The Pulse 15.16 » April 19, 2018

APRIL 19, 2018

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 15, ISSUE 16 • APRIL 19, 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 Steven W. Disbrow Matt Jones Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib Stephanie Smith Jessie Gantt-Temple Michael Thomas Brandon Watson Editorial Interns Adrienne Kaufmann Austin M. Hooks Cartoonists Max Cannon • Rob Rogers Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow

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The Emerging Artists Of 4 Bridges The Association for Visual Arts (AVA) presents the 18th annual 4 Bridges Arts Festival this weekend, April 20-22, at the First Tennessee Pavilion. The Emerging Artists Program, sponsored by First Tennessee, showcases the talents of artists who live within a 300-mile radius of Chattanooga and have a significant body of work.

ADVERTISING 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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THE PRODIGAL SUNSHINE

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Each year, since 1970, people all over the world host events designed to celebrate the life-giving planet we call home. And Chattanooga is no exception this weekend.

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

THE EARTHRISES IN CHATTANOOGA

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Prodigy is a strong word, so much so that in the last five or six years I’ve only used it once in my writing. Today, I’m not sure if it’s strong enough because little Emi Sunshine from Madisonville, TN is a prodigy and then some.

AERIALS GET GROUNDED

Tucked away in an industrial corner just minutes away from the Southside and around the bend from Rossville Bvd., Chattanooga Aerials found its new home in the Inversions Circus Arts and Performance Center.

JEWISH FILM SERIES RETURNS

With the Chattanooga Film Festival finishing its fifth year as a wild success, Chattanooga has become a powerhouse for independent film in the South.

5 CONSIDER THIS

28 MUSIC CALENDAR

36 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

7 JUST A THEORY

31 MUSIC REVIEWS

37 JONESIN' CROSSWORD

20 ARTS CALENDAR

33 DINING OUT

38 GAME ON!

25 ART OF BUSINESS

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BEGINNINGS · CITY LIFE

The Earthrises In Chattanooga The Scenic City comes together to celebrate Earth Day

By Austin M. Hooks Pulse contributor

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This Earth Day, put a smile on your face and enjoy the realms of nature that have been so carefully crafted for your enjoyment and health.”

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HIS YEAR, AS WE CELEBRATE EARTH DAY, LET’S ENJOY nature for what we’ve made it, not what it is. Each year, since 1970, people all over the world host events designed to celebrate the life-giving planet we call home. The celebration of Earth Day came about after the tumultuous decade of the 1960’s wherein conservation efforts were born.

In the 1960’s, long after President Ulysses S. Grant established the first national park at Yellowstone in 1872, people began contemplating the effects of the industrial age around the same time we were sending men to the moon, striving for racial equality, and pursuing a free and better world. This was an age of huge undertakings that required effort and collaboration on a global scale.

It wasn’t until December 24, 1968, that us earthlings got a proper view of our small, infinitesimal world. The photo, dubbed Earthrise, was taken by astronaut Bill Anders from the Apollo 8 lunar orbit spacecraft. For the first time in human history, we saw the

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Earth for the raw, distant, lonely figure that it really is.

It shown brilliantly in the darkness of space yet seemed to hang by a mere thread in the vastness of space. So, on the greatest scale yet, we were laid bare by the fierce incomprehensibility of nature. It is the role of nature to reduce us to what we really are—fragile human beings.

All this to say, we’ve finally started getting our act together and that’s something to celebrate. For Chattanooga, the landscapes and ecosystems that reside here are a large part of our economy and identity. To put this into context, consider that we are home to the Tennessee Aquarium/

Conservation Institute, Moccasin Bend National Park, and the Chattanooga Zoo. The Lonely Planet ranked Chattanooga as one of the best in the U.S., as of 2018, for outdoor adventure. We are home to one of the most soughtafter places in the South for horseback riding, hang gliding, rock climbing, road and mountain biking, hiking, and white-water rafting.

