The Pulse 16.09 » February 28, 2019

VOL. 16, ISSUE 9 • FEBRUARY 28, 2019

From Auricle To Philtrum Exploring Chattanooga’s evergrowing body piercing scene

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

2 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

FROM THE EDITOR VOLUME 16, ISSUE 9 • FEBRUARY 28, 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 David Traver Adolphus Adam Beckett • Rob Brezsny Jessie Gantt-Temple • Janis Hashe Matt Jones • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib Alex Teach • Michael Thomas Editorial Intern Jason Dale Cover Photo Courtesy Divine Arts Tattoo Cartoonists Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow

ADVERTISING Director of Sales Mike Baskin mike@brewermediagroup.com Account Executives Rick Leavell • Cindee McBride Libby Phillips • John Rodriguez

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

The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors.

Contents Copyright © 2019 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.

6 4 14

From Auricle To Philtrum Picture a girl’s clenched body and face with hands gripping a high barbershop-like chair in a storefront for all to witness (one of) her most traumatic experiences in becoming a woman—getting her ears pierced.

COFFEE FOR A CAUSE

Coffee shops can easily be swallowed up, often a dime a dozen. Here today, gone soon after.

What seems like a dream job often boils down to a dense brew of really hard work.

MUSIC EN PLEIN AIR

Jillian and Logan Ivey of the lavender-clad, Chattanooga indie-pop band The Mailboxes have a wild and ambitious notion of what a national tour can be.

10

THEY’VE GOT THE WORLD ON THEIR STRINGS

This Friday, the exquisite interior of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Chattanooga will be filled with equally exquisite music.

20

WHERE BE DRAGONS?

Congratulations to all the winners at The Academy Awards. Sure, this could be another breakdown of the “winners” and “losers”things.

But instead, I want to write about dragons.

5 EDITOONS

16 MUSIC CALENDAR

19 JONESIN' CROSSWORD

9 AIR BAG

18 MUSIC REVIEWS

21 NEW IN THEATERS

19 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

22 ON THE BEAT

12 ARTS CALENDAR

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 3

CITY LIFE · BETWEEN THE BRIDGES

Cons ider This w ith Dr. Rick

Coffee For A Cause

Together Café combats human trafficking

By Alex Curry Pulse City Editor

“I believe in freedom of speech, but I also believe that we have an obligation to condemn speech that is racist, bigoted, anti-Semitic, or hateful.” — John Lewis If you watched the Oscars earlier this week, then you’ll recall when famed civil rights activist and Georgia Congressman John Lewis took the stage to help introduce the film Green Book.

Lewis is best known for decades of civil rights activism, especially for suffering injuries at the hands of state troopers during the 1965 Selma March.

And while there has been some controversy and backlash for “using” the Congressman in this manner, there is no doubt that his powerful words, referring to the Jim Crow South, the setting in which Green Book takes place, rang loudly for all who heard: “I can bear witness that the portrait of that time and place in our history is very real. It is seared in my memory. Our nation bears the scars of that time, as do I.”

“

Rather than hiding on our comfortable couches, let’s take a moment to think about what human trafficking is and what it means for our world.”

— Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

4 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

C

OFFEE SHOPS CAN EASILY BE SWALLOWED UP, often a dime a dozen. Here today, gone soon after.

What seems like a dream job—the peaceful life of owning a coffee shop—often boils down to a dense brew of really hard work.

Typically, a local economy will lift up the good ones and weed out the shops that have no place, the soulless ones without anything special or unique to offer.

Together Café has shown up with some very large shoes. This honey and milk latte that I’m merely drinking for research purposes is exquisitely flavorful, perfectly balanced, craftfully sweetened, and served at an ideal consumption temperature.

You’ll often get some of these qualities, yet rarely all together in a perfect cup of America’s favorite roasted delight. And truthfully, I don’t even like it as much as the taste-bud tingling Turmeric Latte that I had here right before this one… errr last week I mean.

Together Café may be a top-notch place to grab an artfully crafted cup

of joe or a snack from their seemingly ever-expanding display of tasty treats, but the shop has a much stronger humanitarian calling. They aim at the ambitious goal of battling human trafficking.

The tires should screech to a halt here. We could decide to brush this off and say “hooray for charity” before whisking ourselves off to our next task. But, rather than hiding on our comfortable couches, let’s take a moment to think about what human trafficking is and what it means for our world.

As you can imagine, compiling statistics about the economic trade of human beings is a massive undertaking resulting in unreliable data. Statistical records are not taken and shared publicly by these underground syndicates that break

EDITOONS

the law for economic gain, especially when their business is as heinous as the purchase and sale of other human beings.

The facts become even muddier when the multitudinous array of human trafficking is considered, such as refugees trapped in indentured servitude in trade for passage from wartorn countries and failed states.

Together Café specifically focuses on the sexual exploitation of females and, too commonly, children. It is, very disturbingly, a $150-billion global industry annually, with $100 billion of that attributed to sexual slavery. It is the world’s fastest-growing crime.

Some 72 percent of Tennessee’s counties have reported underaged trafficking. And that’s just what’s being reported.

A striking number of young women forced into this lifestyle are runaways.

But we don’t have to hop around the world with big guns and massive explosions like James Bond or Liam Neeson in Taken in order to do our part to work towards a more improved society.

It can be as simple as visiting somewhere like Together Café or donating to Second Life Tennessee. It can be as easy as keeping our eyes open and reporting suspicious activity. No damage will be done if you say something and were mistaken. But just imagine what could happen if you think something is wrong and don’t speak up, but you were right?

You can visit Together Café on South Orchard Knob Avenue at Kirby Avenue weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (6 p.m. on Wednesdays) and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

In addition to delicious coffee and snacks, the location is comfortable and inviting, a superb place to study, read, write, or catch up with friends.

It’s handsomely decorated and parking is free and just outside.

While you’re sipping your cup, you can know that your money is going directly towards helping the world transform into a better place.

For more information, visit them at togethercafe.org, secondlifetn.org and check out #breakthebarcode.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 5

COVER STORY

From Auricle To Philtrum Exploring Chattanooga’s ever-growing body piercing scene

By Jessie Gantt-Temple

“

Pulse contributor

The ageold process of piercing one’s ear at home with an ice cube, needle, and potato has been in style since before I can remember.”

P

ICTURE A GIRL’S CLENCHED BODY AND FACE WITH hands gripping a high barbershop-like chair in a storefront for all to witness (one of) her most traumatic experiences in becoming a woman—getting her ears pierced.

The trite tradition of having a sophomoric salesperson sterilize your lobes with rubbing alcohol and then ready a scarring piece of machinery beside your head is anything but safe or sanitary.

I was once that clenched-face girl getting her lobes dismantled in a store front window. Then I made the mistake, as many youngins do, of getting pierced on my own during senior beach week.

I got my tragus pierced with a gun, which is unheard of, and I remember

6 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

hearing the loud shot as it blew through and annihilated my cartilage. I thought I was fine, got up and began to walk out only to awaken to the door hitting me in the head as I lay on the floor because I passed out. I was also drunk.

I have other cautionary tales, too.

