good-hearted people together like that, it’s a vibe you can’t get anywhere else.”
JONESIN' CROSSWORD
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: Start a new trend that will serve your noble goals for years to come. MARCH: Passion comes back into fashion with a tickle and a shiver and a whoosh. APRIL: As you expand and deepen your explorations, call on the metaphorical equivalents of both a telescope and a microscope. MAY: This is the beginning of the end of what you love to complain about. Hooray! JUNE: You'll have an abundance of good reasons to celebrate the fact that you are the least normal sign in the zodiac. Celebrate your idiosyncrasies! PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: You'll have a knack for enhancing the way you express yourself and present yourself. The inner you and the outer you will become more unified. MARCH: You'll discover two original new ways to get excited. APRIL: Be bold as you make yourself available for a deeper commitment that will spawn more freedom. MAY: What are the gaps in your education? Make plans to mitigate your most pressing area of ignorance. JUNE: Your body's ready to tell you secrets that your mind has not yet figured out. Listen well. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: You'll be invited to make a pivotal transition in the history of your relationship with your most important life goals. It should be both fun and daunting! MARCH: Don't waste time and energy trying to coax others to haul away the junk and the clutter. Do it yourself. APRIL: The growing pains should feel pretty good. Enjoy the uncanny stretching sensations. MAY: It'll be a favorable phase to upgrade your personal finances. Think richer thoughts. Experiment with new ideas about money. JUNE: Build two strong bridges for every rickety bridge you burn. Create two vital connections for every stale connection you leave behind. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: You have access to a semi-awkward magic that will serve you well if you don't complain about its semi-awkwardness. MARCH: To increase your clout and influence, your crucial first step is to formulate a strong intention to do just that. The universe will then work in your behalf. APRIL: Are you ready to clean messes and dispose of irrelevancies left over from the past? Yes! MAY: You can have almost anything you want if you resolve to use it for the greatest good. JUNE: Maintain rigorous standards, but don't be a fanatic. Strive for excellence without get-
ting bogged down in a counterproductive quest for perfection. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: Be alert for vivid glimpses of your best possible future. The power of self-fulfilling prophecy is even stronger than usual. MARCH: High integrity and ethical rigor are crucial to your success—and so is a longing for sacred adventure. APRIL: How can you make the best use of your likability? MAY: Cheerfully dismantle an old system or structure to make way for a sparkling new system or structure. JUNE: Beginner's luck will be yours if you choose the right place to begin. What's a bit intimidating but very exciting? CANCER (June 21-July 22): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: Your sensual magnetism peaks at the same time as your spiritual clarity. MARCH: You want toasted ice? Succulent fire? Earthy marvels? Homey strangeness? All of that is within reach. APRIL: Sow the seeds of the most interesting success you can envision. Your fantasy of what's possible should thrill your imagination, not merely satisfy your sense of duty. MAY: Deadline time. Be as decisive and forthright as an Aries, as bold as a Sagittarius, as systematic as a Capricorn. JUNE: Go wading in the womb-temperature ocean of emotion, but be mindful of the undertow. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: There's a general amnesty in all matters regarding your relationships. Cultivate truces and forgiveness. MARCH: Drop fixed ideas you might have about what's possible and what's not. Be keenly open to unexpected healings. APRIL: Wander out into the frontiers. Pluck goodies that have been off-limits. Consider the value of ignoring certain taboos. MAY: Sacrifice a small comfort so as to energize your ambitions. JUNE: Take a stand in behalf of your beautiful ideals and sacred truths. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: Master the Zen of constructive anger. Express your complaints in a holy cause. MARCH: You finally get a message you've been waiting to receive for a long time. Hallelujah! APRIL: Renew your most useful vows. Sign a better contract. Come to a more complete agreement. MAY: Don't let your preconceptions inhibit you from having a wildly good time. JUNE: Start your own club, band, organization, or business. Or reinvent and reinvigorate your current one. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Here are