This Earth Day, put a smile on your face and enjoy the realms of nature that have been so carefully crafted for your enjoyment and health. We can always consider Earth Day a reminder to do better, but we should also remember that it is a celebration, or at least, that’s what Mark McKnight, president of the local Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, would consider ideal.

“We’re in an interesting time in our history where we have cleaned up a lot,” McKnight believes. “The institution of Earth Day was really a grassroots effort which called attention to what it really means to take care of the Earth.

Can we all come together with others, interested in various aspects of nature and strengthen our bonds?”

As a result, McKnight has coordinated an Earth Day festival for Chattanooga which is unlike anything we’ve seen before. All day this Saturday at the Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, expect what McKnight calls a “circus.”

There will be the Brow Beater Trail Race from Rock/Creek, their annual Native Plant Sale, lunch with Chattanooga Brewing Co. beer and food trucks, mountain bike and fly-fishing demos, Chattanooga Whiskey, “hike with a hawk”, live music from the Slim Pickens Band, hot-air balloon rides, guided moonlight paddling, and overnight camping provided by The North Face.

So, this year be a part of the community, the effort, and the fun. Happy Earth Day, Chattanooga!

Cons ider This w ith Dr. Rick “However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you just don’t give up.” — Stephen Hawking

Living In A Fan's Paradise JAMPcon embraces the growing diversity of anime A few years ago, a group of diehard anime and manga fans living in Chattanooga decided that the city needed a springtime convention to gather fans of the genres together. Thus, JAMPcon was born.

JAMPcon stands for Japanese Anime Manga Paradise convention, and is a must-visit event for all fans in the area. Manga are printed cartoon books from Japan, and anime are usually animated films of popular manga.

Both genres frequently develop dedicated followings.

JAMPcon will boast eye-catching cosplay from visiting guests Quaiit Cosplay Studios, TinaKinz, and CosplaySenpai. Other guests include animator and actor James Mathis III, voice actor Clifford Chapin, and comedy troupe Show Us Your Pokeballs.

If you’ve never heard of anime or manga, this convention would still be a fun event to check out.

One of the event coordinators,

Jermel Sanford, says that the event is aimed toward everyone, not just a small group of superfans.

The renewed interest in Black Panther has increased the diversity of manga, anime, and comic fandom, and the convention wants to capitalize on that.

The convention will take place at the Chattanoogan Hotel from Friday through Sunday. Events start each day at 10 a.m. Register online at jampcon.com or at the door. — Adrienne Kaufmann

Let’s embrace one of life’s realities: Sometimes it feels wonderful and you can’t breathe in enough of it. Sometimes it feels hard, hopeless, depressing, a constant struggle.

Most of the time, for most of us, the experience of being human lies somewhere in between.

I ask you to consider this: It’s all attitude.

Your life is completely yours, and it’s up to you find the path to believing in yourself. If you need help, ask. But don’t settle into thinking that you cannot, you aren’t, you won’t be able to …

Stephen Hawking, with a thousand challenges, accomplished the amazing. To help you feel amazing, here are two more favorites: “Flawsome: (adj.) An individual who embraces their “flaws” and knows they’re awesome regardless.”

Don’t feel bad for making decisions that upset other people. You’re not responsible for their happiness, you’re responsible for yours. — Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

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COLUMN · JUST A THEORY

Surprise! It’s A Catastrophe!

Can we really protect ourselves from unexpected falling rocks from space?

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Steven W. Disbrow Pulse contributor

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Assuming that we put an adequate early detection system in place, and we actually find a large object headed our way, how would we handle it?”

Steven W. Disbrow is the proprietor of “Improv Chattanooga” on the South Side of town. He also creates e-commerce systems and reads comic books when he’s not on stage acting like a fool.