For instance, I bought a cheap nose stud and it got stuck. The only way to get it out was to yank up or down and it was not pleasant.

Despite my varied history, the ageold process of piercing one’s ear at home with an ice cube, needle, and

potato has been in style since before I can remember. My husband got his ear pierced in 1986 (I was six, he was twenty, teehee) and it was seen as very counter-culture. He was enlisted in the Navy and decided to get his ear pierced while on leave to return back to duty Monday with a throbbing red heartbeat of an earlobe that was almost as angry as his commanding officer. He took it out immediately.

Taking an impromptu survey of friends, I found, along with some horror healing stories, that some parents actually frowned more on them getting facial piercings than tattoos. I also recall my mom mentioning “your beautiful face” when I came home with my eyebrow ring. However, over the decades we’ve progressed in our viewpoints about piercings until now conversations about quantity or gauge seem more acceptable. Which is ironic since there is evidence of body modification dating back to prehistoric days.

Otzi the Iceman, one of the ten oldest human mummies, is adorned with tattoos and size-0 gauge stretched lobes. In some tribes, young girls would have their ears pierced but not have them stretched until older as it was a nonverbal indication of growth and maturity. Mayan and Aztec tribes believed ears were conduits of energy and stretched lobes empowered wisdom and compassion. Folklore said pirates wore earrings to protect them from drowning and, during the Renaissance, men wore earrings as a status symbol.

So at what point did a male having his right ear pierced insinuate something more than just a fashion

changes such as downsizing, which is when you change your jewelry postpiercing inflammation, a process she recommends with lip, nostril, earlobe, and industrials.

Until her doors open in May, Carvara will be available just a few doors down from her new spot at Main Line Ink. Email info@monarchpiercing.com to make an appointment.

statement? Or was it the left ear? And did that mean if a man had both ears pierced, he was bi? The ridiculous rumor regarding homosexuality and ear piercings was prominent mostly from the late ‘80s to the ‘90s but thankfully now the jewelry indicates only style and not sexuality.

GOT YOUR BACKING “It is not just for punks and goths anymore,” says Kelly Carvara, owner of Monarch Piercing, the first (and still only) piercing-only studio in the entire state of Tennessee. “I was a goth kid in high school and mom was super against it before I turned eighteen. So when I turned of age, I got most of the piercings I have now, which is over twenty.”

Only eighteen credits shy of receiving her degree in biomedical engineering, Carvara dropped out of college to pursue what she was truly passionate about—metals and the human body.

“I was looking at a career in prosthetics but in my last semester, I started apprenticing and changed my mind.”

Carvara still draws on her academic knowledge of subjects such as Anatomy & Physiology and Biocompatibility, though.

Nominated for Small Business of the Year by the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, Monarch Piercing has been pivotal in progressive piercing in Tennessee. Carvara is the only freehand piercer and single-use shop proprietor in the Volunteer State.

Carvara first visited Chattanooga in summer of 2015. After guest piercing from New York to Atlanta and plenty of places in between, she decided to open Monarch Piercing in February 2016. After apprenticing under Jef Saunders, president of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP), Carvara is about to celebrate her 10-year piercing anniversary this March.

“I’m the only member of the APP for 180 miles,” she explains. “Sev-

TO THE FACE

“

I started piercing myself in my early teens because my grandmother wouldn’t take me to get my navel pierced. I was like, ‘If she won’t let me. I’ll do it myself’.” eral times a year, I seek out continuing education because the industry is constantly changing; however, with opening the new location, I may not go anywhere for a while.”

Although a piercer does not have to be a part of the APP, Kelly encourages other piercers in the area to attend APP workshops. “If any of us are doing better, we’re all doing better.”

Carvara cares so much for her craft and harmonious relationships that she created a Tennessee piercers’ Facebook group called “Southern Fried Tennessee Piercers” to share ideas and connect on a local level.

Long in business in Hixson, Carvara is moving to a larger, custom studio on Main Street, just behind The Handle

Bar. Her new spot will have two piercing rooms, an inviting waiting area and “dope designed jewelry display cases.” Carvara is stoked because her new space will have much more of her vibe.

“Being handicap accessible and kid friendly were my two biggest focuses and, although I was shown some pretty cool second floor spaces, I could not have found a better place at ground level.”

Monarch Piercing will be in limbo until the Main Street location completes final renovations, but that will not stop Carvara from taking care of her “awesome clients.” She will not be poking holes while she is sans shop but you can contact her for jewelry

Former piercer and well-known local Pinkie Pell, female Guinness world record holder and co-founder of the fantastic freakshow Subterranean Cirqus, has a sweet face glittered with silver studs from ears to eyelids. Possibly the most-pierced person in the area, Pell jokes, “Let’s just say I have 30 something, which also describes my age.”

Her top three piercings are her eyelids, neck, and chin microdermal. The runner-up is her vertical bridge that used to run between her eyebrows.

“I started piercing myself in my early teens because my grandmother wouldn’t take me to get my navel pierced,” Pell says. “I was like, ‘If she won’t let me. I’ll do it myself.’ That’s how I became a piercer; I realized I was really good at it.”

As we joke about the piercing kiosks of our childhood, Pell says that when her grandmother finally decided to have her ears pierced in fifth grade, she took her to an upscale retail place, “the bougie Merle Norman.” When I ask her opinion on at what age should kids get their ears pierced, she eloquently says, “It should be illegal to get a baby’s ears pierced. You should not be allowed to get a decorative hole in your head until you are old enough to ask for it.”

I concur.

Pell pierced her belly button at high school and recalls fondly that she still has that hole.

“I have lost piercings through life,” she says as she points to her right wrist

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 7

COVER STORY

where a surface bar used to be but is no longer after a concert.

As a piercer for almost a decade, she emphasizes knowing what you’re getting into before you pierce.

“There is a video or blog for everything so there is no reason not to know.”

When Pell began staple gunning herself and lifting record-breaking weights from both eye sockets for Subterranean Cirqus performances, she knew the risks. She’s working on breaking three more records with mouse traps on her tongue in a minute, most weight lifted with one eye socket, and most weight lifted with her cheek piercings.

Still, she says, “Safety is more important than shock value.”

TRANSGRESS—SAFELY Some states, like Iowa, have no laws regarding piercing and then others, like Oregon, are very strict.

However, professional piercing organizations are a little more cautious.

I’m sure no one from the APP works at a big box store or small mall store nor would they suggest to get a free piercing with purchase of jewelry.

Whether you pierce at home or visit a professional, think safety first. Do 8 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

your research and figure out what you’re doing or, better, visit an APP member-owned practice.

A friend got her ears pierced in a store and they were done too low on the lobe. She thought they healed so she got a second hole closer to where she wanted them originally and the two holes eventually ripped through one another and she had to get surgery to heal them.

Opting for safer, if more expensive, venues may save beaucoup down the road of recovery.

So…what’s your flavor? A modest earring on each side, or a host of silver stars spangled across your anatomy? Whatever piercings you choose, tolerance for piercings is expanding, while the presence of expert professional piercers makes Chattanooga a great place to get stuck. Again, and again, and…

Dreaming of wanting to be a writer since she could remember, Jessie Gantt-Temple moved here three years ago from the Carolinas with her husband, and has found roots on her farm in Soddy Daisy.