your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: Be open to romantic or erotic adventures that are different from how love has worked in the past. MARCH: You'll be offered interesting, productive problems. Welcome them! APRIL: Can you explore what's experimental and fraught with interesting uncertainty even as you stay well-grounded? Yes! MAY: You can increase your power by not hiding your weakness. People will trust you most if you show your vulnerability. A key to this season's model of success is the ability to calmly express profound emotion. JUNE: Wild cards and X-factors and loopholes will be more available than usual. Don't be shy about using them. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: The world may finally be ready to respond favorably to the power you've been storing up. MARCH: Everything you thought you knew about love and lust turns out to be too limited. So expand your expectations and capacities! APRIL: Extremism and obsession can be useful in moderation. MAY: Invisible means of support will become visible. Be alert for half-hidden help. JUNE: Good questions: What do other people find valuable about you? How can you enhance what's valuable about you? SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Here are your fortune cookiestyle horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: You'll have the need and opportunity to accomplish some benevolent hocuspocus. For best results, upgrade your magical powers. MARCH: Make sure the Turning Point happens in your power spot or on your home turf. APRIL: You should be willing to go anywhere, ask any question, and even risk your pride if necessary so as to coax your most important relationships into living up to their potentials. MAY: If at first you don't succeed, change the definition of success. JUNE: You can achieve more through negotiation and compromise than you could by pushing heedlessly ahead in service to your single-minded vision. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: A new phase of your education will begin when you acknowledge how much you have to learn. MARCH: Initiate diplomatic discussions about the Things That Never Get Talked About. APRIL: Revise your ideas about your dream home and your dream community. MAY: You have the power to find healing for your oldest lovesickness. If you do find it, intimacy will enter a new Golden Age. JUNE: Solicit an ally's ingenuity to help you improvise a partial solution to a complex problem.
“Most Generous”—great things that share initials. ACROSS 1 Nevertheless 4 Bosc center 8 Augments 14 Gold, to Cortés 15 “Let me sleep ___” 16 Round figure? 17 “Elementary” star Lucy 18 Fictitious nursery rhyme writer 20 ___’s razor (logical principle) 22 Tappan ___ Bridge (span demolished in January 2019) 23 Mice, to owls 24 Snug as ___ ... 26 Haphazard 29 Lit 32 Handled farm tool 33 They’re unnamed until the end, on some game shows 37 Reddit Q&A feature 38 Bored response 39 “Fight Club” chemical
42 Thanks, to Tomás 47 Prefix for liberal or conservative 48 Aptly titled 1999 debut album (and genre) for Eiffel 65 49 Mandibles 54 Wolf’s intended victims, in a story 55 Currency exchange fee 56 Female sheep 58 Carne ___ 61 Like some doughnuts 65 Earn the crown 66 Active volcano in Sicily 67 Regular breakfast choice? 68 “Your point being...?” 69 Assents 70 Fully satisfy 71 “Woohoo!” OWN 1 “Seize the day” acronym 2 Clapton or Idle 3 Cereal mascot
since 1963 4 Get to work? 5 “Starpeace” musician Yoko 6 Nabisco brand 7 Air beyond the clouds 8 Condensed, as a pocket dict. 9 NYC’s ___ Hammarskjöld Plaza 10 Bit of rain 11 Brick-andmortar operation 12 Stuns, in a way 13 Follows directions 19 Ultra-wide shoe width 21 Kind of 25 Gina of “Cocktail” and “Showgirls” 27 Make happy 28 Pugilist’s stats 29 “You may say ___ dreamer” 30 Place with memberships 31 “Electra Woman and ___ Girl” (‘70s series)
34 Stop-and-___ (some landings) 35 Push for 36 Escapes 40 NBA legend ___ Ming 41 Ability that may be just lucky guessing 43 Opens, as a lock 44 Senior suit 45 King Minos’ daughter who aided Theseus 46 Gear parts 49 Full of fruit, like some doughnuts 50 Swirly marble 51 Towelettes 52 Moray, e.g. 53 Q-Tip ends 57 Pound of poetry books 59 Actress Meyer 60 “Toy Story” boy 62 Laredo-toGalveston dir. 63 Pedal next to the brake 64 Take in
Copyright © 2019 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. 921 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 31, 2019 • THE PULSE • 15
THE MUSIC SCENE
Bob Marley’s Birthday Bash! Hear Chattanooga reggae legends perform
R
OBERT NESTA MARLEY WAS BORN ON FEBRUARY 6th, 1945. He passed away on May 11 in 1981. In that short span of time he became an inadvertent cultural ambassador with few peers. By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor
To the world at large, he was the face of reggae music, of Jamaica, and even to a degree, of the Rastafari movement. At a time when political activism through music had hit its crescendo and was slowly devolving into a marketing trait, he remained honest and sincere in his message. Two days after an assassination attempt that left his wife and manager seriously injured and his band largely in hiding, he played the Smile Jamaica concert promoting peace and unity between the warring political factions of the island nation. When asked about his decision to move forward to the show despite the threat to his life, he simply said, “The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off.
