The Pulse 15.15 » April 12, 2018

APRIL 12, 2018

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

HOMEBIRTH AND MIDWIVES The Natural Birthing option that is finding a new home

GETTING LIT IN ST. ELMO • NORTHERN IRISH BLUES ROCK • IS AIRBNB WORTH THE RISK?

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 15, ISSUE 15 • APRIL 12, 2018

BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher James Brewer, Sr. FOUNDED 2003 BY ZACHARY COOPER & MICHAEL KULL

EDITORIAL Managing Editor Gary Poole Assistant Editor Brooke Brown Music Editor Marc T. Michael Film Editor John DeVore Contributors Rob Brezsny Robyn Wolfe Fogle Matt Jones Sandra Kurtz Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib Alex Teach Michael Thomas Jenn Webster Editorial Interns Adrienne Kaufmann Austin M. Hooks Cartoonists Max Cannon • Rob Rogers Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow

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ADVERTISING

Homebirth And Midwives You want to do what? Why would anyone choose to give birth at home? Haven’t you heard the stories? Your baby could die and you’d be responsible! Or at the very least you’re going to wish you had pain medicine!

Director of Sales Mike Baskin Account Executives Rick Leavell • Cindee McBride Libby Phillips • Danielle Swindell Logan Vandergriff

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THE FINE PRINT: The Pulse is published weekly by Brewer Media and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on music, the arts, entertainment, culture and local news. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publisher may take more than one copy per weekly issue.

The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors.

Contents Copyright © 2018 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.

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CASTING OUT DEMONS

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It’s undeniable that Airbnb, which operates as an online space for hosting or renting shortterm lodging, has changed the way people travel.

CONTACT Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Email info@chattanoogapulse.com Website chattanoogapulse.com Facebook @chattanoogapulse

AIRBNB: IS IT WORTH THE RISK?

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There appear to be four major antagonists when it comes to popular horror—zombies, ghosts, demons, and serial killers. Almost all involve some variant on this theme. Some might even belong in multiple categories.

GETTING LIT IN ST. ELMO

It’s almost too obvious a wordplay: the St. Elmo art gallery picks up on the chime with a series of events that “are LIT.” But in the case of LIT on Tennessee Avenue, the connection is merited.

REAL BLUES ROCK FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

A few years ago I was looking for a good set of headphones to use while recording at home. I did quite a bit of research and good headphones can be expensive.

5 CONSIDER THIS

15 NEW IN THEATERS

21 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

9 SHADES OF GREEN

18 MUSIC CALENDAR

21 JONESIN' CROSSWORD

20 MUSIC REVIEWS

22 ON THE BEAT

12 ARTS CALENDAR

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BEGINNINGS · CITY LIFE

Airbnb: Is It Worth The Risk?

How the sharing app has affected local neighborhoods

By Adrienne Kaufmann Pulse contributor

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Airbnb is a great way to put an underutilized guest bedroom to use, putting money right into the pocket of the host.”

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T’S UNDENIABLE THAT AIRBNB, WHICH OPERATES AS an online space for hosting or renting short-term lodging, has changed the way people travel. Often touted as a way to experience a place “like a local,” it’s true that a stay in an Airbnb can add local flavor to any trip.

Rather than a generic, impersonal hotel located near the highway, Airbnb puts travelers in real neighborhoods, often straight into people’s guest bedrooms. The hosts can interact with their guests, which leads to fun connections, and the guests get to enjoy the comforts and quirks of a real home.

On top of these benefits, there’s the financial payoff as well. Airbnbs are often cheaper than comparable hotel rooms, benefitting the traveler, and Airbnb is a great way to put an underutilized guest bedroom to use, putting money right into the pocket of the host.

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So, what’s the downside?

Well, some people are concerned that the model of the cozy guest bedroom in a local home is becoming more the exception than the rule. In many cities, homes and apartments are being turned into exclusive Airbnb properties with no permanent residents at all. This is often (though not always) the case when an entire home is available for rent instead of just a single room.

In Chattanooga’s St. Elmo neighborhood alone, there are at least twenty listings for whole-house accommodations, and while every one of these

might not be purely Airbnb properties, many of them are. So what does this mean for the health of the neighborhood, and the city as a whole?

Studies on Airbnb data have shown that an excess of Airbnb properties in a city removes housing from the market and drives up rent, resulting in gentrification. Also, it has the potential to slowly turn thriving neighborhoods into ghost towns, as available properties are snatched up not by eager homeowners ready to put down roots, but by commercial operators.

Airbnb can also have a negative effect on a city’s most popular tourist areas.

In New Orleans, where tourism is high, hotspots like Bourbon Street are rapidly losing residents as desirable properties are increasingly converted into lucrative Airbnbs.

In some cities like New York City and Portland where residents have complained about these effects, Airbnb has instituted a “One Host, One Home” policy, meaning that hosts can’t list more than one rental. Unfortunately, this policy has proved difficult to enforce, and for Chattanooga, it doesn’t exist.

Even with these potential issues, Airbnb is a great way for visitors of Chattanooga to experience the best parts of the city, and it has other positive effects as well.

The board of the neighborhood association of St. Elmo notes the way that Airbnb has caused beautification in the neighborhood, stating that “a few contractors and residents of St. Elmo have taken some pretty unattractive homes and turned them into attractive properties, which benefits the neighborhood as a whole.”

To stay informed, it’s easy to hop onto Airbnb, type in your neighborhood, and look through the available listings.

Maybe it’s a good topic to bring up at your next neighborhood association meeting. Either way, the long-term effects of Airbnb in Chattanooga remain to be seen.

Cons ider This w ith Dr. Rick “Healing doesn’t mean the damage never existed. It means the damage no longer controls our lives.”

Brunch With Queens It's definitely not your normal Saturday brunch The Comedy Catch hosts the special event, “Brunch with Queens” this Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m., with is a full brunch buffet featuring the most gorgeous and entertaining drag queens that Chattanooga has to offer. A morning of comedy, drag, and bacon? What more could you ask for!

The event will include performers the wonderful acts of “The Empress of Entertainment” Allysa Paige, “The Ivory Goddess” Veronica Day,

Rachel Monroe, Mallory Bishop, Robyn Houses, and many more.

Each one of these local drag queens has a style and personality all their own. Once you’re nice and full, the dancing and real fun can begin when these performers take the stage at noon.

The show costs $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Your admission includes both the show and the all you can eat brunch buffet.

In fact, there are a limited number

(about three) of tables that are VIP. They are located at the front of the stage for parties of eight and include a “Bucket O’ Bubbles” for $250.

However, you need to act quickly if you wish to attend. There will only be a total of 175 tickets available for this event. The Comedy Catch can be found on 1400 Market St. For more information, call (423) 629-2233 or visit thecomedycatch. com. — Austin M. Hooks

I have a friend who, in one quick fell swoop, lost his job, medical benefits and most of his retirement. In his fifties, you can imagine his concerns.

Another was sexually abused from the age of 6 through the age of 14. She has never told anyone, as she still suffers from blaming herself.

Another lost her only son when he was in his mid-twenties. I remember a mother, long ago, who was in a support group I facilitated who told me that losing her husband was like losing a limb. But losing her son was like losing a lung.

How, we ask ourselves, does someone bounce back from that kind of pain? How do they loosen the controls of their nightmare?

We can’t know until we know. But consider this: our taking a minute to smile, or offer a kind word or deed, may help that person heal today’s pain.

— Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

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COLUMN · SHADES OF GREEN

Take Action For Earth Day And Beyond Some simple steps you can take to help better the environment

W Sandra Kurtz

Pulse contributor

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If you have even a small environmental concern you probably recycle. That seems to be the first step for many and that’s certainly good.”