COLUMN · AIR BAG

Flying Cars: Fantasy vs Reality The Jetsons will always remain a cartoon for very good reasons

P David Traver Adolphus Pulse columnist

“

Commuting in general may not go extinct but it will rapidly become a problem only for the few who either don’t work remotely or don’t live where they work.”

David Traver Adolphus is a freelance automotive researcher who quit his full time job writing about old cars to pursue his lifelong dream of writing about old AND new cars. Follow him on Twitter as @proscriptus.

EOPLE HAVE BEEN WORKING on flying cars not since the Wright Brothers flew, but before. A Hungarian engineer named Emil Némethy and an Austrian named F. Heinz were both trying to figure them out by 1900, just 14 years after the invention of the automobile and almost four years before Wilbur Wright first wobbled aloft for three-and-a-half seconds.

Maine’s Flying Auto Company incorporated in May of 1909, and Blériot Aéronautique took an order for their first aero-taxicab in 1915, although it wasn’t until 1917 when the great aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss introduced his Autoplane that anyone really had a working vehicle that could both fly and drive on the ground.

And since that time, people have known what a terrible idea it is.

“It can readily be imagined how much more awful a flying automobile, or ten flying automobiles, would be,” wrote John Gilmer Speed in “The Modern Chariot”, his history of transportation, in The Cosmopolitan in May 1900.

Any craft light enough to fly could only have one means of propulsion, so most of them “drove” using the same whirling propeller of death with which they flew.

You could, and some did, encase it in a shroud like a fan, but it still operated at a million decibels and blew over roadside livestock.

Counterintuitively, there were some factors a century ago that would have made the idea safer than today. People were accustomed to constant maintenance on their cars and what cars need, planes need ten times more of. You can

let your tire get worn down and maybe pull over for a flat, but when something goes wrong in the air, you begin plummeting to the ground.

At the same time, there wasn’t much other air travel and a flying car would have been so expensive that the airways were never going to be congested.

Now take the 113 million people cited for distracted or drunk driving annually and put them in the air. Yes, obviously it could only work with a fully autonomous mesh system with total ground-airground control and zero potential human involvement, but even if that were technologically possible—and let’s not even get into how much more energy would be required—and people were willing to accept it, there remains the question: would it actually be useful to have flying cars?

The most recent survey by the Census Bureau in 2015 showed that the average American commutes 26.5 minutes.

Twenty-six-and-a-half minutes. That may

be up from 22 minutes in 1990 but not by much. It’s likely to decline, too, as people continue to migrate into urban areas while in the suburbs and towns we work to create dense, walkable cores.

Commuting in general may not go extinct but it will rapidly become a problem only for the few who either don’t work remotely or don’t live where they work.

In the end, it isn’t technology or societal pressures that will keep killing the flying car but economics. It makes no sense for any private company or public institution to develop an insanely complex, potentially treacherous new 3-D aerial infrastructure for a problem that can be solved for pennies on the dollar less on the ground.

It’s not impossible that way, way out in the future we will have the limitless energy and resources to do it. But if the last 119 years of attempts are any guide, it’ll continue to be as much a pipe dream for the 21st Century as it always has been.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

They’ve Got The World On Their Strings Cuarteto Quiroga comes to St. Paul’s Designing The Streets Of Tomorrow When walking around downtown, we rarely recognize that Chattanooga was once an idea on a drawing board, gazed upon by city planners from the past. For those planners, designing Chattanooga was undoubtedly a monumental effort in itself, but to successfully keep the city running might be the more difficult task in the long run. If nobody is living and working in the city, failure will be the only result.

Victor Dover, founding principal of town planning firm Dover, Kohl & Partners, is interested in constructing an engaging urban landscape in an effort to prevent this fateful result. And he isn’t working in isolation.

This Thursday at 5 p.m. at The Camp House, Dover will present “The Art of Street Design”, in which he’ll address compelling questions such as “How do we make our streets and cities places where people want to get out of their cars and walk?” and “How do we make our cities and towns great places where people want to be?”

Dover’s talk will aid in formulating possible solutions to the underlying human issues facing our city’s metropolitan area. Chattanooga will only survive beyond our time if we design the city to properly accommodate the people and streets of today and tomorrow.

One may not immediately think of urban design as art, but chances are Victor Dover will change your mind. For tickets and more information, visit thecamphouse.com — Jason Dale

Photo by Joseph Molina

By Janis Hashe Pulse contributor

“

A concert should be more than just a collection of beautiful pieces. It should propose an experience which tells a story.”

10 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

T

HIS FRIDAY, THE EXQUISITE INTERIOR OF ST. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Chattanooga will be filled with equally exquisite music.

Highly acclaimed Spanish string quartet Cuarteto Quiroga will present a diverse evening of classic compositions, including Joao de Almeida’s “String Quartet in D Minor, Op. 6, No. 2”, Alberto Ginastera’s “String Quartet No. 1, Op. 20”, and Beethoven’s “String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135”.

Aitor Hevia and Cibrán Sierra (violin), Josep Puchades (viola), and Helena Poggio (cello) make up Cuarteto Quiroga, which was named for one of Spain’s most famous violinists. Via email, Sierra provided some background on both the quartet and the pieces they’ll perform.

The Pulse: How do you choose the pieces you want to perform? And what is your rehearsal process like?

Cibrán Sierra: We want the programs we offer to have some meaning. A concert should be more than just a collection of beautiful pieces.

It should propose an experience which tells a story and invites the listeners to reflect upon a certain aspect of the musical happening.

Our rehearsal process is the result of many years of work. It reflects who we are and how we approach musical interpretation. We are a very democratic group; every member has equal time to tackle the issues

he/she finds necessary or important.

Every voice is heard and each one of us feels equally responsible for the rehearsal process and its final result… for us, debate and dissent are powerful tools of progress, not means of confrontation.

A quartet should never repress the four individualities. It should enhance them, make them visible within a harmonious, generous, and democratic dialogue. That’s how Goethe saw it, and it’s why the quartet became the musical flagship of the Enlightenment.

TP: One of the pieces to be performed is the Argentinian composer Ginastera’s “String Quartet No. 1, Op. 20”. What is meant by his use of the “guitar chord”?

CS: Ginastera works with materials that come from the folklore of the pampas, those fascinating, treeless plains of South America. The gauchos (pampas cowboys) use guitar as their main instrument. Therefore, Ginastera refers in this quartet constantly to the sound of the six open strings of the guitar (the “guitar chord”) to embed the whole musical material and frame it within a sound universe which is genuine from this specific folklore.

TP: Another piece, Beethoven’s “String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135”, is said to be the last major work he completed. He wrote on the first part of the manuscript, “Must it be?” and on the second part, “It must be.” What did he

“

Every voice is heard and each one of us feels equally responsible for the rehearsal process and its final result.” mean by this in context of the music?

CS: Well, this is a very controversial issue. Everyone wanted to see behind those mysterious handwritten sentences some philosophical, transcendent meaning. The latest musicological studies point, however, towards a more trivial explanation (money issues with his publisher, or maybe even the housekeeper). We will never know for sure if the riddle is serious, irrelevant, or simply a joke.

