33 minute read
COUNTRY STARS COME HOME
Country Music Stars Come Home For A Cause
Alaina & Filmore play for The Signal Foundation
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Love, Music &
Champagne
There’s a reason the aspect of love fits so seamlessly into song. The language of love is universal and it is often spoken through music. In the words of Shakespeare, “If music be the food of love, play on.”
You won’t have to look hard to find this enchanting blend of romance and music. The Chattanooga Theatre Centre presents “A Very Broadway Valentine’s Day” this Saturday at 8 p.m.
With twenty-one different performers, none of whom are strangers to the Broadway stage, and arrangements by favorite composers such as Rodgers and Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber, there is something that caters to everyone’s taste.
Speaking of taste, guests will enjoy complimentary champagne and a chocolate dessert. The event, which is a fundraiser for the theatre, will also feature a silent auction and a cash bar.
The show will consist of love songs from early to current Broadway musicals, covering a wide range of genres.
“These love songs cover all the many aspects of romance,” Director Steve Ray said. “Some are funny. Some are sweet. Some are complicated. But in some way, all of them are uplifting.”
Bring your date, your gal pals, or your theatre and music loving relatives to one of the country’s oldest theatres for a dreamy theatrical experience. Tickets are $40 a person and may be purchased by calling the box office at (423) 267-8534 or by visiting theatrecentre. com — Lindsey Clute By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor
For the bulk of us who claim the title of “pro” or at least aspire to it, musicians are all part of the same tribe regardless of style or background. To see one of our own “make it” is cause for celebration. That truth becomes more poignant when the rising star is from your town. Not only is there a collective sense of pride that a local has gone on to conquer the world at large, there is the practical realization that yes, you can be from here and go on to fame and fortune. T HERE’S NO SUCH THING AS “PROFESSIONAL jealousy” in music. Oh, jealousy abounds to be sure but there’s nothing professional about it, and the musicians that know their worth eschew that sort of pettiness, leaving it to the small-minded, thin-skinned, fragile egos who wouldn’t know what to do with success if someone handed it to them on a silver platter.
Moreover, it elevates the status of the music scene itself. No one can ever say again that “nobody from there ever accomplished anything” and if recent trends are any indication, it appears that each new success story paves the way for two more.
It was only a week ago that this column featured a young rapper who is now signed to one of the biggest names in the industry and our own Strung Like A Horse is in the middle of a wildly successful European tour, while local favorites Lon Eldridge and James Leg have recently returned from the same.
And then there is Lauren Alaina. No matter how removed you may be from local music, there’s a name you likely know as the young lady from Rossville who made it all the way from audition to the final round of the tenth season of American Idol back in 2011.
Miss Alaina finished the season as runner-up, sufficient achievement to not only see the declaration of “Lauren Alaina” in her own town, but to launch a career whose success is uncontested. In short, the Wildflower took off like wild fire.
A couple of hit albums soon followed, along with hit singles, performances at the Grand Ole Opry, the White House, and the world. Lauren Alaina is a star, no two ways about it.
This Friday, the ACM New Female Vocalist of the year will be appearing at The Signal along with fellow “face of new country” star Filmore.
The event is billed as a “Concert for a Cause”, a fundraiser for the Songbirds Foundation here in Chattanooga. The Songbirds Foundation’s Guitars for Kids program provides music education, instrument lessons, and music therapy for the youth of eastern Tennessee.
It’s a chance to see two of country music’s fastest rising stars up close and personal, while lending some much needed support to the arts in our own community. Tickets are available now via The Signal’s website at thesignaltn.com. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the show starting at 8:30 p.m.
Holcomb Folk Come Together For You & Me
February is shaping up to be a month for world class music in the Scenic City as the Tivoli Theatre presents “The You & Me Tour: An Evening with Drew & Ellie Holcomb” next Wednesday, February 12th.