Sandra Kurtz is an environmental community activist, chair of the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance, and is presently working through the Urban Century Institute. You can visit her website to learn more at enviroedu.net

ELL, THE RECENT COLD temperatures might have fool ed you, but the dogwoods and redbuds are blooming so it must be spring. The bright green of new tree leaves gives hope for life ongoing as many humans before us have noted with ceremony. Spring is a good time to turn over a new leaf and do something to help the environment.

If you have even a small environmental concern you probably recycle. That seems to be the first step for many and that’s certainly good. However, you may have wondered, as you’re lugging your recycling can out to the curb, if it actually matters. After all you’re just one person and a lot of folks are over-using our natural resources.

They are obliviously destroying the land and its ecosystems. They are poisoning our air and water thereby enabling climate to respond with catastrophic weather impacts. Recycling is good, but we have to do more because, if truth be told, they is us.

Now comes a new win-win program that can enable you to take next steps and it’s non-regulatory! Partners TenneSEA (Student Environmental Alliance), Chattanooga Water Quality Program, Hamilton County Water Quality Program and Lyndhurst Foundation, have devised a way you can contribute to the health of the environment in your own yard.

My Tennessee is based on a point system similar to the LEED system designed for green builders and Olympic medal awards. My Tennessee provides a checklist of tasks that empowers you to create a beneficial yard. You will decrease stormwater runoff and afford bees, butterflies and other wildlife a safe, healthy haven while helping keep local streams healthier too. For your efforts, you can receive bronze, silver, or gold recognition.

A pilot program is starting up in the Mountain Creek watershed although others can receive help too. Congratulations to the Billingsly/Peet family who received the first gold award last March.

What’s the first thing to do? Get a yard. Then you can begin completing the requirements to earn your awards. Actions are pretty simple at the bronze level and help reach the ultimate goal i.e. keep stormwater in native, non-invasive plants yards. Some tasks include leaving grass clippings in place or composting them and not mowing shorter than 3 inches.

Vegetate everywhere you can and disconnect your downspouts directing them to your plants, not the storm drain or ditch. Collect your pet waste and either dispose in the trash, compost, or bury it deep. If your property touches a stream, create a vegetated edge and do not mow, fertilize or use pesticides.

Now if you want a silver award, you can for example build a rain garden, work to control any soil erosion, plant trees if space allows, and catch rooftop rain directing it to water your garden.

Reaching beyond your yard, you can install low-flow fixtures throughout your home.

Going for the gold? Construct additional green infrastructure such as a wetland or bioswale. Replace all impervious pavement with pervious concrete, pavers or other alternatives such as grass pavers. Use Energy Star rated dishwasher, washing machine and water heater.

You can see the complete checklist if you go to carribean-SEA.org and click on the My Tennessee program.

In April not only is it time to think

about yards, but it’s also Earth Day. Of course every day is Earth day, but especially as those spring catalogs appear, there is one day a year where we can make special mental notes that we are dependent on this particular planet.

We can and should do what we can to keep Earth healthy lest it quit supporting us. There will be plenty of options that whole Earth Day weekend, but the main event is on Sunday, April 22 at Coolidge Park from 2-10 p.m. It’s free!

On the 21st, there is also an event happening at Reflection Riding and that same day you can be admitted free to any national park. In this year of the bird, TN Ornithological Society is holding “A Weekend Adventure” April 20-22 featuring an April 21 dinner gathering with Dr. Chris Haney, conservation researcher and author on Defenders of Wildlife’s blog.

In this time when Mr. Pruitt is conducting egregious assaults on our environmental protections by gutting EPA, we can each take extra actions. While an action may seem small to you, if more people do just a little, it adds up to something that will make a difference.

Start recycling if you don’t already and add another pro-planet action too.

Go for it and Happy Earth Day!

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COVER STORY

Homebirth And Midwives

The Natural Birthing option that is finding a new home

By Robyn Wolfe Fogle Pulse contributor

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Seen as the “natural birthing choice”, this growing trend has become a new luxury item—a status symbol primarily among affluent and educated white women.”

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OU WANT TO DO WHAT? WHY WOULD ANYONE choose to give birth at home? Haven’t you heard the stories?

Your baby could die and you’d be responsible! Or at the very least you’re going to wish you had pain medicine!

Despite the reactions many of today’s moms face when they announce they’re having a homebirth, more women than ever are choosing to do so. While it may not be mainstream yet, it’s also not the fringe practice it once was.

Seen as the “natural birthing choice” (and not just among “granola” types anymore), this growing trend has become a new luxury item—a status symbol primarily among affluent and educated white women. And it’s not as scary as it may sound thanks to today’s midwives who undergo extensive training to obtain their license.

Recent studies have even shown many more positive maternal and neonatal outcomes for women receiving

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midwife-led care versus physician-led care thanks to its “high-touch, lowtech” collaborative practice.

To attend a birth, a midwife in Tennessee must be either a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM), licensed as an advance practice nurse under the Tennessee Board of Nursing; or a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), licensed by the Council of Certified Professional Midwifery.

The Tennessee General Assembly recognizes midwifery as a profession in its own right, different than the practice of medicine and has established extensive practice guidelines to ensure safe and competent care to women during pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period, as well as newborn

infant care.

To better understand what a homebirth looks like, I caught up with Michelle Ray, a CPM serving the Chattanooga area who owns Journey Midwifery Services. When I asked her why she thought women were choosing homebirths, she responded by saying, “I believe they want individualized care. Oftentimes they have first birthed in the hospital and realized they wanted something different.”

In fact, it was her own hospital birthing experience (which left her with much to be desired) that propelled her to become passionate about helping other women have a more personal and satisfying birth experience.

“Oftentimes people think homebirth is some backwoods thing,” says Ray when in fact, she explained, the standard of care is much higher. Many people falsely believe that having a homebirth means not having access to things like oxygen, ultrasounds or fetal monitoring.

But as I sat in Ray’s well-equipped office and looked around, she assured me that all of the clinical components were the same. She has all of the same equipment at her disposal and is able to perform all of the same tests that a hospital would; as well as provide the necessary paperwork, birth certificate and newborn screening. The difference is choice.

“I want my clients to make all of their own choices, with fully informed consent,” says Ray, adding that, “I believe it’s my job as a midwife to provide my clients with everything they would get in the hospital, but they get to choose what they would like without being under duress.”

She described her practice as a sort of “concierge medicine” allowing clients to pick and choose anything they would like as long as it’s safe, as opposed to the approach in most hospitals where nothing is presented as an option.

The element of choice, and having

their personal preferences heard and respected, attracts many women to homebirths.

“Pregnancy and birth seem to be looked at by the medical community as a disease or medical emergency. However, pregnancy and birth are natural processes,” explains Michelle Martin, a CRRN who birthed all three of her children at home. Because the medical profession is fundamentally diseasebased and curative, pregnancy is often seen as a medical event that requires a “cure” via interventions.

While there will always be some women and some instances that do require medical interventions, many of the common hospital practices are unnecessary and overused. In fact, things like laboring in bed and using pitocin can actually lead to riskier and more emergent births. The midwife model of care, on the other hand, views childbirth as a natural occurrence and seeks to eliminate or minimize any and all unnecessary interventions.

This lack of medical interventions like Cesarean sections, pitocin, epidurals and such is the primary factor in the cost differences between hospital versus homebirths. Studies have shown that an average uncomplicated vaginal birth in the home costs nearly 60 percent less than one performed in the hospital. Rather than proposing and offering costly pharmaceuticals or procedures, midwives promote and encourage non-pharmacologic methods of pain relief and natural birthing methods.

While the World Health Organization believes births via Cesarean sections should be around 10 to 15 percent, in the U.S. this rate was 32 percent in 2015, according to CDC data. This is alarmingly high and indicates overuse of surgical interventions in cases where labor is simply not progressing as rapidly as expected or desired.