Rhetorically, the introduction of the last movement is a dramatic question, and the finale opens with a joyful, outspoken answer. The important thing is to go beyond the text itself and to understand that the linguistic-rhetorical element in Beethoven’s music is—with or without riddles—fundamental to build an eloquent interpretation.

TP: When the quartet is in Madrid, it has a royal commission to play the set of decorated Stradivarius instruments from the Royal Collection. Can you describe what it is like to play a Stradivarius?

CS: The Royal Stradivarius quartet cannot leave the Royal Palace of Madrid. It is never played outside its walls.

The instruments are absolutely unique and their value is immense. Although there are 11 decorated Strads in the world, the four that are kept in Madrid are the only ones designed and built as a set, to be played together.

Because of this, playing those instruments as a quartet is true bliss.

As Antonio Stradivari designed them to sound as a group, it is so easy to blend their voices and match their tone. Projecting as a quartet a unified sound quality becomes so easy with [these] four jewels.

However, every great Strad is like a great horse—it has a strong personality and it is really not easy to ride it.

You need to find a very delicate balance between what you give to the instrument and what the instrument gives you. When you manage, the feeling is absolutely amazing.

Cuarteto Quiroga Friday, Mar. 1, 7:30 p.m.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 305 W. 7th St. (423) 266-8195 stpaulschatt.org

THU2.28

FRI3.1

SAT3.2

The Red Ball Express

CELLARbration

One-Man Star Wars

In honor of Black History Month, Heritage House proudly presents Budd Boetticher's Red Ball Express movie.

2 p.m.

Heritage House Arts Center 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474

A blind wine tasting to benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation.

Wine and charity: what more do you need?

6 p.m.

The Wheelhouse 1216 E. Main St. hatcherfoundation.org

Uber geek Charles Ross brings his solo madcap creation to the stage in this mind-bending whirlwind of a show.

8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. theatrecentre.com

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR THURSDAY2.28 Red Wolf Revival Film Screening Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org The Red Ball Express 2 p.m.

Heritage House Arts Center 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474 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 CIVIQ, Victor Dover: The Art of Street Design 5:30 p.m.

The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Beginner Handlettering 6 p.m.

Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 413-8978 chattanoogaworkspace.com “Fences” 7 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Carmina Burana 7:30 p.m.

Chattanooga State Humanities Theatre 4501 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 697-4400 chattanoogastate.edu Comedy For Conservation: Kier, Lee Hardin, Roger Keiss 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Alcoholics Not Anonymous

12 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Photographer Ron Lowery Opening Reception

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

FRIDAY3.1 Red Wolf Revival Film Screening Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Out On 8th 5 p.m.

West Village 802 Pine St. (423) 424-1831 westvillagechattanooga.com Photographer Ron Lowery Opening Reception 5 p.m.

In-Town Gallery 26 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9214 intowngallery.com Artists Open Reception 5:30 p.m.

River Gallery

400 E. 2nd St (423) 265-5033 river-gallery.com CELLARbration 6 p.m.

The Wheelhouse 1216 E. Main St. (423) 243-3470 hatcherfoundation.org Magic In The Garden: A Harry Potter Inspired Event 6 p.m.

Signal Mtn. Nursery 1100 Hubbard Rd. (423) 886-3174 signalmtnnursery.com Carmina Burana 7:30 p.m.

Chattanooga State Humanities Theatre 4501 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 697-4400 chattanoogastate.edu Kellen Erskine 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com The Floor Is Yours 7:30 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Improv “Movie” Presents: Presidential Documentary 8 p.m.

Improv Chattanooga

1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com “Fences” 8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Video Game Night 8 p.m.

Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. (423) 521-3977 stonecupcafe.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

SATURDAY3.2 Author Jonathan F. Putnam 2 p.m.

Arts Building 301 E 11th St. (423) 756-2787 artsbuild.com Bobby Stone Film Series

“Fences”

presents "A Star is Born" 3 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Winter in West Village 6 p.m.

West Village 802 Pine St. westvillagechattanooga.com Kellen Erskine 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 “Fences” 8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com “One-Man Star Wars” 8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Whose Line Chattanooga 10 p.m.

Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave.

(423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com

SUNDAY3.3 Bobby Stone Film Series presents "The Favourite" 2 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com “Fences” 2:30 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com “One-Man Star Wars” 2:30 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Kellen Erskine 7:30 p.m.

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

MONDAY3.4 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 First Monday Improv Comedy 7:30 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org River City Dance Club 7:45 p.m.

Peace Dance Yoga 3800 St Elmo Ave. (813) 731-9581 rivercitydanceclub.com

TUESDAY3.5 Wake Up & Run 6 a.m.

Fleet Feet Sports 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 771-7996 fleetfeetchattanooga.com Red Wolf Revival Film Screening Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Chess K-night 5 p.m.

Mad Priest Coffee Roasters

1900 Broad St. (423) 393-3834 madpriestcoffee.com Tuesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m.

Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com Paths to Pints along the Riverwalk 6:30 p.m.

The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com Maker Night 6:30 p.m.

Chester Frost Park Pavilion 7989 Causeway Rd. (423) 209-6892 parks.hamiltontn.gov

WEDNESDAY3.6 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 Book Launch for Erin McGraw’s Joy: And 52 Other Very Short Stories 6 p.m.

Star Line Books 1467 Market St. (423) 777-5629 starlinebooks.com Open Mic Night 7 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 7:30 p.m.

The Bitter Alibi 825 Houston St. (423) 362-5070 thebitteralibi.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 13

THE MUSIC SCENE

Music En Plein Air Drum and ukulele on the Appalachian Trail

Funkified Jams With Freddy Mc One of purest forms of music is that which is shared between musicians who get together just to jam. Some of the best bands in Chattanooga came together because of jam sessions, in fact.

And while the city has several bluegrass and folk-style jam sessions on a regular basis, there wasn’t a weekly gathering for fans of ‘60s and 70’s fusion funk and soul.

Well, until now, that is.

Musicians and music fans alike will be gathering every Tuesday night on the Southside at The Granfalloon as FBI Reloaded serves as the house band for a weekly jam.

Do you play jazz fusion, soul, funk, or dance music? If so, you’re invited to be a part of the band on any given song.

The jam is led by Freddy Mc, a veteran guitar player who has appeared on the Tonight Show, played with musicians such as T-Bone Burnett, and scored composition on The Ladykillers movie soundtrack.

“The Jam Sessions Live program helps bring back the amazing music culture of the city, now on the happening strip of Main Street,” says Freddy.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the show begins at 6:00 p.m. Admission is just $5, and Adelle’s Creperie inside The Granfalloon will be open with a bar and its full menu (and trust us, they have killer crepes).

Check it out this Tuesday at 400 E Main St., and be prepared to get your funk on.

— Michael Thomas

Photo by Lucas McKay

By Ernie Paik Pulse contributor

“

We were getting so excited for the hike we wondered how we could combine our new love for thru-hiking and a new album release.”