The singer/songwriter couple has been making big waves in the music world ever since the debut of Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors back in 2006. An array of highly successful albums and singles soon followed, accompanied by an incredible number of concerts throughout the world culminating in shared stages with Robert Earl Keen, The Avett Brothers, and Susan Tedeschi, to name only a few. In 2012, devoted mother Ellie left the band to focus on raising their daughter Emmy Lou but has since gone on to great success as a solo artist and author while Drew was declared “one of Americana’s Most Popular Stars” by Rolling Stone. Wildly successful both individually and together, the “first couple” of modern American folk will be appearing at the Tivoli next Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now, but are sure to sell out quickly. Reserve yours today for a rare chance to see the globe-trotting musical power couple in your own hometown. — Marc T. Michael
THU2.6
Shakey’s Bad Knee, Field Hockey, Good Grief, Caramore Get any early start to the weekend with a night of blistering local rock. 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
FRI2.7
Backwater Still At the intersection of Southern rock and withering rhythm and blues lies the music of Backwater Still. 9 p.m. HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com
SAT2.8
Koe Wetzel The East Texas native sent a storm sweeping through the Texas/ Red Dirt scene with the release of his 2018 EP, “Gone”. 8 p.m. The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com
THURSDAY2.6 FRIDAY2.7
16 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 6, 2020 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM Danimal & Friends 6 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com David Anthony & Paul Stone 6 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Toby Hewitt 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Webb Baringer Band 7 p.m. Edley’s Bar-B-Que 205 Manufacturers Rd. edleysbbq.com Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” 7:30 p.m. Chatt State Humanities Theatre 4501 Amnicola Hwy. chattanoogastate.edu Courtney Holder 7:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com New Grass Express 7:30 p.m. The FEED Co. Table and Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives 8 p.m. Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com Mark Andrew 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 Shakey’s Bad Knee, Field Hockey, Good Grief, Caramore 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
Megan Howard 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com TN Songwriters Week 6:30 p.m. The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd. thecamphouse.com Jeff Hodge 7 p.m. Oddstory Brewing Company 336 E. MLK Blvd. oddstorybrewing.co Hill City Sessions: Ryder Pierce 7 p.m. Chattanooga Brewing Co. 1804 Chestnut St. chattabrew.com Hatcher/Phillips Band 7:30 p.m. Gate 11 Distillery 1400 Market St. gate11distillery.com Preston Ruffing 7:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com River City Sessions 7:30 p.m. Cadek Conservatory 725 Oak St. rivercitysessions.com Heatherly 8 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Maya Trippe 8 p.m. Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Lauren Alaina 8 p.m. The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com Steven Green 9 p.m. Big River Grille 222 Broad St. bigrivergrille.com Backwater Still 9 p.m. HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Michael Angelo Batio, Pale Rider 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Courtney Holder 9 p.m. The Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Rumours: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac 9 p.m. Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirds.rocks Jerry Grant & The Corruptors feat. Bethany Kidd 9:30 p.m. The Brew & Cue 5017 Rossville Blvd. (423) 867-9402 J Flo, Hi$e Cold + Friends 10 p.m. Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 265-8711 Gino Fanelli 10 p.m. The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com ET 10 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Six Shooter 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SATURDAY2.8
Danimal 10:30 a.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com No Big Deal 6 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com John Carroll 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Tinsley Ellis Album Release Show 7 p.m. Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirds.rocks TN Songwriters Week 7 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Sleazy Sleazy 7:30 p.m. Gate 11 Distillery 1400 Market St. gate11distillery.com Steve Busie 7:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Koe Wetzel 8 p.m. The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com A Very Broadway Valentine’s Day 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. theatrecentre.com Rick Stone 8 p.m. Doc Holidays Bar & Grille 742 Ashland Ter. docholidaysbarandgrille.com Paul Smith & Sky High Band 8 p.m. Eagles Club 6128 Airways Blvd. foe.com GoldenOak 8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org The Foothills 8 p.m. Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Straight Up Band 8 p.m. VFW Post 4848 2402 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 624-6687 Sullivan Band 9 p.m.
HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Ozossi, Hypho, Dice Man 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Evan Kennedy 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Full Moon Madness 9 p.m. Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 265-8711 CBDB and LVNDR with No Pressure 9 p.m. Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirds.rocks Mother’s Legacy 9 p.m. Big River Grille 222 Broad St. bigrivergrille.com Turnstyles 10 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Six Shooter 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. Budssportsbar.com
SUNDAY2.9
Nicholas Edward Williams 11 a.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Carl Pemberton 11 a.m. Westin Chattanooga 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com 9th Street Stompers 11 a.m. STIR 1444 Market St. stirchattanooga.com My Name Is Preston Noon Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com The Travelers 1 p.m. Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant 2 Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Ben Stephens 1:30 p.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Free Fiddle School 2 p.m. Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd. (423) 994-7497 Simmons-O’Neal Memorial Concert 3 p.m. Oak Street Playhouse Theatre 419 McCallie Ave. firstcentenary.com UTC Symphony Orchestra Annual Concerto Concert 3 p.m. Chattanooga State Humanities Theatre 4501 Amnicola Hwy. Chattanoogastate.edu Open Mic with Robin Baker 6:30 p.m. River Drifters 1925 Suck Creek Rd. riverdrifterschatt.com Sam Moss 7 p.m. The Woodshop 5500 St. Elmo Ave. thewoodshop.space Jonathan Wimpee 8 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Maggie Schneider, Ryder Pierce, Papa Fresco 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Zech Dallas and David Travisano 9 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com
MONDAY2.10
Faculty and Guest Piano Recital 4 p.m. Ackerman Auditorium 4881 Taylor Cir. southern.edu Open Air with Jessica Nunn 6 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com USAF Band of Mid-America 7 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. theatrecentre.com Blues Night Open Jam 7 p.m. Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirds.rocks Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com
TUESDAY2.11
Parsons 7:30 p.m. Ackerman Auditorium 4881 Taylor Cir. southern.edu Live Jam Session with Freddy Mc & Friends 8 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Matt Kearney 8 p.m. Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. Tivolichattanooga.com Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Mother Legacy 8 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com
Tyler Martelli & Maria Jordania 5 p.m. WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Acoustic Bohemian Night 6:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Hyunah Yu, David Shifrin, & Gloria Chien 6:30 p.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. huntermuseum.org Danimal 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Webb Berringer 7:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Soprano Jourdan Howell 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga State Humanities Theatre 4501 Amnicola Hwy. chattanoogastate.edu Guest Piano Recital: Derek
WEDNESDAY2.12
Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Ben Friberg Trio 7 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Maria Jordania 7:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com An Evening with Drew and Ellie Holcomb 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com North By North, Midnight Promise 9 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
New Music From Jeff Crompton, Little Snake
Jeff Crompton Shooter (jeffcrompton.bandcamp.com)
Sometimes, a little bit of abstraction goes a long way. When talking about politics, religion, human rights, even the weather, there’s always going to be a Facebook troll or some knuckle-dragging foe of whatever the cause may be, who can and will shout you down.
All of this is said to illustrate a subversive brilliance in how Atlanta-based alto saxophone player Jeff Crompton has couched what he needs to get off his chest with his latest 10-inch song cycle, Shooter. There is no pretending the subject matter isn’t as plain as the armed gunman taking aim on the album’s cover.
Crompton is a Southern jazz and blues historian, composer, improv
Little Snake YATDC (Brainfeeder)
master, and retired public high school music teacher. Of course the spike in school shootings and public massacres over the last few years weigh heavily on his mind. Shooter’s anxiety-ridden title track, and the ominous “Slow March (Through A Dark Place)”, articulate with tonal purity the feelings of confusion, frustration, and existential dread of the times.
However, to address these societal woes by any other means—in direct conversation or via social media— renders them as political bait, subject to misguided criticism, debate, and bad grammar to a degree that deflates the importance of tackling the subject with care. With Shooter, Crompton beats the system, you have no choice but to listen and soak in the darkness he channels into each number. “Peace On Earth”, “Light”, and “There Is a Balm in Gilead” swirl, swell, wail, and fade with subtle minimalism—one horn, one man with both feet planted in a balance of hard-bop jazz and the avant-garde.