How can I?” He left behind an international legacy that resonates today, far beyond the ubiquitous branding of dorm room posters and paraphernalia. This Saturday, JJ’s Bohemia will briefly become Trenchtown Bohemia as local legend Milele Roots comes together with friends and artists past and present to celebrate the life of the iconic musician. Special guests will include Ras James, former singer of Chattanooga’s first ever reggae band, Irie Nation, who paved the way for Milele Roots and others. The appearance will mark the first time in two decades that Ras James has performed with Lion Craan and the other members of Milele. Haiti Franck Desire, who made his first appearance at the annual bash last year, will be in attendance. The leader of Haitian roots group Rezistanz Asa Ki Vle is flying in just for the show.
Other guests include legendary producer and touring musician Rob Hoskins, from Freedom of Expression, Freddie Notes, and Mark Foggo, as well as such familiar local favorites as Brett Nolan, Jon Wimpee, Jesse Jungkurth, Steely Bruno, Lion Craan, and many Milele alumni who will be joining the band to play some old favorites. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash, a tradition that started back in 1998 at Rhythm and Brews. It has rightfully earned the reputation of being one of the biggest and best celebrations of its kind as friends, fans, family, and musicians make the pilgrimage back to the yard to honor the memory and living legacy of one of the most popular, beloved and influential musicians of the 20th century. Doors open at 8 p.m. with music scheduled to start at 10 p.m. and continue non-stop for three hours. Whether you’re a fan of reggae, Bob, your hometown heroes or are just curious about all of the above, this gathering marks your single best opportunity outside of the Caribbean to experience all of it, the kick-up rumpus of the year.
THU1.31
FRI2.1
SAT2.2
Reconciler & Onetimers
David Leisner
Telemonster Album Release Show
Soft-edge hardcore with a Southeastern sensibility, Atlanta's Reconcilier combines folk and punk. 7 p.m. The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. chattpalace.com
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The renowned classical guitarist and composer has been described as a among the finest guitarists of all time. 7:30 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 305 W. 7th St. stpaulschatt.org
Celebrating their new album with help from musical friends Elk Milk & Psychic Dungeon. 9 p.m. Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com
ERNIE PAIKS'S RECORD REVIEWS
Tallies Tallies (Kanine)
Remembering Sandy Bell It seems everyone has a Sandy story. This one is mine. I moved to Chattanooga 26 years ago. My early relationship with the city was…tumultuous. Born in a much smaller town, coming of age in a much larger one, Chattanooga existed in some weird in-between space I couldn’t quite seem to find my place in. After many years of hard living and poor decisions, it occurred to me that if I wanted to survive, I needed to be elsewhere, so I left. Of course, this is Chattanooga, and you never really leave, do you? That’s what I had been told early on, anyway. I wasn’t gone all that long really, a year or two maybe, but it seemed much longer at the time. Regardless, I couldn’t escape the fact that for better or for worse, Chattanooga was “home” now, so I came back. On that first night back in town, my dear friend Julie K. (who went on to become the drummer and secondlongest member of the Molly Maguires) invited me out for a drink. As we sat there in the downtown bar I found myself wondering if I had made the right decision, if anything was going to be any better than it had been, when in walked Sandy, the Flower Man. I recognized that broad grin instantly and suddenly felt like, yeah, I was where I belonged after all. I went
to greet him and said, “I don’t expect you to remember me at all, but I sure know you. I’ve been gone for a while and I want you to know how good it does my heart to see you again!” He looked away for a moment, turned back to me and said, “Marc! You look like you lost some weight, lookin’ good!” I didn’t know he’d ever known my name in the first place. I certainly wouldn’t have believed that he would remember it out of the thousands of people he encountered night after night, but I will tell you that had the President of the United States walked in and said, “Hey, there’s that Marc fellow,” I could not have felt more pride and gratitude than I did in the moment when I thought, “Sandy knows me!” I gave him a hug, bought some flowers, and got on with what has been the best and brightest chapter of my life ever since. I love my town, and he was such an integral part of it that even though he’s gone now, I, and ten thousand like me, are never going to let that part of Chattanooga go away. It’s a sad time, but even as I think on him now, I can’t help but smile and I mean to honor him the best way I know how, by smiling more, and by telling folks who need to hear it, “It’s a beautiful day!” — MTM