14 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

J

ILLIAN AND LOGAN IVEY OF THE LAVENDERclad, Chattanooga indie-pop band The Mailboxes have a wild and ambitious notion of what a national tour can be—after a tour kick-off show at Songbirds North this Saturday, the duo will perform on the Appalachian Trail for fellow hikers (and wildlife) on a four-month, 2,200-mile northbound thru-hike, with Jillian playing a clear, waterproof ukulele and Logan playing percussion on improvised surfaces.

After completing the hike in Maine in late June, the band will then circle the continental U.S. and finish the massive tour with a homecoming event at the AVA Gallery on the North Shore on October 5.

The tour will support The Mailboxes’ new album Inside Outside—to be released online this summer, but available for early-bird fans on CD at the Saturday show—and twice-

monthly YouTube videos will document the duo’s performances and adventures on the trail, with Patreon supporters getting early access to media and invitations to interactive livestreams.

Jillian Ivey, the band’s founder, answered some questions for The Pulse about the tour and new album.

The Pulse: How did the idea of performing on the Appalachian Trail

come about?

Jillian Ivey: A year and a half ago Logan, just after coming home from a month-long tour with our band, my husband and the drummer for The Mailboxes, broke his right wrist and left elbow in a work accident. He needed surgery and physical therapy, and the doctor said it would take him a year to fully recover and not to expect full mobility back in his wrist.

Not being able to use his arms is what inspired him to pursue running more and wanting to pursue his dream of hiking the John Muir Trail in California since his legs worked fine.

We were getting so excited for the hike we wondered how we could combine our new love for thru-hiking and a new album release. That sparked the idea of hiking another trail in lavender which led to us hiking the trail as a tour and promoting our new record that way.

We also love incorporating different types of art and performance in our music so it was exciting to think of thru-hiking as a performance art piece. Logan’s accident was really the catalyst for us just trying to pursue all the things we are excited about and not wasting the precious time we have here doing things we don’t feel passionate about.

We ended up choosing the Appalachian Trail for the project because it’s local and makes sense as part of a

“

I wasn’t a thru-hiker until this last trail, and now I’ve fallen in love! It’s definitely pushed me in a new direction.” tour since the start in Georgia isn’t far from Chattanooga. It’s also the most popular trail in the country, so it gives us the most opportunity to share with lots of people about our new album and play songs for them.

I wasn’t a thru-hiker until this last trail, and now I’ve fallen in love! It’s definitely pushed me in a new direction. I loved disconnecting and being more present in nature. It gives you a lot of time to think and come up with new ideas you might not have if you were in a different setting.

TP: Can you discuss the theme of Inside Outside?

JI: The theme of the record is a lot about self-discovery and trying to become the person you want to be instead of the person you think you should be.

I wrote a lot of the songs post-college when I was new to adulthood and figuring out how to cope with the transition into my marriage, working instead of going to classes, figuring out my career path as a musician, and what my own personal belief systems are instead of what I was raised to believe by my surroundings.

It’s a lot about questioning your own upbringing and thought patterns and coming out on the other side with beliefs of your own and reasons of your own for who you are and what you believe and do.

With the album colors, lavender represents our inner world and dark green represents our outer world.

The lavender is represented by our clothes and dark green represented by nature.

I think the path to self-discovery and personal growth means looking inside of yourself but also outside of yourself, taking all your experiences and using that to inform your ideas and become who you want to be in the world.

We hope to encourage others to do the same and get their “insides outside” and find what they’re passionate about.

The Mailboxes Album Release Party with Spinster Saturday, 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com

THU2.28

FRI3.1

SAT3.2

Road to Nightfall

Road to Nightfall

Road to Nightfall

SunSap, Iron Chief, Emerald Butler, 3’s Company, Silver Tongued Devilz, Midnight Promise vie for an opening slot.

7 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com

Playin Possum Blues Band, The Fridge, Subkonscious, Slicksilver, The Stephen Busie Band, Sideways vie for a slot.

7 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com

Backwater Still, Hush Money, Better Thieves, Dr. B & the Ease, Josh Driver Band, Caleb and the Gents vie for a slot.

7 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 15

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR THURSDAY2.28 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m.

St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Danimal & Friends 6 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Ryan Oyer 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Road to Nightfall: SunSap, Iron Chief, Emerald Butler, 3’s Company, Silver Tongued Devilz, Midnight Promise 7 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Webb Barringer 7 p.m.

Edley’s Bar-B-Que 205 Manufacturers Rd. edleysbbq.com Toby Hewitt 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Jesse James & Tim Neal 7:30 p.m.

Mexi-Wing VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. (423) 296-1073 Landon Fitzpatrick 7:30 p.m.

The Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Home Free: Timeless World Tour 8 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com Jon Mayfield with Paint The Ghost 8 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Stephen Busie 8 p.m.

The Social 1110 Market St.

16 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

publichousechattanooga.com Open Mic Night 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Quiet Hollers, Zachary Stout 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com

FRIDAY3.1 Playin Possum Blues Band 6 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Heatherly 6 p.m.

Heaven & Ale Brewing Co. 300 Cherokee Blvd. heavenandalebrewing.com Megan Howard 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Preston Ruffing 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Road to Nightfall: Playin Possum Blues Band, The Fridge, Subkonscious, Slicksilver, The Stephen Busie Band, Sideways 7 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Jason Lyles 7 p.m.

Slick’s Burgers 309 E Main St. slicksburgers.com Clayton Kaiser and David Bingaman 7 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Tim Lewis 7 p.m.

El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Shockley 7:30 p.m.

The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd. thecamphouse.com Cuarteto Quiroga 7:30 p.m.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 305 W. 7th St. stpaulschatt.org The Black Jacket Symphony: Queen’s A Night At The Opera 8 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com The Larry Keel Experience 8 p.m.

Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. stonecupcafe.com Ayla Sylver

LIVE MUSIC SPOTLIGHT You want good oldfashioned Motown soul, funk, and R&B all together in not one, but two super hot show bands? Then there's only one place to be this Friday night!

The Malemen & The Power Players Friday 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com

8 p.m.

Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Pamela K Ward 8:30 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Stoned Cold Fox 9 p.m.

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Kerchief (Record Release), Commander Keen, Gym Shorts, Creature Comfort 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Motown On Station Street with The Malemen & The Power Players 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Naomi Ingram 10 p.m.

The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com Hit Town 10 p.m.

The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com The Donny Hammonds Band 10 p.m.

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

SATURDAY3.2 Dustin French 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Courtney Holder 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Road to Nightfall: Backwater Still, Hush Money, Better Thieves, Dr. B & the Ease, Josh Driver Band, Caleb and the Gents

7 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com The 9th Street Stompers 7 p.m.

Gate 11 Distillery 1400 Market St. gate11distillery.com Sistern 7 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org The Mailboxes Album Release Party with Spinster 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 Hive Theory 8 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Abbey Road Live!

8 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com The Foothills 8:30 p.m.

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

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Three Star Revival, Over Easy 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Dave Matthews Tribute Band & Mardi Gras Party 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com The Donny Hammonds Band

The 9th Street Stompers

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

WEDNESDAY3.6 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY3.3 Cannon Hunt 11 a.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Carl Pemberton 11 a.m.

