THE MUSIC SCENE
Lovin’ Every Little Ting One love, one heart, one man
Texas Talent With A Pint Hoping for something a little more unique than dinner and a movie this Valentine’s Day? Or maybe looking for a fun way to celebrate Singles Awareness Day with your friends? For a truly stellar performance this Friday, go see Amber Carrington at Chattanooga’s own OddStory Brewing Co. at 7 p.m. You may have seen the Texas native as a semi-finalist on the award-winning competition show The Voice in 2013 where she stunned judges and audiences with her powerhouse vocals. Since then, she has shared the stage with the likes of David Foster and Vince Gill as she continues to hone her skills as a vocalist and a performer. Carrington’s musical influences include Dolly Parton, Beyoncé, and Adele—a surprisingly diverse mix of vocal and music styles but with a voice as versatile as hers, why choose just one genre? Although her roots are in country music, Carrington has performed everything from country ballads to punk rock jams, and she nails it every time. While you listen, grab some of OddStory’s limited edition Coffee and Donuts Pastry stout. Made with a blend of Julie Darling’s donuts and Mean Mug cold brew, it’s like drinking a pint of home. — Halley Andrews
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N HONOR OF THE BIRTHDAY OF BOB MARLEY, The Pulse sent Music Editor Marc Michael to Jamaica to report on the observation of what is virtually a national holiday. Having to miss all the rain and snow this past week is just one of the many burdens a music writer has to bear for his chosen profession. By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor
DAY ONE, FEB.4TH We land in Montego Bay Airport minutes ahead of a storm that spends the next 12 hours waffling between gentle summer rain and “Hurricane Lite.” It is an unusual occurrence for this time of year when the rain generally appears daily from 3:00 to 3:15 p.m. with Swiss accuracy. In the community of West Negril where the world’s greatest jerk chicken can be found nightly in makeshift roadside stands, it makes
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for a soggy supper. Rum helps. DAY TWO, FEB. 5TH The rain has ended, and we are blessed with the finest picturepostcard tropical weather this side of a Corona commercial. Our driver for the week, a wizened local with a penchant for random maniacal laughter known only as “Mister Taylor”, takes us deep in to the heart of the West End where tourists generally fear to tread (for no good reason at all) in search of information about the upcoming celebrations. Bob Marley is something of a local hero, a favorite son of Negril,
it being one of the 42 places in Jamaica he was born (in addition to Nine Mile, where he was actually born.) Mr. Taylor suggests we stop for tea, a holdover (I assume) from the British Colonial days. When in Rome. The tea has a peculiar musty flavor, as though it has been stored in a damp basement for too long. Later that afternoon…“I had one grunch, but the eggplant over there.” I cannot remember where I first heard this phrase, but I do know that for the last hour I’ve been hearing it in my head, over and over and over. It feels deeply profound for reasons I cannot reasonably explain. Does it relate somehow to my assignment? Marley. Bob Marley. Bob Marley and Me. Wasn’t that a movie? It seems familiar and yet, I had one grunch, but the eggplant over there. Later still…the TV only seems to