The growing shortage of obstetricians (estimated to be around 9,000

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The desire for a more personal birthing experience, with less interference and an increased sense of control over their own labor and delivery is what attracts most women to homebirths.”

by 2030) does nothing to eliminate this issue as doctors feel increasingly pressured to help speed labor along. And epidurals?

When I asked Ray whether her clients regretted not having pain medication, or the option of an epidural, her immediate response was, “Never. Not once.

Nobody has ever said ‘I want to go get drugs’.”

Being allowed to give birth in a comfortable, or at least preferred, position is another contributing factor to women choosing homebirth. In most hospital births women are required to stay in bed on their backs while in labor.

“I had nurses offering me pain relief left and right, and acting as if I was an inconvenience for wanting to stand while laboring,” recalls Lucie Birmingham who chose to have a homebirth with her second child after an unpleasant hospital birthing experience with her first.

Midwives encourage women to move around, eat and drink, take a warm shower and when it’s time to push they have options.

“I had a birthing ball my second time around and wouldn’t have made it through without it. It was the only comfortable position for me to birth in,” says Martin. The focus at home is on comfort and individualized care.

“It was peaceful and uninterrupted,” agrees Drexel Bond, another mom who chose to have a homebirth with her second child (she attempted to with her first but required a transfer to the hospital) adding, “the homebirth was so much easier and I was met with zero

resistance.” She describes the experience as magical, empowering and beautiful.

The desire for a more personal birthing experience, with less interference and an increased sense of control over their own labor and delivery is what attracts most women to homebirths.

But it is also the comfort of their own home, surrounded by their family and personal clothing and items, as well as the desire for immediate bonding with their newborn that plays a role in this decision.

“The most special part was that our son, two-and-a-half at the time, was able to be part of the whole experience as much as he felt comfortable,” Bond says.

Birmingham agreed. Giving birth at home meant she had the comfort of her family (including her daughter and dog) and allowed her to give birth on her own terms and in the baby’s timing. Perhaps most importantly, when their babies were born they are allowed to hold them. Immediately.

“I just got to hold my baby, in my bedroom, and enjoy her first few moments peacefully,” says Birmingham.

“After Clementine was born, no one tried to take her away to give her an unnecessary bath, no one tried to inject her with vaccinations or other drugs, no one tried to put antibiotic ointment in her eyes in case I had an STD.” Among the common hospital interventions that devastate many new mothers, is being denied this immediate skin-to-skin contact with their newborn.

“I can’t imagine not immediately bonding with your new baby in a nice warm herb bath and watching as they are measured and weighed,” says Martin.

“At home when the baby comes out it goes right here,” says midwife Michelle Ray pointing to her chest, “and it stays right there.” She adds, “They get the prize at the end. Every time.”

This is what mothers long for—immediate bonding contact with their baby.

“I believe that the safest place to give birth is at home,” says Ray (who does work with an obstetrician at Erlanger should circumstances warrant a transfer of care).

“There is just nothing like the comfort of one’s home surrounded by loving and supportive family when such pain and such joy are involved,” agrees Martin.

If their stories and experiences aren’t enough to convince you to at least consider this natural birthing option, then perhaps the multiple studies that have shown how women who use midwives have fewer complications, better outcomes, higher chances for a normal vaginal birth, and successful initiation of breastfeeding will seal the deal.

It’s not for everyone. But it’s worth knowing that the option exists. How do you view birth—as a natural process or as a medical event? Change the way you think, and you may find yourself changing the way you act.

Keep an open mind and consider the words of Anna Verwaal: “A woman, as long as she lives, will remember how she was made to feel at her birth.”

After bidding farewell to the structure of the corporate world over a year ago, Robyn Wolfe Fogle now spends her days pursuing the things she loves. Among her passions are freelance writing, rock climbing and running.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A Sculpture Resurgence Have you ever wondered where that spiraling, steel fence in front of the Hunter Museum of American Art came from? Well, it just so happens to be the masterful craftsmanship of sculptor Albert Paley. A metalsmith from New York, famous for crafting towering, monumental works of art, Paley is renowned for his originality and unique style.

These extremely abstract, often colorful, works of art can be found all over the country. His hand wrought, steel forged sculptures currently occupy the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and even the Victoria and Albert Museums of London.

Now, they can even be found here in Chattanooga.

Paley’s newest work has been dubbed “Resurgence”: two behemoth sculptures, one of which is 50’ high, will be installed along the Riverwalk at Blue Goose Hollow.

In lieu of this addition to Chattanooga’s growing art scene, Paley will join us this Thursday at the Hunter Museum located on the Bluff View.

This free event will feature Paley’s artwork as he discusses the creation of “Resurgence.” Guest will get to see a glimpse of Paley’s coming work and learn from his experience. The event starts at 6 p.m. For more information, call (423) 267-0968 or visit huntermuseum.org.

— Austin M. Hooks

Getting LIT In St. Elmo The artist-run gallery is pushing artistic boundaries

By Jenn Webster Pulse contributor

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Right now, the gallery is hosting artist-inresidence Laura McMillan, whose work focuses on costume and includes performance, site-specific, and installation art.”

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T’S ALMOST TOO OBVIOUS A WORDPLAY: THE ST. Elmo art gallery picks up on the chime with a series of events that “are LIT.” But in the case of LIT on Tennessee Avenue, the connection is merited.

The gallery, focusing on tactile, installation, and performance art, constantly hosts project and events that glow with energy and offer an almost partylike invitation to participate. You may first come to LIT to see art, but you stay to interact with art one way or another.

Right now, the gallery is hosting artist-in-residence Laura McMillan, whose work focuses on costume and includes performance, sitespecific, and installation art.

McMillan, who hosted a maskmaking workshop at LIT in March, is working on a Chattanooga-inspired installation that will draw on Appalachian folk and fairy tales,

as well as other influences. McMillan’s work—avant-garde, mixedmedia, and often neon-bright—is characteristic of the playful yet intellectually penetrating sensibility of LIT. The gallery’s founders and owners, Leah Dalton and Adam Kirby, come from backgrounds that blend applied and fine arts. Dalton, with a BFA in fashion/textile design from Savannah College of Art and Design, spent four years working in fashion before starting her career as a painter and then art teacher and gallery owner.

Kirby, who has a BFA in sculpture and ceramics from the University

of Tennessee, Chattanooga, currently partners with the Hunter Museum of American Art as part of their Artists Series. In fact, the need for the space LIT provides came in part from Kirby’s work with the Artist Residency Challenge. In order to host an artist, Dalton tells, me, they needed a “dependable space.”

Not all galleries are run by artists, Dalton explains, but those that are have a special quality. In Dalton and Kirby’s travels, they encountered several artist-runs spaces they wanted to emulate.

“The type of work is more exciting,” Dalton says. “When an artist or group of artists forms a gallery, they’re excited about it. We’re not bound by a board. If we want to show a crazy installation piece, we can. It’s exciting to work with artists who get it—who are interested in people really experiencing their work.”

She illustrates with the Senses show, held at LIT in October 2017. Combining performance art, installation art, and fine art, the exhibition was intended to speak to all the senses.

In fact, given LIT’s small footprint and the three-dimensional scope of the work it hosts, you can’t not reckon with the art there (or you’ll run into it).

Entering the space for the Senses exhibition, you found bundles of rope like the vines in Aughra’s cavern interrupting your path; you could take a

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If we want to show a crazy installation piece, we can. It’s exciting to work with artists who get it—who are interested in people really experiencing their work.”

break in a cylindrical resting pod like a cozy cross-section of a water main.

The gallery’s long back exhibition hall also invites close examination of the works; you literally can’t step too far back from them.

LIT aims to grow, Dalton tells me.