T
his writer has a very specific memory of watching the music video for “Joy” by the Sundays on MTV’s “120 Minutes” when it came out in 1990 and sharing his enthusiasm for it with a friend in German class the next day. Clearly, the Sundays were heavily influenced by the Smiths—particularly in David Gavurin’s guitar parts that brought to mind Johnny Marr’s style—but there was a freshness to their sound that didn’t make them feel like a blatant rip-off, and that first Sundays album, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, still holds up perfectly today, 29 years later. This critic brings this up because the new, self-titled debut album from the Toronto band Tallies is unable to avoid comparisons to the Sundays, much like the Sundays were unable to avoid comparisons to the Smiths. This is no coincidence— lead guitarist Dylan Frankland of Tallies has mentioned that the band was listening to the aforementioned Sundays album a lot while writing its own album. Listen to the track “Midnight” and make no mistake about its origins, with its jangly strum and lead singer Sarah Cogan’s youthful yet assured vocals. The fluid, kinetic, and restless bass lines of “Mother” play with subtle, artificial keyboard melodies and bright, ringing guitar lines, and the chorus charges forward with a snaredrum-on-every-beat rhythm
and Cogan irresistibly singing with a clear pop voice with an effervescent quality, like champagne bubbles. After the killer salvo of “Trouble”, “Mother”, and “Midnight,” the album remarkably holds its ground, although the consistency is broken up by the track “Giving Up”, sporting artificial beats that make it stick out uncomfortably. On paper, Tallies sounds like it could be a rip-off of a rip-off, but when actually listening to the album, it hardly seems to matter—it’s a pure joy that lovingly tugs those strings within fans of British bands of the C86 era, dream-pop purveyors and even shoegaze acts like Slowdive and Moose in their more pop-oriented moments.
duendita direct line to My Creator (duendita.bandcamp.com)
T
he moniker of Queens, NYC artist duendita was taken from her nickname when she was studying the poet Federico García Lorca’s complex idea of “duende” in high school—a spontaneous, powerful, provocative, and inspirational feeling that encapsulates struggle and mortality. Her debut, direct line to My Creator, covers topics including death, loss, spirituality, and love, but what really stands out is her vocal delivery; it’s moving, assertive yet tender and exposed, and she tests her own boundaries when diving into lower registers with a husky voice that balances out her more conventionally pretty singing. A spiritual aspect permeates
direct line to My Creator, even down to duendita’s deliberate lack of capitalization for anything that isn’t referring to God (including her own name), and perhaps evoking the album’s title, it opens with a solemnity as telephone touch-tones interrupt hallowed organ chords. A cello and electric piano enter for the brief track “blue hands”, which was written in response to the shooting of Korryn Gaines after a standoff with police. While the mood and sounds are touching and comforting, the lyrical tension expresses an absolutely chilling dread over the possibility of dying at the titular hands of police. In her own words, duendita describes her work as “weird and emotional” and “sweet and existential,” and her own duende is the key for taking in this music on a gut-feeling level. This is obliquely articulated on “pray” with the line “They don’t tell you when you’re young / How much it sucks to be numb,” with duendita singing over a simple beat; it blossoms impressively with her nimble vocals, harmonizing soulfully, and tasteful synths flooding the track with color. Resisting the ability to be pigeonholed, duendita’s aural variety seems unforced and natural, both literally and figuratively, with occasional ambient nature sounds, like birdsongs and soft thunderstorms, among samples and beats or delicately echoing electric guitar lines. The piano torch song “hurt so much” followed by “Magdalena”—about duendita’s late aunt—form an emotional apex without being overwrought. These are heavy topics, and in the face of adversity, one might consider being numb and detached. However, duendita captures her struggles with both gravity and grace, meant to spark a connection and the wield the power of duende.