Westin Chattanooga 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Heart Hunters 1:30 p.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com The Other Brothers 2 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Bluegrass Jam 4 p.m.

Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 994-7497 Open Mic with Jeff Daniels 6 p.m.

Long Haul Saloon 2536 Cummings Hwy. (423) 822-9775 An Evening with Della Mae 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St.

songbirdsguitars.com

MONDAY3.4 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 Blues Night Open Jam 7 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Very Open Mic with Shawnessey Cargile 8 p.m.

The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com

TUESDAY3.5 Gino Fanelli Trio 6 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Danimal 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Space Jam Open Mic with Xll Olympians

Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Jazz In The Lounge: Nancy Westmoreland Group 7 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Oz Noy, Dave Weckl, & Jimmy Haslip 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Priscilla & Little Rickee 8 p.m.

Las Margaritas 1101 Hixson Pike (423) 756-3332 Dr. Dog with The Nude Party 8:30 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com The Bohannons, The Great Dying, Pate Russell 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Outlaw 45 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 • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 17

ADAM BECKETT’S RECORD REVIEWS

New Music From Elisabeth Hartline, Signal Mountain

Elisabeth Hartline Hymns of Meditation

Signal Mountain Familiar Trails

F

of multiple styles of music and does not fit any type of genre mold. It is its own unadulterated individual force. It is obvious that she tapped into the music that is inside of her, and was able to draw the magic out and make an album out of it.

Closed minded people that only listen to the radio might not be able to appreciate this remarkable album, but that does not take away from its quiet storm status.

Much of the album is super chill and thought-provoking, but there are tracks that will move bodies. The whole album permeates the airwaves and has the ability to take over the

ar too often musicians create music that fits a mold.

They make music that is for other people, and in the process, the sound gets watered down due to that fact. When music is really special, potent, and pure, the artists put other people out of their mind and make music that derives from within, without thought of who might listen to it.

Chattanooga’s own Elisabeth Hartline has poured music that comes from her heart with her recent experimental album release Hymns of Meditation, that is full of beauty and delightful music.

The diverse album is a blend

18 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

listener. It unlocks nostalgia to strange place and time and will leave people in a trance-like state floating through space and time.

Hartline found a way to connect with people through her music, and it has the ability to breach and break down trapped emotions, which guides people to work through mental and heartfelt turmoil.

When artists have the ability to help people work through their personal issues through sound, that means that they are next level artists, with a very unique talent.

Each song makes its bid as the standout track, however, “Danse de Feu Ceremonielle”, which is a superb track that holds weight as one of the greatest songs in the history of music. It is a trippy, funky, Spanish based, mariachi-inspired jam; it is unbelievably good.

Other notable tracks “Procession Into The Gates”, “Dream State”, and “Deep Sleep” all have the ability to strum people's heart chords.

Do not sleep on this local sensation. The music that she

makes is extraordinary.

I

t seems as if beautiful, captivating, awe-inspiring music is the theme for this week’s reviews, because another prime example of just that is the album Familiar Trails by the local music group that goes by the name Signal Mountain. The duo that makes up the band, Eric Setterlund and Josh McCausland, combine to unleash their talent through sound, and they complement each other flawlessly.

The ambient collaboration project fluctuates musical styles as the album progresses to its end. While classifying it as one specific genre is just not an option, that fact should not really matter anyway. Many different styles and sounds all blend to take over the airwaves and coagulate to produce stellar tracks throughout the entirety of the spellbinding album.

To call Familiar Trails enthralling would be selling it short—it is much more than that. It is mood stabilizing music that has the ability to center the listener and help them drift

through their minds. It is exceptional on many different levels, particularly the fact that it will send each listener on their own individual ride.

No two people are going to go to the same place while they are listening to the music of it. It is almost handcrafted for specific individuals, only collectively; meaning that everybody will be touched by it in their own way.

The only way to fully grasp the potency of the album, to connect with the artists, and to understand their intentions of the music is to press play and let it ride through its entirety.

Standout tracks “Valley”, “Descending”, “Ascending”, and the title track “Familiar Trails”, all are nothing less than gripping but do not stop there.

People that listen to just one or two tracks will not get to experience the magic of the whole album.

We should all be thankful that this dynamic duo linked up to create music together.

Support this astounding local group and feel the uplifting delight of their sound.

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Until the sixteenth century in much of Europe and the eighteenth century in Britain, the new year was celebrated in March. That made sense given the fact that the weather was growing noticeably warmer and it was time to plant the crops again. In my astrological opinion, the month of March is still the best time of year for you Pisceans to observe your personal new year. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to start fresh in any area of your life. If you formulate a set of New Year’s resolutions, you’re more likely to remain committed to them than if you had made them on January 1.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): South Koreans work too hard. Many are on the job for fourteen hours a day, six days a week. That’s why a new concept in vacations has emerged there. People take sabbaticals by checking into Prison Inside Me, a facility designed like a jail. For a while, they do without cell phones and Internet and important appointments. Freed of normal stresses and stripped of obsessive concerns, they turn inward and recharge their spiritual batteries. I’d love to see you treat yourself to a getaway like this— minus the incarceration theme, of course. You’d benefit from a quiet, spacious, low-pressure escape.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The astrology column you’re reading is published in periodicals in four countries: the U.S., Canada, Italy, and France. In all of these places, women have had a hard time acquiring political power. Neither the U.S. nor Italy has ever had a female head of government. France has had one, Édith Cresson, who served less than a year as Prime Minister. Canada has had one, Kim Campbell, who was in office for 132 days. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that the coming months will be a more favorable time than usual to boost feminine authority and enhance women’s ability to shape our shared reality.

And you Tauruses of all genders will be in prime position to foster that outcome. Homework: Meditate on specific ways you could contribute, even if just through your personal interactions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A 19-year-old guy named Anson Lemmer started a job as a pizza delivery man in Glenwood, Colorado. On his second night, he arrived with a hot pizza at a house where an emergency was in progress. A man was lying on the ground in distress. Having been trained in CPR, Lemmer leaped to his rescue and saved his life. I expect that you, too, will perform a heroic act sometime soon, Gemini—maybe not as monumental as Lemmer’s, but nonetheless impressive. And I bet it will have an enduring impact, sending out reverberations

that redound to your benefit for quite some time.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Scientist Michael Dillon was shocked when he learned that some bees can buzz around at lofty altitudes where the oxygen is sparse. He and a colleague even found two of them at 29,525 feet—higher than Mt. Everest. How could the bees fly in such thin air? They “didn’t beat their wings faster,” according to a report in National Geographic, but rather “swung their wings through a wider arc.” I propose that we regard these high-flying marvels as your soul animals for the coming weeks. Metaphorically speaking, you will have the power and ingenuity and adaptability to go higher than you’ve been in a long time.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Do you find it a challenge to commit to an entirely plant-based diet? If so, you might appreciate flexitarianism, which is a less-perfectionist approach that focuses on eating vegetables but doesn’t make you feel guilty if you eat a bit of meat now and then. In general, I recommend you experiment with a similar attitude toward pretty much everything in the coming weeks.