PPARENTLY, JUST HOURS AGO (as I write this) on Sunday, a large heretofore unknown asteroid (2018 GE3) raced across the southern sky, with absolutely no warning. Based on the amount of light it was reflecting, astronomers put its size at somewhere between 50 and 100 meters wide.

For comparison, the “Tunguska” impactor that leveled forests in Siberia in 1908 was 60 meters wide, and the rock that exploded in the sky over Chelyabinsk, Russia a few years ago was about 20 meters wide.

So, if this thing had hit us, it could have caused a lot of damage. A lot. It wouldn’t have been an extinction-level event, but it could have caused a lot of people to have a very, very bad day.

Keep Watching The Skies! (Please!)

The point here is that this was a very large object, and it managed to go completely unnoticed until less than a day before its closest approach to earth… and, there’s really no telling how many others that are that big (or bigger!) still out there.

As someone with a vested interest in human civilization being around at least until I can upload my brain into an immortal, slightly less buff, android body, this is distressing. Almost no government in the world takes the threat of asteroid impacts seriously, which is astonishing, as it’s the one natural disaster that we as a species could actually prevent!

All we need is a concerted effort to survey the sky looking for these Near Earth Objects (NEOs) so that we can predict which, if any, will ever cross our orbit and maybe impact our planet. That cost, while not trivial, is well within the reach of many world governments, and

is far less than the costs that will be incurred in the recovery after an impact by an object of the size that flew past us on Sunday.

And I don’t just mean rebuilding costs. Consider the refugee crisis that might result after such an event. Or, the food crisis that we could face if the impactor took out a huge swath of America’s farmland.

Push It! Push It Real Slow!

Assuming that we put an adequate early detection system in place, and we actually find a large object headed our way, how would we handle it? There are several things we could do, all of which hinge on our (very) early detection of the object. But, assuming we’ve got a few years warning, here are some things we could do.

Nuke it—Despite what Hollywood has told you, this is actually a horrible idea.

Simply blowing the thing up will just create a lot of smaller impactors, mostly headed right for us. Yes, there’s a good chance that many of those smaller rocks would burn up in our atmosphere, but any significantly large rocks that are left over (and there will be some), will be that much harder to deflect and could spread damage over an even larger area.

Push it—This technique also sends a missile to the object, but, the objective is to attach one or more small thrust rockets to the object that would begin to constantly push the object and slowly

change its orbit.

Pull it—This idea doesn’t require us to touch the object at all. Instead, we send a massive object of our own to intercept the object. The mass/gravity of our interceptor then draws the object slowly out of its old orbit and into a new one that misses the earth.

Paint it—This is my favorite. This solution sends the equivalent of a cosmic graffiti artist to the object. The object is then covered in a highly reflective material (think white paint, or foil). This change in reflectivity causes the pressure of the sunlight hitting the object to slowly nudge it into a new orbit, and miss the earth entirely.

But, of course, before we can put any of these plans into action we have to find one of the things, before it finds us.

The only way to do that now is through pure luck. So, if you have a chance to talk with your favorite candidate before this year’s midterm elections, ask them if they have a plan to watch the skies, and if not, why not?

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COVER STORY

The Emerging Artists Of 4 Bridges Chattanooga's premier arts festival celebrates new and upcoming talent

By Stephanie Smith Pulse contributor

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Photography is, first, a way for me to hold onto beautiful moments in life, and second, a way to show that view of life to other people.”

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HE ASSOCIATION FOR VISUAL ARTS (AVA) PRESENTS the 18th annual 4 Bridges Arts Festival this weekend, April 2022, at the First Tennessee Pavilion. The Emerging Artists Program, sponsored by First Tennessee, showcases the talents of artists who live within a 300-mile radius of Chattanooga and have a significant body of work but have never exhibited in a solo show.

The Pulse sat down with the nine emerging artists this year to find out more about their artistry.

ZACHARY CROSS (PHOTOGRAPHY)

The Pulse: Paint for me a portrait of yourself as an artist and how you got interested in your medium.