“We’re a for-profit with a five-year business plan, and we’re looking to be bigger,” she says. “Maybe we’ll offer a fellowship program, a more indepth time where we can ofer developmental feedback to the artist.”

Should you go to LIT? You should definitely go to LIT. There are a few obstacles. If you don’t live in Alton Park or St. Elmo, it’s going to be a bit of a drive. Especially if you’re on a Friday night gallery crawl, you might want to include LIT first, before you’ve

taken in too much complimentary wine to make it out there and find the wonky parking lot.

Also, LIT is cozy. You can’t not reckon with the art—good; you also can’t not reckon with everyone else in the space interacting with art, discussing art, creating art. Unless you’re literally the only patron, you’ll be up in someone’s bubble. The way most LIT events work, this is a feature, not a bug. Just come prepared to participate.

“You get to see something you haven’t already seen,” Dalton says.

“Our last show featured artists doing internationally known, exciting work.

When you see good work, you want to share it. That’s the joy of us. We’ve put work and money into it—we want people to see and experience it!”

Get LIT in April • Poetry Is LIT. Biweekly on Thursdays at 7 p.m.; April 19 is the next event. Create, share, and critique poetry.

• Laura McMillan: Pounding Branch. April 13 at 6 p.m. Opening reception for Artist Residency Challenge’s spring resident artist.

THU4.12

FRI4.13

SAT4.14

Pinwheels for Prevention

Janet Williams

Everyone East Lake Festival

Join Kids on the Block to spread awareness of National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month.

5:30 p.m.

Creative Discovery Museum 321 Chestnut St. kidsontheblock.net

An audience favorite, the "Tennessee Tramp" doesn’t hold anything back about her views on marriage, divorce, men, and women.

7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. thecomedycatch.com

Come celebrate everything East Lake with music, arts, food, fun and a lot of community spirit!

1 p.m.

East Lake Park 3000 E. 34th St. elakeneighbors.org CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 12, 2018 • THE PULSE • 11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Chattanooga Cruise In

THURSDAY4.12 11th Annual Pinwheels for Prevention 5:30 p.m.

Creative Discovery Museum 321 Chestnut St. (423) 757-2143 kidsontheblock.net CSO Supper Club: Carmen 5:30 p.m.

The FEED Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. (423) 708-8500 feedtableandtavern.com Creating Resurgence: A Talk

by Sculptor Albert Paley 6 p.m.

The Hunter Museum Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Tails at Twilight 2018 6 p.m.

Stratton Hall 3146 Broad St. (423) 667-4332 PetPlacementCenter.com Intro to Mountain Biking 6 p.m.

Outdoor Chattanooga 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com “Dolores” 6 p.m.

The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 645-8920 chattpalace.com Woodworking Workshop 7 p.m.

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ChattLab Makerspace 100 Cherokee Blvd. chattlab.org Janet Williams 7:30 p.m.

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

FRIDAY4.13 Mountain to Town: Downhill Bike Adventure 9 a.m.

Outdoor Chattanooga 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Urban Sketching 10 a.m.

The Arts Building 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com HeARTs for the Arts Fashion Show and Luncheon 11 a.m.

Golf and Country Club 1511 Riverview Rd. palchattanooga.org Laura McMillian: Pounding Branch Opening Reception 6 p.m.

LIT Gallery 4015 Tennessee Ave. (423) 401-8171 litartgallery.com “Mary Poppins” 7 p.m.

Girls Preparatory School 205 Island Ave.

(423) 634-7600 gps.edu Carnival Glass with Brianna Bass 7 p.m.

Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St. facebook.com/frequencyarts “Robyn Hood” 7:30 p.m.

Back Alley @ The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. (706) 996-8350 bapshows.com Janet Williams 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Cut Throat Comedy 8 p.m.

The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 645-8920 chattpalace.com Nooga! A Tribute!

8 p.m.

First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Jeremy Bloom’s “Peter/ Wendy” 8 p.m.

Covenant College 14049 Scenic Hwy. (706) 820-1560 covenant.edu Improv Showdown 10 p.m.

First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave.

(423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com

SATURDAY4.14 Chattanooga Cruise In 8 a.m.

Coker Tire Museum 1317 Chestnut St. (423) 265-6368 chattanoogacruise-in.com Art on the Riverwalk: Bike Tour 10 a.m.

Wheland Foundry Trailhead 1503 Middle St. chattanooga.gov/Public-Art Master Your Garden Expo 10 a.m.

Camp Jordan Arena 323 Camp Jordan Pkwy. mghc.org/garden-expo Brunch with Queens 11 a.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Red Wolf Feeding and Talk Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Everyone East Lake Festival 1 p.m.

East Lake Park 3000 E. 34th St. elakeneighbors.org Hood’s Texas Brigade at Chickamauga 2 p.m.

Master Your Garden Expo Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park 3370 Lafayette Rd. (423) 752-5213 nps.gov McCallie Walls Mural Tour 3 p.m.

Corner of McCallie and Holtzclaw (423) 290-2477 newsouthtourco.com Spring in West Village 6 p.m.

West Village 802 Pine St. westvillagechattanooga.com “Mary Poppins” 7 p.m.

Girls Preparatory School 205 Island Ave. (423) 634-7600 gps.edu Janet Williams 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Jeremy Bloom’s “Peter/ Wendy” 8 p.m.

Covenant College 14049 Scenic Hwy. (706) 820-1560 covenant.edu Week in Review 8 p.m.

First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Whose Line Chattanooga 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY4.15 Master Your Garden Expo 10 a.m.

Camp Jordan Arena 323 Camp Jordan Pkwy. mghc.org/garden-expo “Robyn Hood” 2:30, 7:30 p.m.

Back Alley @ The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. (706) 996-8350 bapshows.com Bark-B-Q Boat Ride 5 p.m.

Southern Belle Riverboat 201 Riverfront Pkwy. heschatt.org/fm/events Bi-monthly Queer Youth Night 6 p.m.

Mercy Junction Justice and Peace Center 1918 Union Ave. (423) 521-0642 mercyjunction.org Palette Knife Painting Class 6 p.m.

The Arts Building 301 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Janet Williams 7:30 p.m.

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

MONDAY4.16 Mural Painting Competition 4 p.m.

Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com Palette Knife Painting with Mia Bergeron 6 p.m.

Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com “Fastwalkers” with producer Robert D. Miles 6:30 p.m.

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

TUESDAY4.17 Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute Tour 4 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute 175 Baylor School Rd. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org “I am Dad” with Kenn K ington 7 p.m.

The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 267-5383 firstthings.org Chicago 7:30 p.m.

UTC Fine Arts 752 Vine St, (423) 425-4371 utc.edu/fine-arts-center Motown The Musical 8 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com

WEDNESDAY4.18 Create a Hanging Garden 5:30 p.m.

Bees on a Bicycle 1909 Market St. (703) 225-9686 beesonabicycle.com Chicago 7:30 p.m.

UTC Fine Arts 752 Vine St. (423) 425-4371 utc.edu/fine-arts-center Open Mic Night 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Motown The Musical 8 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 12, 2018 • THE PULSE • 13

FILM & TELEVISION

Survival Sunday, Zombie Style One of my favorite games to play with friends is “could you survive a zombie apocalypse?” It’s a great conversation starter at work, at school, over drinks, or while grilling in the backyard.

Which goes a long way to understand the ongoing appeal of The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead.

And now you have a chance to enjoy the season finale of The Walking Dead and the season premiere of Fear the Walking Dead on the same night, commercial free on the big screen.

Both East Ridge 18 and Hamilton Place 8 will be screening both shows on “Survival Sunday”, kicking off at 8:30 p.m.

Worlds collide as Morgan Jones crosses over from The Walking Dead and into the new world of Fear. Watch as all out war ends and new adventures begin. Fans will also be treated to bonus content and a commemorative item!