The music is transcendent in its restraint, but always colorful and urgent, evoking a sense of loneliness and an intense longing—the kind of reconciliation that defies words.
In his book titled “M: Writings ’67–’72”, composer and music philosopher John Cage writes, “Syntax, like government, can only be obeyed. It is therefore of no use except when you have something particular to command such as: Go buy me a bunch of carrots.”
Press play on Little Snake’s latest offering, YATDC, and let Cage’s words sink in. There is beauty, absurdity, and inspiring logic embedded within producer Gino Serpentini’s kaleidoscopic splatter of electronic textures, discordant piano lines, and disembodied voices.
The album’s 10-minute+ first single, “I. OYU3.33REA”, casts aside the rules of familiar musical order in what could be perceived as a new language of sorts. The remaining three songs, “II. ETH2.22”, “III. 4.62287ARMED”, and “IV. REACTOR0.93713” draw as much influence from Jackson Pollock’s painting “Convergence” as they do from the music of Mouse On Mars, Aphex Twin, and Flying Lotus. It is FlyLo’s Steven Ellison who enabled the Calgary, Alberta-based producer Serpentini to spread his brand of machine funk far and wide via Brainfeeder Records. YATDC is the third offering to arrive via the Los Angeles label, following 2019’s Lost In Spirals and 2018’s Enter. Along the way, Serpentini’s production deconstructs jungle music, drum and bass, math rock, modern composition, and noise to arrive at a wholly new sense of rhythm and atmosphere. Upon first exposure, the motion in which all of the music’s many working parts move together comes across as jarring, maybe even a bit alien. But YATDC quickly reveals itself to be a deeply pleasing listen. As such, these four songs make great ambient music for long drives, comfortable gatherings, the art gallery…maybe not the dance floor so much.
Still, Serpentini’s style swings with its own futuristic, organic-synthetic language that’s knotted up, albeit elegant, and poised to reveal so much more.
18 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 6, 2020 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM Follow The Pulse on Facebook (we’re quite likeable) www.facebook.com/chattanoogapulse www.facebook.com/chattanoogapulse Follow The Pulse on Facebook (we’re quite likeable) www.facebook.com/chattanoogapulse
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): According to my analysis, the year 2020 will be a time when you can have dramatic success as you re-evaluate and re-vision and revamp your understandings of your life purpose. Why were you born? What’s the nature of your unique genius? What are the best gifts you have to offer the world? Of the many wonderful feats you could accomplish, which are the most important? The next few weeks will be a potent time to get this fun and energizing investigation fully underway. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Physicist Niels Bohr won a Nobel Prize for his insights about quantum mechanics. But he was humble about the complexity of the subject. “If you think you understand it, that only shows you don’t know the first thing about it,” he mused. I’m tempted to make a similar statement about the mysteries and riddles that are making your life so interesting. If you think you understand those mysteries and riddles, you probably don’t. But if you’re willing to acknowledge how perplexing they are, and you can accept the fact that your comprehension of them is partial and fuzzy, then you might enjoy a glimmer of the truth that’s worth building on. ARIES (March 21-April 19): You now have the power to make connections that have not previously been possible. You can tap into an enhanced capacity to forge new alliances and strengthen your support system. I urge you to be on the lookout for a dynamic group effort you could join or a higher purpose you might align yourself with. If you’re sufficiently alert, you may even find an opportunity to weave your fortunes together with a dynamic group effort that’s in service to a higher purpose. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Victory won’t come to me unless I go to it,” wrote the poet Marianne Moore. In other words, you must track down each victory you’re interested in. You must study its unique nature. And then you must adjust yourself to its specifications. You can’t remain just the way you are, but must transform yourself so as to be in alignment with the responsibilities it demands of you. Can you pass these tests, Taurus? I believe you can. It’s time to prove it. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): While at the peak of his powers as an author, Gemini-born Nobel Prizewinner Jean Paul Sartre consumed an array of mood-shifters every day. He quaffed at least a quart of alcohol, smoked two packs of cigarettes, and drank copious amounts of coffee and tea. His intake of pills included 200 milligrams of amphetamines, 15 grams of aspirin, and a handful of barbiturates. I propose that we make Sartre your anti-role model during the next four weeks, dear Gemini. According to my analysis of your astrological indicators, your ability to discover, attract, and benefit from wonders and marvels will thrive to the degree that you forswear drugs and alcohol and artificial enhancements. And I’m pleased to inform you that there could be a flood of wonders and marvels. CANCER (June 21-July 22): I don’t think I’m boring. How could I be? I have an abundant curiosity and I love to learn new things. I’ve worked at many different jobs, have read widely, and enjoy interacting with a broad range of humans. Yet now and then I’ve had temporary relationships with people who regarded me as uninteresting. They didn’t see much of value in me. I tend to believe it was mostly their fault—they couldn’t see me for who I really am—but it may have also been the case that I lived down to their expectations. Their inclination to see me as unimportant influenced me to be dull. I bring this up, my fellow Cancerian, because now is an excellent time to remove yourself from situations where you have trouble being and feeling your true self. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Soprano Helen Traubel and tenor Lauritz Melchior performed together in many productions of Wagnerian operas, often at the Metropolitan in New York City. Friends and colleagues but not lovers, they had a playful relationship with each other. A favorite pastime was figuring out tricks they could try that would cause the other to break into inappropriate laughter while performing. According to my quirky reading of the astrological omens, Leo, the coming weeks will be a propitious time for you to engage in similar hijinks with your allies. You have a poetic license and a spiritual mandate to enjoy amusing collaborative experiments, playful intimate escapades, and adventures in buoyant togetherness. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Eighteenth-century author Samuel Johnson singlehandedly compiled the influential A Dictionary of the English Language, which remained the definitive British dictionary for 170 years. We shouldn’t be surprised that it was a Virgo who accomplished such an intricate and exhaustive feat. As a high-minded Virgo, Johnson also had a talent for exposing hypocrisy. In commenting on the Americans’ War of Independence against his country, he noted that some of the “loudest yelps for liberty” came from slave-owners. I propose that we make him one of your role models in 2020. May he inspire you to produce rigorous work that’s useful to many. May he also empower you to be a candid purveyor of freedom.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Is there a project or situation you’d love to create but have lacked the confidence to try? Now is a time when you can finally summon the necessary courage. Is there a longrunning dilemma that has always seemed too confusing and overwhelming to even understand, let alone solve? Now is a favorable time to ask your higher self for the clear vision that will instigate an unforeseen healing. Is there a labor of love that seems to have stalled or a dream that got sidetracked? Now is a time when you could revive its luminosity and get it back in a sweet groove. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Was there a more influential 20th-century artist than Scorpio-born Pablo Picasso? He was a revolutionary innovator who got rich from his creations. Once, while visiting a gallery showing of art made by children, he said, “When I was their age I could draw like Raphael [the great Renaissance artist]. But it took me a lifetime to learn to draw like they do.” In accordance with your current astrological omens, Scorpio, I suggest you seek inspiration from Picasso’s aspiration. Set an intention to develop expertise in seeing your world and your work through a child’s eyes. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I know a Sagittarius man who has seen the film Avengers: Endgame 17 times. Another Sagittarian acquaintance estimates she has listened all the way through to Billie Eilish’s album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? 135 times. And then there’s my scholarly Sagittarian friend who has read the ancient Greek epic poem the Iliad 37 times. I have no problem with this behavior. I admire your tribe’s ability to keep finding new inspiration in sources you already know well. But in my astrological opinion, you shouldn’t do much of this kind of thing in the coming weeks. It’s high time for you to experiment with experiences you know little about. Be fresh, innocent, and curious. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Athens was one of the great cities of the ancient world. Its vigorous art, theater, philosophy, architecture, and experiments in democracy are today regarded as foundational to Western culture. And yet at its height, Athens’ population was a mere 275,000—equal to modern Fort Wayne, Indiana or Windsor, Ontario. How could such a relatively small source breed such intensity and potency? That’s a long story. In any case, I foresee you having the potential to be like Athens yourself in the coming weeks and months, Capricorn: a highly concentrated fount of value. For best results, focus on doing what you do best.