Zachary Cross: I got into photography while pursuing filmmaking in middle-school. I had purchased a camera for that purpose and just found myself over time taking more still photos than

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video. At first I was just experimenting, learning how to use my camera, learning what makes a good picture. Then it was about finding better scenes to photograph, visiting the waterfront and bridges here in Chattanooga, going out late or getting up early.

For the first few years I didn’t really consider myself an artist at all; I thought of it as just high-quality documentation of pretty scenes. Over the last year or two I’ve come to understand what I do, as far more than documentation, and I’ve come to appreciate art as a much larger and more nuanced spectrum

than I previously thought.

I’ve always been drawn to landscape scenes and very aware that they are often fleeting moments, which do not last, even in memory. So photography is, first, a way for me to hold onto beautiful moments in life, and second, a way to show that view of life to other people. I got started learning and experimenting, but a big reason I continue is because of the response I’ve gotten from so many people, who find my photographs compelling.

TP: What direction do you see yourself headed in the future?

Cross: I see a lot of possibilities, and I won’t say I see a particular one rising above the rest. Right now I definitely want to continue what I’m doing with photography, as well as learn more about art history, and what it means to produce fine art. I’ll be in college this fall; undoubtedly I’ll pursue some level

Zachary Cross

of education in art history and photography. I have other projects underway, such as time-lapse photography, which could, in time, become my biggest focus. I see time-lapse as the perfect blend of landscape photography and filmmaking, which is still a really compelling area to me.

TP: What has the partnership with AVA been like so far?

Cross: Partnering with AVA is probably one of the best things that’s happened to me; the level to which they support artists is amazing. There have been so many opportunities already to get my name out and my work on display, as well as chances to meet other artists and get inspired.

AMBER DROSTE

(PAINTING: OIL/ACRYLIC) The Pulse: Paint for me a portrait of yourself as an artist and how you got interested in your medium.

Amber Droste: For me, art is just an excuse to make things with my hands.

I attended the Art Institute of Florence, in Italy, where I studied painting and fresco restoration. I received a degree

in Fine Arts and Art History from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and received my Master’s Degree in Painting from Washington University in St. Louis. I started showing my work right out of graduate school while I was teaching painting and art history at Bay State University in Boston.

As a young painter right out of school, I had enough education and knowledge about good art to know that I was falling short of my ambition. I abandoned painting for several years and concentrated on the craft of stained glass. I worked in studios in Boston and Colorado before opening my own stained glass studio, Soda Ash & Sand, four years ago. I love making stained glass and it satisfies my need to make things with my hands, but I recently found myself missing the creative and conceptual aspects of fine arts.

TP: Where does your art fit in the current cultural landscape?

Droste: This current body of work began in 2016, amidst what I viewed as a societal shift in America. Feeling disappointed and confused by the beliefs of so many in my own country, I CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 9

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COVER STORY

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to show. This show is a sort of personal art Renaissance for me, and I am ready to leap back into the art world.

As far as medium is concerned, I have always been interested in the colorful and the tactile. It is not a surprise that foraging and collaging small vivid pieces of paper has come into my art making process.

TP: How do you bring your art to life?

Fox: When I am making these pieces, I only focus on the present moment; I do not anticipate or plan my piece. I let my color samples dictate the color and movement changes. It is meditation; that is why I have named this series “Color Meditations.” The pieces are the physical ramification of personal reflection.

TP: Do you have any mentors you wish to thank?

Fox: I could fill a 400 page book of mentors, teachers, and other artists that have affected me over the years, but my greatest mentors are Eugene Avergon, my high school art teacher, my stained glass artist mother, and my amazing illustrator husband Rylan Thompson.

TP: Where does your art fit in the current cultural landscape?

Fox: I think media and politics will focus on dividing us but culture and art has always served to unite us. We can all come together in the beauty of this world.