But do take note: while the theaters want you to have fun, safety is paramount. Attending in costume is fine (and a lot of fun), however masks, face-concealing make-up, fake weapons as well as any costumes that conceal what you are carrying, your natural body shape or face are strictly prohibited.

Two great shows, one epic night. You have nothing to lose but your braiiiiiiiiins.

— Michael Thomas

Casting Out Demons The Devil and Father Amorth looks at real exorcisms

By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor

“

The Exorcist was a worldwide sensation. It would be hard to set up a controlled exorcism outside of the influence of the film.”

14 • THE PULSE • APRIL 12, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

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HERE APPEAR TO BE FOUR MAJOR ANTAGONISTS when it comes to popular horror—zombies, ghosts, demons, and serial killers. Almost all involve some variant on this theme. Some might even belong in multiple categories.

Is Jason a serial killer or a zombie or a zombie serial killer? What about Freddy? Is he a ghost? Demon? There’s plenty of discussion to be had.

These creatures permeate our society on a near primal level, to the point where even non-horror fans can tell you the rules and regulations associated with each terror.

Ghosts are often unseen, moving objects and dragging heroes out of bed without warning. Serial killers are unnaturally quiet and quite deft with edged weapons. Demons cause temperatures to drop and

heads to spin.

While each is rooted in folklore and legend, Hollywood has turned them into brands as well-known as Nike and Chef Boyardee. So when director William Friedkin, director of the seminal exorcism film The Exorcist, announced his documentary The Devil and Father Amorth, promising to deliver footage of a real exorcism and answer the question about how much he got right, I couldn’t help but wonder if that question could even be answered.

The Exorcist was a worldwide sensation. It would be hard to set up a

controlled exorcism outside of the influence of the film. Friedkin was not to be deterred, however.

The film does exactly as advertised. Friedkin is given access to the ninth exorcism of an Italian woman by Father Gabriele Amortha, a working exorcist for the Catholic Church. Amortha is something of an exorcism superstar—well known and highly successful, despite his advanced age.

The priest appears as a calm, gentle elderly man, the type you might see seated at a Hardee’s very early in the morning, poring over a local paper and sipping a black coffee. He is good humored and friendly. He doesn’t appear at all world weary after his life-long battle with the principalities of darkness. Friedkin has no interviews with Amortha.

The priest has other duties to attend to. He does, however, speak with a woman successfully exorcised by Father Amortha, as well as her brother, and the cursed woman currently under Amortha’s care.

Later, Friedkin has a few conversations with experts in the field of exorcism and the devil, as well as neuroscientists, psychologists, and psychiatrists at well-respected institutions. Friedkin wants to get at the truth of demonic possession and its trappings. His conclusions, of course, are muddled.

Of the exorcism, I’ll say this:

“

He’s trying to argue that exorcism is a legitimate treatment for mental illness. He might not be entirely wrong.” there is clearly something wrong with the woman in the film. Friedkin was allowed only a handheld camera to record the event and, supposedly, no manipulation of any type occurred after the fact, save for a few edits. The otherworldly voices coming from the “possessed” woman do appear genuine.

However, the DSM V diagnoses such maladies as dissociative disorders or possession trance disorders. Friedkin even expresses surprise that demonic possession is included in the DSM, although it’s not really. People who suffer from the condition aren’t possessed by an evil spirit—their brain just tells them they are.

Friedkin, however, believes differently. That’s why he brings in scientific experts. He’s trying to argue that exorcism is a legitimate treatment for mental illness. He might not be entirely wrong. The experts he talks do indicate that these symptoms manifest the way they do because of the deeply religious traditions they were raised inside. Using that religious tra-

dition to assuage the real life symptoms might work as a sort of placebo treatment. But there’s possibility of damage as well.

Friedkin does a decent job of balancing what he believes with what other dismiss. However, there are frustrating moments. At one point in the film, Friedkin has scheduled an additional interview with the exorcised woman to follow up on her experiences. After a strange location change, Friedkin enters a church to meet her without his camera. Immediately, many strange and supernatural events occur.

The audience is asked to take his word for it as he recreates the scene through description and spooky music. It’s almost as if the exorcism wasn’t as dramatic as he’d hope and he needed something else to drive the point home.

The film works well enough to garner discussion, I suppose. This seems to be the ultimate goal.

Friedkin wants people to question their reality and challenge their faith. It might work for some. It didn’t for me.

✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴

Truth or Dare A harmless game of Truth or Dare among friends turns deadly when someone—or something—begins to punish those who tell a lie or refuse the dare.

Director: Jeff Wadlow Stars: Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, Violett Beane

Overboard In a modern remake of the 1987 comedy, a spoiled, wealthy yacht owner is thrown overboard and becomes the target of revenge from his mistreated employee.

Directors: Bob Fisher & Rob Greenberg Stars: Anna Faris, Eva Longoria, Emily Maddison

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 12, 2018 • THE PULSE • 15

THE MUSIC SCENE

Mary Sings The Blues Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz vocalists in America. Rising to fame in the 1950s and earning the nickname “Lady Day,” Holiday’s unique phrasing and vocal power established her as a jazz icon.

Even decades after her death, Holiday’s influence lives on in her music, and her signature look—white gardenias in her hair— remains a classic.

With music streaming services and video platforms like YouTube, it’s fairly easy to get a taste of Holiday’s music. But these methods don’t always do justice to Holiday’s soulful sound.

This Saturday, Jazzanooga is giving Chattanoogans the opportunity to hear the music of Billie Holiday in a special way: live, from a talented local artist.

Mary Edwards of MaryLovesJazz is an experienced jazz vocalist. She recently portrayed Nettie in The Color Purple musical, and has performed at The Bessie Smith Cultural Center, The Camp House, Jazzanooga, The Hunter Museum, Miller Plaza and Nightfall. It takes true talent to sing Billie Holiday, and Edwards does not disappoint.

Whether you’re a jazz fan, a Holiday fan, or just a curious newcomer, this concert is the place to be. The performance will take place at The Camp House on E. MLK Blvd. at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at thecamphouse.com. — Adrienne Kaufmann

Northern Irish Blues Rock The Bonnevilles are the 200 proof rocking real deal

By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor

“

Whatever impression the music makes on me is strictly from the music and not a clever bit of marketing convincing to hear it a certain way.”

16 • THE PULSE • APRIL 12, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

A

FEW YEARS AGO I WAS LOOKING FOR A GOOD set of headphones to use while recording at home. I did quite a bit of research and, as many of you will already know, good headphones can be expensive.

Quite expensive, as in “How much ya got?” expensive and the audiophiles of the world will fight to the death over why you must either have such and such brand or just poke a sharp stick in your ears.

I wound up going with a far less expensive set, partly as a matter of economy, but largely based on an interview with a famous musician who said, “Nah, we like to use this good but inexpensive model because we figure this is what most of our fans will be using, so it’s more important that the mix sound good on those instead of a $500 pair of

Sennheisers.”

There’s some wisdom there in wanting to hear the music the way the fans will hear it and I try to take the same approach in writing about bands I’m hearing for the first time. I don’t look at the press kit, I don’t go digging for the band’s history online, and I especially avoid anyone else’s review of the same music.

I want to be able to hear it the way anyone else would for the first time, without expectations or bias so whatever impression the music makes on me is strictly from the music and not a clever bit of marketing

convincing to hear it a certain way.

This is how I approached Dirty Photographs, the latest album from The Bonnevilles. My first impression is that here is a classic, blues-based power trio circa 1967. Even the album’s engineering sounds vintage, all fat fuzz and distortion.

It is exceptionally well done as a period study it is magnificent.

Then I read the press kit.

The Bonnevilles are, in fact, a power duo from Northern Ireland. Much as I’d like to avoid the obvious comparison to the 1991 film, The Commitments, it sure reminds me of The Commitments, a flick about a group of Irish kids with R&B aspirations who pull it off so well, you’d never know they weren’t born and raised in Detroit forty years ago.