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 31, 2019 • THE PULSE • 17
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR
The Steel Woods
THURSDAY1.31 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m. St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Danimal & Hara Paper 6 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Company 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Amber Fults 6:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Ultrafaux: Gypsy Jazz House Show 6:30 p.m. Papercut Interactive 802 Hamilton Ave. papercutinteractive.com Toby Hewitt 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Reconciler & Onetimers 7 p.m. The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. chattpalace.com The Steel Woods with Josh Card 7 p.m. Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Jesse James & Tim Neal
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7:30 p.m. Mexi-Wing VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. (423) 296-1073 Bluegrass Thursday with Owen & Em 7:30 p.m. The Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Brothers Osborne 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com Keepin’ It Local 8 p.m. The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com Open Mic Night 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Jordan Hallquist 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
FRIDAY2.1 Binji Varsossa 6 p.m. Cancun Mexican Restaurant 1809 Broad St. (423) 266-1461 John Carroll 6:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar
801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Maria Sable 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com The Steel Woods with Josh Card 7 p.m. Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Reese and Rosser Band 7 p.m. Oddstory Brewing Company 336 E. MLK Blvd. oddstorybrewing.co Tim Lewis 7 p.m. El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Velvet Poetry and Seaux Chill 7 p.m. The Spot 1800 E. Main St. spotvenue.co The Steeldrivers 7:30 p.m. Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com Classical Guitarist David Leisner 7:30 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 305 W. 7th St. stpaulschatt.org Ryan Oyer 9 p.m. HiFi Clyde’s
122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com The Breakfast Club 9 p.m. Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Tryezz 9:30 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Backwater Still 10 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Voodoo Slim 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SATURDAY2.2 Mad Record Show 3 p.m. Mad Knight Brewing Company 4015 Tennessee Ave. madknightbrewing.com Binji Varsossa 6 p.m. Cancun Mexican Restaurant 1809 Broad St. (423) 266-1461 Preston Ruffing 6:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com The Briars
Nim Nims 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Shannon McNeal + Kimi Carter 7 p.m. The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. chattpalace.com Nim Nims ft. Meld and Danimal 7 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Company 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com The Pool Celebrates The 55th Anniversary Of The Beatles Ed Sullivan Appearance 7 p.m. Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Forever Bluegrass 7 p.m. Westbound Bar 24 Station St. westboundbar.com Tim Lewis 7 p.m. El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Kicking, The Handsome Grandsons 8 p.m. Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Drew and Ellie Holcomb 8 p.m. Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com
Lenox Hills The Countrymen Band 8 p.m. Eagles Club 6130 Airways Blvd. (423) 894-9940 Boogie Junction 8 p.m. VFW Post 4848 2402 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 624-6687 Telemonster Album Release Show with Elk Milk & Psychic Dungeon 9 p.m. Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Lenox Hills 9 p.m. HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Bob Marley Birthday Bash 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Voodoo Slim 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SUNDAY2.3 Nikki Michelle and the Cosmic Collective 11 a.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com
Carl Pemberton 11 a.m. Westin Chattanooga 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com The Briars 1:30 p.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Bluegrass Jam 4 p.m. Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd. (423) 994-7497 The Other Brothers 5:30 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Company 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Open Mic with Jeff Daniels 6 p.m. Long Haul Saloon 2536 Cummings Hwy. (423) 822-9775
MONDAY2.4 Open Air with Jessica Nunn 6 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Very Open Mic with Shawnessey Cargile 8 p.m.
The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com
TUESDAY2.5 Yoga/Sound with Maggie, Danimal & Frenchy 6 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Company 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Danimal 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Space Jam Open Mic with Xll Olympians 7 p.m. Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Live Jam Session with Freddy Mc & Friends 8 p.m. Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com
WEDNESDAY2.6 No Big Deal 6 p.m. SpringHill Suites
495 Riverfront Pkwy. springhillsuites.com Matt Downer 6:30 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Company 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Alan Wyatt Quartet 7 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Wade Bowen 7 p.m. Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Randall Adams 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 Craig Conway Band 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 31, 2019 • THE PULSE • 19
FILM & TELEVISION
Best Picture Ponderings Is it the movie or the marketing campaign?