“Decade in Review, Part 4”—fun stuff from 2016 & 2017. ACROSS 1 Compensation in a lawsuit 8 “Don’t mind ___ do!” 11 Media device manufactured for the last time by Funai Electric in 2016 14 Check out 15 Exclamation from Poirot 17 Margaret Atwood’s 2016 retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” 18 It may be drafted for impeachment 19 Brute in a storybook 20 They may be dire 21 ___ out (back down from a daunting task) 24 ‘16 and ‘17, e.g. 26 Signature of Pooh’s tree-dwelling friend 27 Being employed 29 Sharp ___ tack 31 “Major” or “Minor” constellation 35 Slide into your ___ 36 2016 event featuring a shirtless Tongan, green pool water, and Ryan Lochte shenanigans 40 Hit the buffet 41 Jones who ran from a big boulder 42 +, on a battery 43 TV host who misannounced the winner of Miss Universe in 2017 45 Sault ___ Marie, Canada 46 Garr of “Young Frankenstein” 47 Shakespearean laments 48 Clean vigorously 50 Journalist Mary Louise Kelly’s employer 52 Prefix for dermis 55 MIT’s middle, in brief 56 Kick-ass 60 Chain to buy some stacks 62 Biblical king 63 Hit 2017 indie video game in the style of 1930s animation 67 Celebrated 68 Sees if one can 69 Network that aired a “Candy Crush” game show in 2017 70 Admin’s domain, for short 71 Sound setups DOWN 1 Homer’s exclamation 2 “Defending Liberty, Pursuing Justice” org. 3 Flavor enhancer initials 4 “___ Fables” 5 Actor Kinnear 6 The “E” in “EGBDF” 7 Passover feast 8 “___ shocked as you are” 9 Indiana’s secondlargest city 10 Album opener 11 “I conquered,” to Caesar 12 Ancient Briton 13 Feels sorrow about 16 Broadband forerunner 21 Least narrow 22 Cell dweller 23 Good thing to pass 25 Ronan of “Little Women” 28 Lake that borders Ohio 30 Montenegrin, e.g. 32 Gets after 33 D.C. nine, for short 34 Affirm as true 37 Forming a chord, say 38 “Honeysuckle Rose” singer Anita 39 Hall of Famer Willie 44 Antarctic mountain ___ Massif 49 Coded message 51 Apples and pears, e.g. 53 Ancient Britons 54 “___ myself today ...” (NIN/ Johnny Cash lyric) 56 “Be with you in just ___!” 57 Place for growth? 58 Yale students 59 Docs that use endoscopes 61 “The Andy Griffith Show” kid 64 Linguistics suffix 65 “From ___ Zinc” (multivitamin slogan) 66 Two, to Juan
We Have A Winner
Ritchie’s iconic cast of characters don’t disappoint
The Mighty Six Triple Eight
In February 1945, hundreds of America’s highly skilled and educated women, many from the Southeast, shipped out to Europe for the opportunity of a lifetime. The U.S. Army’s 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was the only all-female, all-African American unit to serve overseas during World War II. Their story began right outside of Chattanooga, at the Third Army Women’s Army Corps (WAC) Training Center in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.
The 6888th’s story, long forgotten, is now the subject of an award-winning documentary The Six Triple Eight. The 40-minute film will premiere in Chattanooga next Thursday, February 13 at 3 p.m. at the University of Tennessee’s University Center Auditorium.