It’s also, along with This Is Spinal Tap, one of the most accurate cinematic representations of what’s it like to be in a band, but I digress.

The band’s lineup is Andrew McGibbon Jr. on guitar and vocals, Chris McMullan on drums, and that’s it. Simply stated, their minimalist approach knocks it out of the park. Should there be a bass and a second guitar? Well, there could be, but it clearly isn’t necessary.

Somehow with only one guitar and a set of drums they create a wall of sound more impressive than a band twice the size and you don’t even notice the lack of more conventional instrumentation.

The album’s ten tracks (eleven if you have the CD) are a tour de force of authentic late-sixties blues rock, the kind of uncomplicated power that punk music would revive some years later after rock became a tad bloated and navel-gazing.

With the ‘phones on and your eyes closed, it’s

“

Simply stated, their minimalist approach knocks it out of the park. Should there be a bass and a second guitar?

Well, there could be, but it clearly isn’t necessary.”

easy to imagine these guys opening for Cream or The Jimi Hendrix Experience, they’re that good and here’s the thing: if they weren’t that good (they are), their sense of humor would still earn them a special place in my heart.

From McGibbon: “Most of the tracks are upbeat, or have a positive message, a message of love or even just plain, old fashioned sex. I know others have written a world of songs about those things, but we haven’t, so we thought it was our time to jump in.”

Explaining the title track: “It’s a poem of tribute to my wife’s ass. She’s very pretty and does have a lovely bum.”

That’s rock right there, kids.

Dirty Photographs is currently available in multiple formats from Alive Naturalsound Records and while it may be a while before the Bonnevilles make it to the Scenic City, they can be found on Facebook and YouTube as well as at thebonnevilles.co.uk

Ashley And The Xs There are plenty of fantastic shows coming up but one in particular stands out as “kind of a big deal.”

On Friday, April 20th, beloved locals Ashley and the Xs will celebrate 4/20 in style when they take the stage at Songbirds South Stage with Atlanta’s own Drivin’ N Cryin’.

The powerhouse band first rose to prominence in the mid-eighties, dominating Atlanta’s club scene, before becoming one of the top touring acts on the nineties, playing alongside some of the biggest names in music.

While subsequent albums and a string of EPs released in 2012 may have failed to produce any more top 40 hits, that’s hardly the only measure of success as their popularity and grueling touring schedule has never waned.

Ashley and the Xs is, of course, everyone’s favorite band that disappeared suddenly several years ago before reforming and hitting the stage and studio with a vengeance.

More popular than ever today, this show may very well be the mark of their ascendancy from regional to national act, a move long overdue.

In any case, the show promises to be 20 pounds of fun in a 10 pound sack as the hometown heroes meet the nineties legends at one of the area’s hottest new venues. — MTM

THU4.12

FRI4.13

SAT4.14

Nick Lutsko

The Black Angels

Melanie

One of the most creative singer/songwriters in town, and a man who knows how to play a serious guitar. A must see show.

6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com

Austin's own pyschedlic rockers take the stage along with Black Lips for a night of '60s power rock and flower power.

8:30 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com

One of the standout performers at the original Woodstock, Melanie makes a rare Chattanooga appearance.

8 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 12, 2018 • THE PULSE • 17

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Natchez Tracers

THURSDAY4.12 Megan Howard 5:30 p.m.

1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com James Crumble Trio 6 p.m.

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

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Ryan Oyer 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com River City Sessions: Stringers Ridge 7 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. rivercitysessions.com Derick Anderson, Jesse Jungkurth, Robinson Renard, Megan Saunders 7 p.m.

Heritage House Arts Center 1428 Jenkins Rd. chattanooga.gov Toby Hewitt 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com

18 • THE PULSE • APRIL 12, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Keepin’ It Local 8 p.m.

The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com KlusterfunK Open Jam 8 p.m.

Trip’s Tavern 4762 Hwy. 58 (423) 803-5686 Saw Red: Tribute to Sublime & No Doubt 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Open Mic Night with Jonathan Wimpee 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com From Another Planet 9 p.m.

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

FRIDAY4.13 Jason Lyles 6 p.m.

Slick’s Burgers 309 E. Main St. (423) 760-4878 Hive Theory, Courtney Holder and Matt Grimes 6 p.m.

Cambridge Square 9453 Brandmore Ln.

(423) 825-4919 Megan Howard 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Abigale Blake 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Jimmy Dormire 7 p.m.

Barley 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Heatherly 7 p.m.

The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com Nick Lutsko 7 p.m.

OddStory Brewing Company 336 E. MLK Blvd. oddstorybrewing.co Hardworker 7 p.m.

Moccasin Bend Brewing Co. 3210 Broad St. bendbrewingbeer.com Rick Rushing and The Blues Strangers 7:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com America 8 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St.

tivolichattanooga.com Weird Al Yankovic 8 p.m.

Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com Joey Winslett Band 8 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com The Black Angels w/ Black Lips 8:30 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com Cash Unchained: A Tribute to Johnny Cash 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Amber Fults 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Natchez Tracers 9 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Ashley and The X’s, The Burning Giraffes, and Sleazy Sleazy 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Dallas Walker 10 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Bill McCallie and In Cahoots 6:30 p.m.

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

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com

Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com The Pickup Lions 10 p.m.

SkyZoo 5709 Lee Hwy. (423) 521-2966 Hardworker 10 p.m.

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

SATURDAY4.14 The Travis Bowlin Band 12:30 p.m.

Chattanooga River Market 1 Broad St. chattanoogarivermarket.com Courtney Holder 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Erik Kirkendall 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Logan Magness 7 p.m.

The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com X Ambassadors 7 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com Don’t Explain: Tribute to Billie Holiday 7 p.m.

149 E. MLK Blvd. jazzanooga.org Jack Pearson 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Danimal 7:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com The looP 8 p.m.

The Casual Pint 5550 Hwy. 153 hixson.thecasualpint.com

WEDNESDAY4.18 The Weeks Phillip Phillips 8 p.m.

Walker Theater 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com Jon Scott 8 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Melanie 8 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org The Weeks 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Mark de Vane and Jimmy D. Smith 9 p.m.

Trip’s Tavern 4762 Hwy. 58 (423) 803-5686 Hip Hop Monthly 9 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net George Barber 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Jacks River Band 9 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St.

clydesonmain.com Sinai Vessel, Dead Testaments 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Mother Legacy 9:30 p.m.

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

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

SUNDAY4.15 The Von Wamps 11 a.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Danimal Planet 12:30 p.m.

The FEED Co. 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com JAM Fest: Pop-Up Live Sessions 1 p.m.

Miller Plaza 850 Market St. jazzanooga.org Kelley Lubitz 1:30 p.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com

Mike McDade 6:30 p.m.

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

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

Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com The Boombachs, Dr. B & the Ease, Slicksilver 9 p.m.

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

MONDAY4.16 Erik Kirkendall 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com

TUESDAY4.17 Zach Bridges

No Big Deal 6 p.m.

SpringHill Suites 495 Riverfront Pkwy. springhillsuites.com Maria Sable 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com DJ Passé 7 p.m.

American Draft 1400 Market St. americandraft.beer Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Jazz In The Lounge 7 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Joylene Green 8 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Eureka California, Mythical Motors, The Handsome Grandsons 10 p.m.

Sluggo's North Vegetarian Cafe 505 Cherokee Blvd.

(423) 752-5224

Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 12, 2018 • THE PULSE • 19

ERNIE PAIK'S RECORD REVIEWS

BbyMutha, Tallawit Timbouctou tudes. BbyShoe is the product of a self-aware artist, asserting control and enjoying the freedom not just in music but everything else woven into her life.