Be strong-minded, idealistic, willful, and intent on serving your well-being—but without being a maniacal purist.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): If you gorge on sugary treats and soft drinks, you ingest a lot of empty calories. They have a low nutrient density, and provide you with a scant amount of minerals, vitamins, protein, and other necessities. Since I am committed to helping you treat yourself with utmost respect, I always discourage you from that behavior. But I’m especially hopeful you will avoid it during the next three weeks, both in the literal and metaphorical senses. Please refrain from absorbing barren, vacant stuff into the sacred temple of your mind and body—including images, stories, sounds, and ideas, as well as food and drink.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Charles Grey was the second Earl of Grey, as well as Prime Minister of England from 1830 to 1834. His time in office produced pivotal changes, including the abolition of slavery, reform of child labor laws, and more democracy in the nation’s electoral process. But most people today know nothing of those triumphs. Rather he is immortalized for the Earl Grey tea that he made popular. I suspect that in the coming weeks, one of your fine efforts may also get less attention than a more modest success. But don’t worry about it. Instead, be content with congratulating yourself for your excellent work. I think that’s the key to you ultimately getting proper appreciation for your bigger accomplishment.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): At a young age, budding Scorpio poet Sylvia Plath came to a tough realization: “I can never read all the books I want,” she wrote in her journal. “I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones, and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life.” Judging by current astrological omens, I can imagine you saying something like that right now. I bet your longing for total immersion in life’s pleasures is especially intense and a bit frustrated. But I’m pleased to predict that in the next four weeks, you’ll be able to live and feel more shades, tones, and variations of experience than you have in a long time.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When Europeans invaded and occupied North America, they displaced many indigenous people from their ancestral lands. There were a few notable exceptions, including five tribes in what’s now Maine and Eastern Canada. They are known as the Wabanaki confederacy: the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Micmac, Maliseet, and Abenaki. Although they had to adjust to and compromise with colonialism, they were never defeated by it. I propose we make them your heroic symbols for the coming weeks. May their resilient determination to remain connected to their roots and origins motivate you to draw ever-fresh power from your own roots and origins.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn javelin thrower Julius Yego won a silver medial at the 2016 Summer Olympics. How did he get so skilled? Not in the typical way. He gained preliminary proficiency while competing for his high school team, but after graduation, he was too poor to keep developing his mastery. So he turned to Youtube, where he studied videos by great javelin throwers to benefit from their training strategies and techniques. Now that you’re in an intense learning phase of your cycle, Capricorn, I suggest that you, too, be ready to draw on sources that may be unexpected or unusual or alternative.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The first edition of Action Comics, which launched the story of the fictional character Superman, cost ten cents in 1938. Nowadays it’s worth three million dollars. I’ll make a bold prediction that you, too, will be worth considerably more on December 31, 2019 than you are right now. The increase won’t be as dramatic as that of the Superman comic, but still: I expect a significant boost. And what you do in the next four weeks could have a lot to do with making my prediction come true.

“Revolutionaries”—what goes around.

ACROSS 1 Kiefer, to Donald 4 Agcy. concerned with ergonomics 8 Upside-down V 13 It shares a key with @ 14 “... like ___ of bricks” 15 Language family of Czech and Polish 17 Like some bazookas or missiles 19 2001 A.L. MVP ___ Suzuki 20 Org. with a bunch of particle accelerators 21 Quit at cards 23 Hall’s singing partner 24 “Beware the ___ of March” 25 “I Have a Dream” speech refrain 27 Took in 29 S.F. setting 30 Flower’s protective leaves 32 Comics explosion sound 34 AC measurements

38 Advice based on feelings 41 Terrier type 42 “And others” 43 UCLA player 44 Ebenezer’s epithet 45 Mel of baseball 46 Got ready to kiss 53 ___ Report (upscale magazine) 56 Absolutely ridiculous 57 Opportunity creator 58 Skin softener 59 Movie house 61 Explanation for weird things going on, or what each theme answer has in common 63 A whole bunch 64 “It’s either him ___!”

65 Understand 66 University of ___ Dame 67 Sword used in the Olympics 68 PGA distances DOWN 1 Actress Keanan

of “Step By Step” 2 Had stock in 3 “Just kidding” 4 Muffin grain 5 Group of workers 6 High esteem 7 Bracelet spot 8 “___: Miami” 9 “Little Women” author 10 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby 11 “Oh, What a Circus” musical 12 Four for the road 16 Went for 18 Fashionable 22 The Blue Demons of the NCAA 26 [whispers] YouTube video genre presented like this 28 Prefix with skeleton 30 Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, e.g. (abbr.)

31 “Everything’s fine!”

32 When the time comes 33 Mauna ___

(Hawaiian volcano) 34 Stewie’s half-brother on “Family Guy” 35 Redundant statement, in literature 36 Geller who claims paranormal ability 37 Railroad stop (abbr.)

39 Abrade 40 “Ballers” network 44 Yuppie’s ride, slangily 46 ___ de gallo 47 SAG-AFTRA, for one 48 “No problem!”

49 Honored a king, maybe 50 “Finding Dory” actor Willem 51 Assume by force 52 ___ d’Or (award at Cannes) 54 Showed disapproval 55 Predispositions 60 NASDAQ rival 62 “The Ice Storm” director Ang

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. 925 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 19

FILM & TELEVISION

Where Be Dragons?

Third How to Train installment fails to soar

Stars Are Reborn At The Tivoli Fresh off a successful night at the Academy Awards, where it took home the statue for Original Song (along with nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress), you can see the latest version of A Star Is Born on the (really) big screen this Saturday at the Tivoli Theater.

Part of the ongoing Bobby Stone Film Series, which presents classic and modern films in a state-of-the-art theatrical setting, A Star Is Born showcases the outstanding talent and chemistry of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.

The movie focuses on the raw and passionate tale of Jack and Ally, artists who come together as soulmates on stage and in life. Theirs is a complex journey through the beauty and heartbreak of a relationship struggling to survive.

What makes the movie even more interesting is that is the directorial debut for Cooper (a four-time Oscar nominee as an actor), and the feature film debut for pop superstar Lady Gaga. The two inhabit their roles like a pair of well-worn jeans, and while you never quite forget you’re watching Cooper and Gaga, you also believe in the characters’ reality, triumphs, and struggles.

The supporting cast is more that up to their task, each one given clear moments by director Cooper, including an emotionally heartbreaking performance by Sam Elliott.

And the music is practically a character all by itself, with stunning moments of raw energy that feel as real as anything you’ve heard in the theater before. — Michael Thomas

By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor

“

When it comes to family films, quality is almost always suspect. Most studios are under the impression that kids will watch anything.”

20 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

C

ONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE NOMINEES and winners at this past Sunday’s Academy Awards.

Sure, this could be another breakdown of the “winners” and “losers”, the decisions made (both good and bad), or any other number of things. But instead, this week I want to write about dragons.

Sequels are the lifeblood of earlyyear film releases, particularly when it comes to animated films aimed at children. Truthfully, sequels are the lifeblood of all family films. They are overwhelmingly popular simply because they’re an activity parents can use to keep their kids relatively quiet for two hours or so.