In my work I wanted to make images of chaos and confusion and then withdraw from those visuals some semblance of beauty and hopefully a quiet sense of harmony and stability.”

hope above all else that these paintings convey a sense of optimism. Solutions and beauty can come from disharmony.

SUSAN FOX

(2D AND 3D MIXED MEDIA)

Amber Droste

began painting for pleasure, as a meditation or a respite from the ugly words and actions I was reading in the news every day.

I was searching for beauty and order in the world around me. In my work I wanted to make images of chaos and confusion and then withdraw from those visuals some semblance of beauty and, hopefully, a quiet sense of harmony and stability—I suppose just to prove to myself that the task is not insurmountable.

My paintings are detailed, densely layered abstract works. I work from multiple perspectives and vanishing points, creating a tornado of visual incident— reminiscent of layers of graffiti. They are distinctly modern images with modern narratives, executed in the traditional materials of pencil and paint. The notion of craft is always present in my work. However, I don’t treat the canvas as a precious object. I make mistakes. I welcome them and embrace them.

The acceptance of mistakes, baggage and physical and mental imperfections, is a theme often addressed throughout my work. While this body of work is very simple and perhaps sparse conceptually, I

The Pulse: Paint for me a portrait of yourself as an artist and how you got interested in your medium.

Susan Fox: Since a small child, I have created art, but my career began professionally in 1997 when I enrolled at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

In 1999, I started to suffer severe neuro-dysfunction (the result of a traumatic brain injury-inflicted two years prior). My life would be put on hold, as I became house-bound for a year. Slowly I got my life back, finished my studies, and delved into being a professional artist.

I showed in many galleries throughout the country and in Taiwan where I lived in 2004.

In 2008, exhausted from the multiple jobs of a working artist, I started a new path to become a Chinese Medicine Practitioner because it was the medical form that most changed my road to recovery.

As you can imagine, my art making and art career had to take a back seat for several years as medicine became the main focus of my life during this time.

At the end of 2016, I began making art for my new series, giving myself a year to complete enough new work

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COVER STORY

Mark Gates

MARK GATES

(PAINTING: OIL/ACRYLIC) The Pulse: Paint for me a portrait of yourself as an artist and how you got interested in your medium.

Mark Gates: Teachers are the reason I paint, but, oddly enough, not art teachers. I had early exposure to some serious art in high school thanks to an AP English and a French teacher. J. J. Lukasko taught my AP English class and had the wisdom to throw in a heavy dose of art history.

When we got to the abstract expressionists, my eyes started popping out of my head. I got it instantly. I had imprinted—mostly on Willem de Kooning. I still picture his works in my head when I’m mixing my paints.

Another teacher, Susan Saunders, changed my life when she took our class to France. That first trip abroad was my first exposure to the treasures contained in museums. It also instilled in me the wanderlust that tempted me out of my day job and, in a roundabout way, led me to Chattanooga and art.

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lection I’m working on for 4 Bridges.

The folks who respond to my work at markets are responding in the way that I did when I first saw those de Koonings. They get it. Instantly. You don’t have to explain it to them and they don’t ask what it’s supposed to be. They just can’t take their eyes off of it. Those are my people.

TP: What has the partnership with AVA been like so far?

Gates: My wife, Melissa, is another of the emerging artists this year. We both started painting for real at about the same time, maybe three or four years ago. At the beginning of 2017, we each had several paintings. We had been in Chattanooga for about two years but hadn’t met many people. We didn’t work day jobs or go to school or to a gym or any place where you’re just naturally around people and get to know them. So, we decided we were going to use our art to bust in to the local art scene.

Our first stop was AVA and that was paydirt right away. We joined and submitted for an artist call. Curator Krenesia Whiteside selected three paintings from each of us to be in

her “For Your Eyes Only” exhibit and doors started to open. We started meeting people from Makers Off Main, Chattanooga Workspace, the Hunter, and many other art lovers and makers. That exhibit gave us the confidence in our work to put together a booth for the Chattanooga Market, where we set up most Sundays of the season. I really just can’t say enough about what AVA has done for our careers... and our social lives.