Listening To A Silent Voice Sometimes, anime strips a story down to its emotional and narrative bones, and does it beautifully. A Silent Voice is one such film, a moving bildungsroman that uses vivid characters and beautiful animation to showcase the struggles of adolescence. Shoya Ishida is a popular student who bullies a deaf classmate, the gentle newcomer Shoko Nishimiya. As Shoya continues to bully Shoko, his friends begin to reject him. Shoko transfers and Shoya grows up as an outcast. Now regretful, alone and depressed, Shoya finds Shoko to make amends. Legendary anime director Makoto Shinkai called the film a “fantastic piece of work” and a “polished and grand production” which even he is unable to replicate. It won Best Animation of the Year in the 26th Japan Movie Critics Awards, where director Naoko Yamada also received praise for her work on the film. Rotten Tomatoes rates the film at an astonishing 93%, saying it is “...as beautifully crafted as it is powerfully written.” A Silent Voice looks at teen bullying from a soberingly hard-hitting perspective that’s uncommon for the animated medium. And unusual for an anime film, The Who’s classic “My Generation” opens the film. A Silent Voice screens this Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at both East Ridge 18 and Hamilton Place 8. — Michael Thomas
By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor
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This year’s Best Picture nominees reveal some fairly harsh truths about the awards themselves”
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I
T’S TIME AGAIN FOR THE ACADEMY AWARDS, THE yearly glorified trade show of the film industry where rich people give other rich people awards for arguable contributions to film as an art form. It gives studios a chance to re-release films to theaters, this time with a sense of gravitas attached that encourages casual moviegoers to see movies they aren’t really interested in so that they can argue about them around the water cooler. This year’s Best Picture nominees reveal some fairly harsh truths about the awards themselves, however. Namely, they show that Best Picture in
no way means the best films released during a given year. Instead, Best Picture nominations tend to go to the studio that puts together the best campaign for why their film deserves to be nominated. If a film doesn’t start an Oscar campaign, it won’t receive a nod. It’s a simple as that. With this in mind, the 2018 nominees start to make more sense. Is
✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴
Black Panther this year’s best movie? Of course not. It’s not even the best Marvel movie. But the Academy has been waiting for the superhero craze to die down for years, and since it’s not looking like it will any time soon, they’ve decided to embrace the one that has a surface reflection of current social issues. Another nominee, Roma, was released directly to Netflix and is the first film with that kind of distribution deal nominated for Best Picture. Without a doubt, as soon as Netflix was able to acquire the rights to an Alfonso Cuarón film they began the Oscar campaign. Of the nominees that I’ve seen, which is about half, Roma is the most like a typical Oscar film. It’s slow paced, beautifully shot, and expertly directed. Roma is a film where not much happens, but everything matters. It’s a film about loneliness, about class, and about love. Set in Mexico City in the 1970s, Roma tells the story of Cleo, a live-in maid for an upper middle class family. Her employers, Sofia and Antonio, have built a comfortable life in the Colonia Roma neighborhood, where they provide the very best for their four children. Cleo’s life progresses slowly, much like anyone else’s. She cleans the
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Roma is a film where not much happens, but everything matters. It’s a film about loneliness, about class, and about love.” house, cares for the children, exercises with her friends, goes to the movies. She has a boyfriend, an intense martial artist named Fermín. Each day rolls into the next as she watches over a family that’s not her own. Soon, however, she discovers that she’s pregnant. Fermín vanishes. She worries that Sofia will fire her, but it’s not that type of film. The people are mostly decent, even set against the background of political and economic strife. But all of these small days build to larger ones; meaning is borne out of plain, everyday things. Big and small, events blend together and make a life. As I said, loneliness is a clear theme in the film. Cleo works for Sofia, the children love her, but they are not her family. When things get hard, her employers are quick to take their anger out on the help. Cleo has friends, mostly other service workers, but she largely is on her own with her pregnancy. Sofia is also alone, as her husband no longer wish-
es to be a part of his family. Men in Roma are distant and irresponsible. But there is beauty too, shown through the exquisite cinematography of the film. Roma is filmed in black and white. Each frame has so much to see, so much to experience. As slowly as the plot progresses, it’s a film that needs a big screen, which is why it’s so strange that it was released directly to Netflix. It’s strange from an artistic perspective, anyway. The easiest answer is that Netflix paid more for it. They wanted their Oscar film so that the platform is further legitimized. I will say that it’s also interesting that Roma is nominated for Best Picture rather than Best Foreign Language Film (Roma is entirely in Spanish). That, in and of itself, seems like progress, no matter where the film was distributed. This year’s Oscar list has a lot of disappointing entries. Roma is not one of them.