F BbyMutha BbyShoe (SmokeOuts)

C

hattanooga rapper BbyMutha took her name by reclaiming an insult, originally lobbed from a jealous corner in a love triangle; the mother of four children (two sets of twins), her motherhood isn’t a shtick—it’s her life, intertwined (but not exactly balanced) with everything else, including music, fashion and sex—and don’t expect her to rap about dirty diapers.

Living in the moment, she’s a person who sees motherhood not as a burden but as freedom; with fans and haters who are both equally passionate, she is way past the point of caring what people think of her as a single mother, a deliriously colorful fashion icon or a rapper.

BbyMutha’s new EP BbyShoe, co-created with $hoey, arrives at a time when national attention is percolating, as she’s played overseas shows and relatively high-profile gigs, like one recently at South By Southwest. Her rapping style 20 • THE PULSE • APRIL 12, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Tallawit Timbouctou Takamba WhatsApp (Sahel Sounds)

typically features a constant 1-2-1-2 staccato bounce with a relaxed swagger, on and off the beat, and the proceedings can swing violently.

Examples include the giggly conversation “MOM and Kids” and “D.O.T.D.” which begins with a disarming sample of a kid saying, “Mommy you’re so cute” before things get coarse and complicated; among her withering male-targeted insults are moments of insight (“See these niggas only love you when you happy”), and then she turns on a dime with ruthless barbs.

Guest rappers include Michael Da Vinci on “Ungrateful,” with its tickling beatbox taps and atmospheric synth backgrounds, and Rico Nasty on “Lately,” who retorts “She hate on my music but she still sing along.”

“BBC” references a Vine with the line “I’m a bad bitch nigga, you can’t kill me” that offers a ton of posturing but also venting, as if they can be interchangeable atti-

rom Timbuktu to here, the new release Takamba WhatsApp was recorded by the trio Tallawit Timbouctou (an alternate spelling of “Timbuktu”) in that West African city in Mali, with a mythical reputation for being distant and exotic.

However, it doesn’t seem so distant when considering that Takamba WhatsApp was recorded on March 28 on a mobile phone and sent to Sahel Sounds founder Christopher Kirkley in Portland, Ore., using the app WhatsApp, and released that very same day to the entire world on Bandcamp in its unmastered form.

With all proceeds from the digital release going to the musicians, Kirkley called this expeditiousness “World Music 2.0” and even suggested that “it’s probably best listened to on a cellphone”— which hearkens back to the Sahel Sounds compilation Music from Saharan Cellphones which culled tracks that were passed around from phone to phone in West Africa.

On the release’s second long track, a digital chime can be heard, perhaps from a phone app notification, as an unintentional reminder of

technology’s role.

The band leader of Tallawit Timbouctou is Agali Ag Amoumine, who plays the terhardent, a lute-like instrument (similar to the ngoni), alongside bandmate Oumar Kane on a bass terhardent; notes swirl about swiftly in scale patterns with urgency and excitement, evoking a vitality and spontaneity while never going off the track.

Rounding out the trio is Ibrahim Dicko playing a calabash, providing deceptive rhythms with his clicks and clacks; it’s deceptive, because the rhythmic momentum is consistent while the individual beats have constant variations. His sharp click sounds are made by striking the calabash with rings worn on his fingers, while lower beats (the equivalent of bass drum hits) come from palm hits.

The style of music played is takamba, which is typically accompanied by dancing and was popular at festivals and weddings before being eclipsed by the current electric-guitar-driven style.

One characteristic of takamba is the typically constant self-referential narration using shout-outs to the people who are present, documenting what is going on at that moment, and indeed, having a recording being made and released to the world within a single day is true to the immediate spirit of takamba.

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries statesman Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States. He wrote one of history’s most famous documents, the Declaration of Independence. He was an architect, violinist, inventor, and linguist who spoke numerous languages, as well as a philosopher who was knowledgeable about mathematics, surveying, and horticulture. But his most laudable success came in 1789, when he procured the French recipe for macaroni and cheese while living in France, and thereafter introduced the dish into American cuisine. JUST KIDDING! I’m making this little joke in the hope that it will encourage you to keep people focused on your most important qualities, and not get distracted by less essential parts of you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the early 1990s, Australian electrical engineer John O’Sullivan toiled on a research project with a team of radio astronomers. Their goal was to find exploding mini-black holes in the distant voids of outer space.

The quest failed. But in the process of doing their experiments, they developed technology that became a key component now used in Wi-Fi. Your digital devices work so well in part because his frustrating misadventure led to a happy accident. According to my reading of your astrological omens, Taurus, we may soon be able to make a comparable conclusion about events in your life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the fictional world created by DC Comics, the superhero Superman has a secret identity as a modest journalist named Clark Kent. Or is it the other way around? Does the modest journalist Clark Kent have a secret identity as the superhero Superman? Only a few people realize the two of them are the same. I suspect there is an equally small number of allies who know who you really are beneath your “disguises,” Gemini. But upcoming astrological omens suggest that could change.

Are you ready to reveal more about your true selves? Would you consider expanding the circle that is allowed to see and appreciate your full range and depth?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Playwright Tennessee Williams once spent an evening trying to coax a depressed friend out of his depression. It inspired him to write a poem that began like this: “I want to infect you with the tremendous excitement of living, because I believe that you have the strength to bear it.” Now I address you with the same message, Cancerian. Judging from the astrological omens, I’m convinced you currently have more strength than ever before to bear the tremendous excitement of living. I hope this news will encourage you to potentize your ability to welcome and embrace the

interesting puzzles that will come your way in the weeks ahead.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Are you finished dealing with spacious places and vast vistas and expansive longings? I hope not. I hope you will continue to explore big bold blooming schemes and wild free booming dreams until at least April 25. In my astrological opinion, you have a sacred duty to keep outstripping your previous efforts.

You have a mandate to go further, deeper, and braver as you break out of shrunken expectations and push beyond comfortable limitations. The unknown is still more inviting and fertile than you can imagine.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Between December 5 and 9, 1952, London was beset with heavy fog blended with thick smog. Visibility was low.

Traffic slowed and events were postponed. In a few places, people couldn’t see their own feet. According to some reports, blind people, who had a facility for moving around without the aid of sight, assisted pedestrians in making their way through the streets. I suspect that a metaphorically comparable phenomenon may soon arise in your sphere, Virgo. Qualities that might customarily be regarded as liabilities could at least temporarily become assets.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Your allies are always important, but in the coming weeks they will be even more so. I suspect they will be your salvation, your deliverance, and your treasure. So why not treat them like angels or celebrities or celebrity angels? Buy them ice cream and concert tickets and fun surprises. Tell them secrets about their beauty that no one has ever expressed before. Listen to them in ways that will awaken their dormant potentials. I bet that what you receive in return will inspire you to be a better ally to yourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the coming weeks, I suspect you will be able to find what you need in places that are seemingly devoid of what you need. You can locate the possible in the midst of what’s apparently impossible. I further surmise that you will summon a rebellious resourcefulness akin to that of Scorpio writer Albert Camus, who said, “In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. No matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger—something better, pushing right back.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 1936, Herbert C. Brown graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in science.

His girlfriend Sarah Baylen rewarded him with the gift of a two-dollar book about the elements boron and silicon. Both he and she were quite poor; she couldn’t afford a more expensive gift. Brown didn’t read the book for a while, but once he did, he decided to make its subject the core of his own research project. Many years later, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discoveries about the role of boron in organic chemistry. And it all began with that two-dollar book. I bring this story to your attention, Sagittarius, because I foresee you, too, stumbling upon a modest beginning that eventually yields breakthrough results.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 20 B.C., Rome’s most famous poet was Quintus Horatius Flaccus, known to us today as Horace. He prided himself on his meticulous craftsmanship, and advised other writers to be equally scrupulous.