MELISSA GATES

(PAINTING: OIL/ACRYLIC) The Pulse: Paint for me a portrait of yourself as an artist and how you got interested in your medium.

Melissa Gates: I began painting as a new hobby in 2015. As an accountant by trade, it was assumed by everybody, including myself, that I didn’t have much

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of an artistic side. When I decided to try my hand at painting, I was surprised at the result! I am in love with all things nature, and I have found great joy painting trees and animals. As a selftaught painter, acrylic was accessible and easy to work with. It is the medium I learned to paint with, and it is what I prefer to get my desired effect.

TP: How do you bring your art to life?

Gates: My slightly impressionistic style is created with many layers using stippling and sweeping techniques. I often use no more than two color families in a painting and usually leave some aspect of the composition in greyscale. The result is an interesting juxtaposition of colors that coax the images off the canvas.

TP: What is unique about your art? What will festival-goers be drawn to?

Gates: I am inspired by up close perspectives and my compositions reflect that. I want the viewer to feel the environment as well as the tactile nature of the subject. When people view my work, they are drawn to the intimacy of the moment that has been captured.

TP: How do you feel your art affects people?

Gates: My work makes people want to paint! I am humbled by the hidden gift I stumbled upon, and I encourage everyone to search out Mellissa Gates their own creative gift, and by all

I am humbled by the hidden gift I stumbled upon, and I encourage everyone to search out their own creative gift, and by all means try new things.” means try new things.

TP: Do you have any mentors you wish to thank?

Gates: Bob Ross is who made me want to “paint someday” ever since I was a little girl. The techniques he patiently described, combined with his peaceful nature, made me feel even I could paint if I tried.

TP: Where does your art fit in the current cultural landscape?

Gates: I create images that represent intense beauty that made me stop in wonder and awe. Our current culture does not encourage us to stop and look at the beauty around us. My work is a reminder of what we are missing.

KRIS GRENIER (FIBER/LEATHER)

The Pulse: Paint for me a portrait of yourself as an artist and how you got interested in your medium.

Kris Grenier: My art is an extension of my being a long-distance backpacker, an expression of the joy and beauty I have found while walking in the woods. I’ve thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and Colorado Trail, hiked the Pacific Crest Trail for charity, walked across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, and climbed the high peaks of New York and New England. In well over 5,500 miles, I’ve seen incredible places, nurtured my faith in humanity, and made

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COVER STORY

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My favorite thing to hear from people who view my art is that the scenes I depict feel somehow like dreams or reminiscences.”

I’ve been. It is also my hope that my art engenders a love for and appreciation of the world’s wild places.

Kris Grenier

memories to last a lifetime.

My art begins where my travels end: back at my family’s farm in Kentucky.

There, while I spend the winters caring for our critters, including our pet sheep, I turn to photographs, sketches, and journal entries from my adventures.

Onto a “canvas” of wool from our sheep, I “paint” a woolen landscape comprised of dyed wool, applying just a few strands of colored fiber at a time as I reimagine a scene from the backcountry. It’s a special way to remember my journeys.

I didn’t expect to become an artist; I was a science major in college. Then, I contracted relapsing Lyme disease from a tick bite in Pennsylvania days after I graduated. In the aftermath, I spent years in bed, had a couple of surgeries, and moved back in with my family.

There, with a surplus of wool from our sheep, thousands of photos from my hikes, and time free of obligations besides getting well, I began felting.

Wanderstruck Studio grew out of that time.

TP: How do you bring your art to life?

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Grenier: The actual work of creating each felting begins on shearing week at our farm, when my sister and I hand-shear our ten sheep. Their wool is then skirted, picked, washed, carded, and felted—an arduous process that transforms the raw fleece into a wool fabric. I cut this fabric down to a wool painting’s desired size, gather dyed wools, and set upon the task of felting a scene.