The screening, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s producer James W. Theres, producer Edna Cummings, Colonel, Ret., U.S. Army, National Park Service interpretive ranger Brian Autry, and Beverly Foster, president of the Walker County, Georgia African American Historical and Alumni Association.
“This is an amazing story that is finally coming to light,” said Operation Manager Keith Landecker of Power 94 FM. “These women faced enormous hurdles, both at home and abroad, to accomplish their mission.” A full listing of the 6888th veterans can be found on the 6th Cavalry Museum website at 6thcavalrymuseum.org. Any family members or descendants of 6888th veterans may contact Chris McKeever at the museum at (706) 861-2860. — Michael Thomas By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor
THE INFLUENCE OF QUENTIN TARANTINO ON MOVies about criminals cannot be overstated. Americans have always had a fascination with crime. Our rugged individualism lends itself to a certain appreciation for those that live their lives outside the boundaries of the law, who make their own decision with little regard for the opinions of others, doing what they want on their terms as the ride headlongs into disaster.
We like the romanticism of the outlaw. Tarantino, who builds his worlds out of the pieces of other filmmakers, loves painting criminals as intelligent, long-winded, and clever. However, he also has characters with a more Elmore Leonard tale on the criminal mind—they’re stupid, lazy, and apparently eager to get caught. Tarantino gives criminals a hierarchy but ultimately, success comes from chance rather than talent. It’s all chaos.
Filmmakers have imitated this style since Pulp Fiction, probably none more than Guy Ritchie. Ritchie has his own, British spin on these tropes. His most famous—Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch—are great in their own right, with enough Tarantino to notice, but not overly so. He’s made several more mainstream films since (Sherlock Holmes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Aladdin) but his most recent film The Gentlemen is a welcome return to form. The Gentlemen is a frame story told
through a dynamic performance by Hugh Grant. Grant plays a skeevy private investigator name Fletcher, who works for Daily Mail, a style gossip magazine famous for bringing down rich jerks in spectacular fashion.
The editor has set his sights on Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), an American born gangster that has built an illegal marijuana empire by exploiting rich aristocrats who have begun losing their wealth thanks to British taxes. Fletcher has stumbled onto a series of unfortunate events for Mickey and his organization, which Mickey hopes to unload to the tune of almost half a billion dollars.
The film jumps from gangster to gangster, showing how each player fits into the overall scheme, allowing Grant to chew some scenery as he unfolds the plot to Mickey’s right-hand man Ray (Charlie Hunnam) in an attempt to blackmail them to keep his paper from publishing the story.
There are plenty of twists and turns along the way, a smattering of humor, a dabbling of violence, and enough charm and style to keep the film interesting, particularly for fans of Ritchie’s earlier films.
As I mentioned, this is very
much a return to form for Ritchie. It doesn’t feel as slapped together as some of his previous films— clearly, Ritchie has learned something from his bigger tentpole films. At times, it feels like a static, big budget action film but Ritchie has enough of an eye for direction that there are frequently interesting shots and visuals, as well as a collection of references to his previous film, if audience members have an eye for that sort of thing. One of the more entertaining aspects of the film, at least for me, was how Fletcher tells the story as if he’s pitching a screenplay, allowing Ritchie to comment on the more meta aspects of the film. It’s entertaining to hear Grant tell the story using terms and actions being employed in real time by the film.
Grant is the standout performance here—the rest of the cast (Colin Farrell notwithstanding) is more or less adequate in their roles. Farrell is always fun to watch and while his role is minor, it is just as entertaining as Grant’s. McConaughey, on the other hand, plays a version of himself that we’ve seen in a lots of films. Were it not for the credits, you might wonder if the opening scene is just a new Lincoln commercial.
Here’s hoping Ritchie continues making films like this one. Bigger budget movies pay more, of course. There’s not a director out there that would turn down a Disney live-action remake. The money is just too good and I can’t fault them for it. Still, films like The Gentlemen are going to be Guy Ritchie’s legacy.