Once you compose a poem, he declared, you should put it aside for nine years before deciding whether to publish it. That’s the best way to get proper perspective on its worth. Personally, I think that’s too demanding, although I appreciate the power that can come from marshalling so much conscientiousness. And that brings me to a meditation on your current state, Capricorn. From what I can tell, you may be at risk of being too risk-averse; you could be on the verge of waiting too long and being too cautious. Please consider naming a not-too-distant release date.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Luckily, you have an inventive mind and an aptitude for experimentation. These will be key assets as you dream up creative ways to do the hard work ahead of you. Your labors may not come naturally, but I bet you’ll be surprised at how engaging they’ll become and how useful the rewards will be. Here’s a tip on how to ensure you will cultivate the best possible attitude: Assume that you now have the power to change stale patterns that have previously been resistant to change.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): May I suggest that you get a lesson in holy gluttony from a Taurus? Or perhaps pick up some pointers in enlightened self-interest from a Scorpio? New potential resources are available, but you haven’t reeled them in with sufficient alacrity. Why? Why oh why oh why?!

Maybe you should ask yourself whether you’re asking enough.

Maybe you should give yourself permission to beam with majestic self-confidence. Picture this: Your posture is regal, your voice is authoritative, your sovereignty is radiant. You have identified precisely what it is you need and want, and you have formulated a pragmatic plan to get it.

“Hue Knew?”—none out of the original seven.

ACROSS 1 Brewhouse offerings 5 Pique 11 Langley or Lackland (abbr.)

14 Billiards table material 15 Cheesemaking enzyme 16 Oolong, e.g.

17 PART 1 OF 5 of a wordplay challenge (the answer is spelled out in the circles) 20 “Bali ___” (“South Pacific” song) 21 Hamton, on “Tiny Toon Adventures” 22 Half, for openers 23 PART 2 OF 5 28 Romania’s currency 29 Six-inch or footlong 30 Hall of Fame umpire Bill 31 ___ Arbor, Michigan 32 Hiatus 34 Q followers 38 Regulation, for short 39 PART 3 OF 5

42 An eighth of octo43 Impulsiveness 45 “The Fountainhead” author Rand 46 ___ “King” Cole 47 Honolulu’s island 50 Nervous twitch 52 Easter mo. in 2018 53 PART 4 OF 5 58 90° from north 59 New Orleans Saints linebacker Manti ___ 60 “How can ___ sure?”

61 PART 5 OF 5 67 Pie ___ mode 68 ___ the occasion (come through) 69 Microscopic particle 70 Vancouver clock setting (abbr.)

71 “Sophie’s Choice” novelist William 72 Baker’s amts.

DOWN 1 Back, on board 2 Actress Salonga 3 Spitz relatives 4 Sauna atmosphere

5 Fleischer formerly of the White House press room 6 Prepare to drag race 7 Lunch time, sometimes 8 Detach, as from a chain 9 Robert who stepped down from “All Things Considered” in January 2018 10 Dr. who focuses on the head 11 “Confessions of ___ Idol” (2009 VH1 series) 12 Physicist Enrico 13 Rudimentary 18 Is suitable 19 Yorke and McAn, for two 23 Adobe animation platform being phased out by 2020 24 Designer Oscar de la ___ 25 “Les Misérables” author Victor 26 “Buy It Now” site 27 “Jeopardy!” creator Griffin

33 Org. for Bubba Watson 35 Cheesy lunch counter orders 36 Not suitable 37 Part of IVF 39 Front counterpart 40 Memory unit rarely seen in the singular form 41 Monogram ltr.

44 Cake, in Italian restaurants 48 “Zero stars” 49 Troubled 51 “Le Freak” disco group 53 Summary 54 Counts’ counterparts 55 Have ___ (stop standing) 56 Doomed one 57 British war vessel of WWII 62 ___-80 (old Radio Shack computer) 63 DDE’s WWII arena 64 Took the gold 65 Alley-___ (basketball maneuver) 66 Apt. divisions

Copyright © 2018 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents perminute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 879 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 12, 2018 • THE PULSE • 21

COLUMN · ON THE BEAT

On The Job...And The Next Job Officer Alex ponders a strange question: “Is there life after police work?”

A

Alex Teach

Pulse columnist

“

To talk about something that makes us UNcomfortable violates the entire point of subtle socialization, but my entire career has been a bucket of ice water splashes, so why stop now?”

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.

FEW WEEKS AGO I WAS AT a restaurant that had long wooden tables with tall chairs.

It almost exclusively served alcohol, but wasn’t a bar of course. Co-workers new and old were there in what is an exceptionally rare occurrence for me: I was “out.”

The occasion? I have no idea, but it was on a weekday and in a place no one heard of, so I gave it a greenlight as one of my bi-annual social engagements. (I have a reputation as a social butterfly to uphold after all.)

We were covering all the basics (child support payments, injury status, lawsuits, who had been most successfully backstabbed) when I breached protocol and brought up a conversation out of our comfort zone.

Allow me to clarify something: When cops get together, it’s for “comfort.” Period. Non-cops only want to talk about what amounts to being the separation between you and them…and G.D. “ticket stories” we’d rather choke on broken glass than hear you recount.

Together, however, we can relax in groups, and anything outside of a likeminded topic is rare.

To talk about something that makes us UN-comfortable violates the entire point of subtle socialization, but my entire career has been a bucket of ice water splashes, so why stop now?

I’d run into a former academy mate at a tire shop and in the few extra minutes we had to chat while we were waiting on someone to install tires, he talked about why he quit. The reason was nothing earth shattering mind you, but it occurred to me that you usually you only hear about why someone wanted to become one (“...ever since I was a kid,

22 • THE PULSE • APRIL 12, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

blah blah...”), not why someone didn’t want to be one anymore.

There was interesting defensiveness that went around the table because most couldn’t imagine another life, and someone just giving it up in a strange way invalidated the choice cops made… often at great emotional (and financial) expense. Hep-C and TB exposures, toxic mental health, alienation from friends, loved ones, and eventually… “everybody”?

That’s the Job to us. For someone to step off the ledge and go back to the real world though? Mouths close and eyes wander downward or over my shoulder.

This guy was actually a superlative in the academy (firearms) and by all accounts a solid copper. Handled his calls, cared about victims, didn’t half-ass reports so that some other badge had to finish what he wouldn’t, and if it was just you and him in an angry crowd you know you’d be fine.

One day however…he got to that 4-to-7-year mark and felt the novelty of the job, the satisfaction no longer outweighed the sacrifices.

He saw the veterans—even those with more than one promotion under their belt—working a parking lot side job night after night. The divorces, the injuries, and on occasion how it could

be randomly taken away from them by a misstep (negligent OR out of their control). He did the math, and punched out.

“But how about now?” I’d asked.

“You’d be knocking on the pension door in just another few years. Won’t you be kicking your own ass?” He barely paused and said “The money I’ve made since then, and the fact I’ll still have a working body to stay employed after that point? It’s a wash. No. I got my degree, I stopped working in the rain and I’m still married to my wife.

I had a lot of fun and did my part, but I knew I couldn’t make a life of it. I’m glad you did, no disrespect! I thank God every day there are guys like you to take care of my family and me when I press a button, but I don’t regret it.”

I get it. I’ve never seen it as anything but a career, and life sentence. But he saw it like a military tour (except stateside and any combat is in your hometown, not a place across the world you can leave forever). I have to wonder… where would I be now if I’d had that as a mental health option years back?

“Working guys over in the Greyhound bus station for cash, that’s where,” my buddy said, and the sullen silence was broken by much needed laughter.

We didn’t revisit the topic, but the drive home was longer than usual. …but these days, they all were.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 12, 2018 • THE PULSE • 23