When it comes to family films, quality is almost always suspect. Most studios are under the (somewhat correct) impression that kids will watch anything. Find something mildly pop-

ular, like Angry Birds or emojis, slap together a story involving believing in yourself or the importance of friends, add some computer-generated cartoons, and you’ve got yourself a formulaic family film that will at the very least break even.

If you managed to make a profit, you’ve got a built-in audience for years and years. Stars line up to lend their voices for these films (thanks entirely to Disney and Robin Williams) because it’s relatively low impact and they can do it without traveling to a

filming location or spending days in a trailer.

There are, of course, exceptions.

Most Pixar films come to mind.

DreamWorks also tends to release decent films. One of their more successful franchises is the How to Train Your Dragon series, featuring three films and a Netflix show, all of which are pretty good as far as animated children’s features go.

That said, the new How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World is the weakest of the franchise.

The series is something of a coming-of-age saga following Hiccup, a geeky Viking with a love for inventing. In the original film, his community is one built on dragon slaying. Dragons come for the sheep, the Vikings hunt them down, life goes on. Hiccup, of course, learns that dragons aren’t evil or bad, just misunderstood animals with a range of behaviors that can be domesticated and trained. Eventually Hiccup shows the Vikings how to adapt their way of life and adopt dragons as useful companions.

There’s a theme of ecology and respect built into the series that makes it far smarter than it initially seemed. Each of the sequels (and subsequent Netflix series) has built on this idea. There are dragons of all kinds, from dog-sized to moun-

“

The film is stunning visually.

This is something that most family films can’t always say.” tain-sized, with a variety of adaptations and quirks, but they are all controlled the same way and have the same hierarchy in their “culture”.

The franchise has lots of rules, to say the least. This might be why How to Train Your Dragon 3 isn’t all that interesting. It doesn’t add much to the story as a whole, beyond introducing a female companion for Hiccup’s dragon companion Toothless, and the story itself was dull enough to make me and my wife check the running time on our phones simultaneously. It feels like an unnecessary part of a mostly good series, one that could have easily been handled on the smaller screen rather than shoved into a theater.

This isn’t to say there aren’t good parts. The film is stunning visually. This is something that most family films can’t always say.

Trolls, for instance, seems almost static compared to How to Train Your Dragon. Even Pixar films like the recent sequel to The Incredibles didn’t wow in the way some of these scenes do. When the film

soars visually, it’s easier to forgive the clunky narrative and mostly boring characterizations.

But it’s not all about the sequences. With Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse (a well-deserved Oscar winner), the film was so expertly stylized that every scene was knock-out. How to Train Your Dragon 3 doesn’t quite reach this level. Being a fantasy movie about dragons helps a lot—there’s a lot to explore in the world. But still, parts of it are rudimentary.

Speaking of Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse, it seems like the stakes for family films have been raised. It was such an exceptional film that it may no longer be enough to release films like those in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

But what am I saying? There will always be a market for family features that are far less good than How to Train Your Dragon as long as parents are willing to shell out their hard-earned cash for a bit of peace.

Here’s to endless sequels and remakes for The Grinch!

✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴

A Madea Family Funeral A joyous family reunion becomes a hilarious nightmare as Madea and the crew travel to backwoods Georgia, where they find themselves unexpectedly planning a funeral that might unveil unsavory family secrets.

Director: Tyler Perry Stars: Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely

Climax French dancers gather in a remote, empty school building to rehearse on a wintry night.

The all-night celebration morphs into a hallucinatory nightmare when they learn their sangria is laced with LSD. Director: Gaspar Noé Stars: Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic

Follow The Pulse on Facebook (we’re quite likeable) www.facebook.com/chattanoogapulse CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 21

COLUMN · ON THE BEAT

Tell Me All About Your Traffic Ticket Officer Alex explains how to avoid ever getting a traffic citation Editor's Note: Officer Alex is off this week, so we're re-running one of our favorite columns.

It might even be one of his. Who knows?

Y Alex Teach

Pulse columnist

“

I can take the time to tell you it’s a fool’s errand to think you can chuck your ID into the trunk and drive like Steve McQueen in Bullitt so long as you have a kid in the car.”

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.

OU CAN OFTEN GAUGE HOW well I know someone I’m in a conversation with based on the length of the “traffic ticket story” they’re telling me.

First clue: If they’re telling me a long “traffic ticket story,” I don’t know them at all and they certainly don’t know me well.

Second clue: Well…that’s pretty much it. But it’s still okay to ask questions now and then. (If I want your ticket history I can pull it up in my car. But I’m not going to. Ever. Because I don’t.)

Insensitive? Eh, maybe, but I don’t blame them. Wait, you mean I’m being insensitive? Eh, maybe I am, too, but I am just one man and I have to have some limits.

I actually have a profound understanding for why people feel the need to do this: It’s a source of anxiety and therefore a topic they are very passionate about and it’s how they feel they can relate to me upon meeting me. I get it.

Sometimes the comments are snide, sometimes remorseful, and most involve the injustice of being caught (“…instead of that other guy that blew past me just seconds before!”) to deflect from the fact they were still guilty, and I’m always patient with them. (Okay, mostly patient with them, but my expertise is in dealing with human accountability, not being an emotional tampon; give the PTSD-bound a break here.)

The last conversation I had was actually about why they didn’t get a ticket, hence this week’s normally verboten topic. “I couldn’t find my license anywhere, and I was panicking. My kid was in his car seat and asking what was happening

22 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

over and over and I actually think he’d undone his seatbelt which would have been a second ticket and finally the cop just said ‘Fine, just…be careful. Have a good day, ma’am.’ What was with that?

He didn’t go through my car or anything!”

She had other forms of identification.

He had tools in his car to verify who she was, but what made her really lucky was that this wasn’t a drug interdiction cop, or a cop who wasn’t able to convince his supervisor he hadn’t seen a citeable offense in five, ten, or fifteen days as opposed to not doing his job.

She was polite and nervous and didn’t know that without a license you can’t get a ticket by the letter of the law—you have to be taken to jail for a lack of state ID to verify your identity and brought before a magistrate, and she had a kid in the car that would have suffered.

That’s why she didn’t get a ticket for doing 12 over, so naturally I told her, “Wow. That was just your lucky day I guess! Be careful, don’t waste that!”

I wasn’t lying, but I wasn’t going to give her the idea she had an “out” from

now on, and I’m not giving you that idea either because, unlike in her situation, I can take the time to tell you it’s a fool’s errand to think you can chuck your ID into the trunk and drive like Steve McQueen in Bullitt so long as you have a kid in the car.

She both had a planetary alignment in the personality and tenor of the cop that pulled her over and a genuine air that he read into along with the sense to find other ways to verify her identity rather than have a fast one pulled on him.

Discretion + Experience + Instinct = Good Cops. He was fine to let her roll, but any other cop, much less a specialist in ticket writing? Press hard because there are several carbons to be distributed under that white copy, Mrs. Thing.

The real “ticket” to avoidance isn’t claiming ignorance of law or that “everyone else was doing it.” Tickets are a voluntary program, folks; just watch your speed and your brake pedal instead of your cell phone because that’s how you show up “The Man”. If not? Collect that carbon and add it to the stories.

I’m a listener. It’s what I do.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 28, 2019 • THE PULSE • 23