Miss Bala Gloria finds a power she never knew she had when she is drawn into a dangerous world of crossborder crime. Surviving will require all of her cunning, inventiveness, and strength. Based on the Spanish-language film. Director: Catherine Hardwicke Stars: Gina Rodriguez, Anthony Mackie, Ismael Cruz Cordova
Arctic A man stranded in the Arctic after an airplane crash must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown in hopes of making it out alive. Director: Joe Penna Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Maria Thelma Smáradóttir CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JANUARY 31, 2019 • THE PULSE • 21
FOOD & DRINK · SUSHI & BISCUITS
Enjoying A Liver Lover’s Pâté Let Chef Mike know what you think of this downhome delicacy
I Mike McJunkin Pulse columnist
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As a theoretically mature adult, my love for chicken livers remains unchanged, but I’ve recently rediscovered the simple pleasure of velvety smooth and buttery rich chicken liver pâté.”
Mike McJunkin is a native Chattanoogan who has traveled abroad extensively, trained chefs, and owned and operated restaurants. Join him on Facebook at facebook.com/SushiAndBiscuits
T’S NO SECRET THAT I LOVE CHIcken livers. My love for these little packets of earthy, rich deliciousness goes back to my childhood, where fried chicken livers made regular appearances at the dinner table and leftovers were unheard of. As I got older I would get my chicken liver fix at gas stations, KFCs, and Southern meat-and-three’s until I figured out how to cook them for myself, which led to fears of retinol overdose and a crash course in how statins work. Now, as a theoretically mature adult, my love for chicken livers remains unchanged, but I’ve recently rediscovered the simple pleasure of velvety smooth and buttery rich chicken liver pâté. I’ve eaten lots of chicken liver pâté in the past, but always considered it a gourmet delicacy that could only be created Mousse • 2 lbs chicken livers, trimmed of sinew and fat • Kosher salt • Fresh ground pepper • 4 Tbsp vegetable oil • 2 shallots, minced • ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced • 2 ounces bourbon or whiskey • 2 ounces apple cider • 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter Jelly • 2 Tbsp water • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons port wine • 2 tsp sugar • 1 tsp unflavored gelatin granules • 1/8 tsp ground allspice Directions Pat livers dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet until it begins to smoke.
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by master chefs or French grandmothers from recipes punctuated with secret techniques and special ingredients best left to the highly skilled. Then a few years ago I decided to try my hand at pâté. I quickly realized that it is shockingly simple to make and uses inexpensive ingredients; in fact, for much of the world, it occupies a place in family culinary traditions similar to meatloaf in the US. Pâté is simply meat (usually liver or other off cuts) mixed with wine and spices, then cooked down into a spreadable texture. This spread is especially good schmeared on toasted bread with toppings like Dijon mustard, chutney, or diced cornichons (baby pickles). Far from just a French or Belgian dish, pâté can be found in Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches (the good ones, anyway) Cook half of the livers until browned on all sides and pink in the middle— about 4 minutes. Move the cooked livers to the bowl of a food processor, add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, heat until smoking and repeat the process with the remaining livers. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet, add shallots and thyme and cook until softened. Add bourbon and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet until it’s almost evaporated. Add the cider and cook until slightly reduced, then add the shallots and any remaining liquid into the food-processor with the livers. Add butter and process until a smooth puree forms, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl. Press the liver puree through a fine mesh strainer into a large mixing bowl. Season the puree with salt and pepper then scrape into a large terrine, tap-
and in Russia it’s frequently molded into fun animal shapes because, well…why not? When choosing livers for your pâté, try and get paler chicken livers; they tend to have a mellower, richer flavor than the deep-red ones. Also, don’t try to make this healthier by substituting margarine or some other God-awful fat substitute to help appease your diet guilt. The fat is what makes pâté so decadent, and worth the extra dose of Lipitor. ping it gently against the counter to remove air pockets. Smooth the surface, press plastic wrap directly against the surface and chill in refrigerator until it’s set—at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. To make the jelly, put the water and 2 tablespoons of port in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let sit 5 minutes. In a small pan, warm ½ cup of the port with the sugar and allspice, then pour it over the softened gelatin. Stir this mixture until the gelatin is completely dissolved, then let cool until tepid. Pour the mixture over the back of a spoon onto the chilled pâté to avoid creating an indention in the pâté. Serve with a shallot marmalade or sprinkled with sea salt on crackers or toast. The pâté will keep three to four days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to two months.
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