No one is going to remember who directed The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (or even that it was a film) but they’ll remember Brad Pitt asking Stephen Graham if he likes “dags” and they’ll remember the uncomfortably dirty Hugh Grant from The Gentlemen.
✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴
Birds of Prey After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord. Director: Cathy Yan Stars: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor, Jurnee Smollett-Bell
The Lodge A soon-to-be stepmom is snowed in with her fiancé's two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place. Directors: Severin Fiala & Veronika Franz Stars: Richard Armitage, Riley Keough
Robbers Never Reap The Rewards
Officer Alex explains why it never pays to bank on being a criminal
Alex Teach Pulse columnist
Clearly it doesn’t take intelligence to be a criminal— the lack thereof in fact being a prerequisite more often than not— but still. While entertaining, this is embarrassing.” “
When officer Alexander D. Teach is not patrolling our fair city on the heels of the criminal element, he spends his spare time volunteering for the Boehm Birth Defects Center.w
IWAS PASSING UNDER A RAILROAD overpass on St Elmo Avenue when I noticed a man hanging outside the passenger window of an early 80’s model Cadillac as it travelled south towards the possibly famous Incline railway. Actually it wasn’t so much the protruding torso I noticed as much as it was the gym bag billowing whitish smoke he held as far as possible from said thorax. Bank robbery. Why? Why in this age and time do people still insist on robbing the one business that makes physical fortifications and armed geriatrics part of its customer service experience? I mean I get it—it’s comparatively safer than robbing a family-owned gun store in middle Tennessee or Texas (Nashville and Austin respectively being the likely exceptions due to demographic changes), but I tried making a mental list of “successful” bank robberies in the course of my now uncommonly long career and I drew a blank.
The lack of success does, however have a common denominator: Intelligence Quotient.
Allow me to explain: Last year a bank robber accidentally left his wallet at the scene of the crime after fleeing with cash. The wallet contained his driver’s license, social security card, and his parole registration card.
Following his lead, another robbery suspect left his cell phone at a bank after running off with the loot, which was swiftly traced by the police thanks to the man’s mobile phone provider, who charged him for roaming. He was out of state.
A man went into a bank, pulled a gun, announced a robbery, and pulled a brown paper bag over his face as a mask, but only then realized he’d for
22 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 6, 2020 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM gotten to cut eye holes in said bag.
A San Francisco bank robber walked into a Bank of America branch and wrote, “This iz a stikkup. Put all your muny in this bag.” He panicked, however, that someone may have seen him write the note and would call the police, so he walked out, crossed the road to a Wells Fargo bank and walked up to the teller with the same note.
This future Employee of the Decade told him she couldn’t possibly accept his stick-up note because it was written on a Bank of America deposit slip and that he would either have to fill out a Wells Fargo deposit slip or go back to Bank of America.
Defeated, he said “Okay” and left. She called the cops who found him back in line at the Bank of America.
After robbing three banks in our great state of Tennessee, a man took his clothes to a dry cleaners presumably to conceal evidence. He left the hold-up note still in the pocket of his shirt.
A possible all-time favorite (admittedly based purely in jealousy): a bank robber was left behind at the scene of the
crime when the getaway driver panicked and drove off. Thinking on his feet, he attempted to steal a nearby car but discovered it was an unmarked police car with two cops inside. (Those. Lucky. Bastards.)
You’re sensing a pattern at this point, yes? And yet still they persist. Clearly it doesn’t take intelligence to be a criminal—the lack thereof in fact being a prerequisite more often than not—but still. While entertaining, this is embarrassing.
Cops aren’t just laughing at you; your peers and colleagues are laughing. Criminal Darwinism is a part of the natural order of things but don’t put both thumbs on the scale, pal.
My guy with the literal smoking gun? I’m a terrible cop (I once lost my service weapon in my own patrol car for a panicked twenty minutes), but even I caught his ass before he even made it to the Incline.
Anyway, time to make a deposit. I’ll be sure to update this submission if I’m lucky enough to bear witness to another anecdotal paragraph—fingers crossed.