Needle-felting requires a specialized needle, which uses the barbs on each strand of wool to tangle the lofty fibers into a dense fabric. When I begin needle-felting, the process of creating a wool painting looks very similar to that involved in creating an oil painting: I blend my colors and work in layers, adding just a bit of wool to change a line or quality of light.

TP: How do you feel your art affects people?

Grenier: My favorite thing to hear from people who view my art is that the scenes I depict feel somehow like dreams or reminiscences.

All of the scenes I needle-felt are memories for me, and I think wool enables other people to feel my nostalgia, my longing to revisit the places

MERCEDES LLANOS

(PAINTING: OIL/ACRYLIC) The Pulse: Paint for me a portrait of yourself as an artist and how you got interested in your medium.

Mercedes Llanos: I am a very energetic person, which is reflected in my art. I never get bored and see potential in about everything I encounter. At the moment, I’m focusing on oil painting, figurative art in dreamy/eerie landscapes. I also paint large scale murals which allows me to exert energy.

TP: How do you bring your art to life?

Llanos: I use color and line as a way to show expression, bringing paintings to life. I allow myself to work intuitively resulting in perplexing instances throughout the paintings. I try to paint the feelings of a moment, not the moment itself. In that way, I’m always more interested in painting life, rather than the illusion of such.

TP: How do you feel your art affects people?

Llanos: I am a humanist, and my paintings are part of such movement. My aim is to bring the human aspect of people back to life through

Mercedes Llanos

my work. Especially in today’s society, so caught up in technology, we gotta remember that our essence is human.

We are raw and primitive, driven by emotions.

I guess I want to make people aware of others as much as themselves too.

Feelings are also universal—are we as alone as we think we are? How do we transcend our physical boundaries and become one with another being?

Those are all questions I’d like for people to confront, or finally understand, through paintings. I guess I just want people to feel things!

TP: Do you have any mentors you wish to thank?

Llanos: Yes, I have worked in undergraduate school with Christina Renfer Vogel and Ron Buffington who have helped me open my mind and follow my intuition. They are great!

TP: What direction do you see yourself headed in the future?

Llanos: I’m thinking of going larger with my paintings. I’m excited to go to a month long artist residency at Vermont Studio Center in June, and will be starting my MFA degree in Painting at Hunter College in NYC in January 2019.

I’m eager to see what these new intensive and challenging environments will push in my work. I’m always open to experiment with my work, so setting expectations or being rigid with my process are things which I’m absolutely against. It takes away the magic.

CARLIN MCRAE

(CERAMICS)

The Pulse: Paint for me a portrait of yourself as an artist and how you became interested in your medium.

Carlin McRae: I became interested in ceramics while I was in college. I have always been creative but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to explore art as a career. Making ceramics is a therapeutic process for me. It’s through this process that I was able to gain introspection as well as begin to study the people around me. I am deeply fascinated with the way that life shapes people; not physically, but mentally.

While at UTC, I took a tour guiding job at Ruby Falls and spent time studying the intricacies of erosion. It occurred to me that the process of erosion, or water altering stone over time, could be used as an analogy for CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 15

COVER STORY Carlin McRae

to social media. I am so grateful for being nominated as an Emerging Artist. I am looking forward to the festival!

“

Through my art I seek to come to terms with the whole south, with all its light and dark, so that I can look at it in the eye.”

JAIME PETERSON

(CERAMICS)

the way that life alters our inner selves; from that, my current body of work was born.

TP: How do you bring your art to life?

McRae: For me, my art comes to life in stages. I have to decide what kind of form I want to start with, then refine the shape and carve and finally glaze.

Each step of my process tells a bit of the story and while that story is not part of the process that everyone will see, it is dear to me. It’s the part that I get to cherish.

TP: How do you feel your art affects people?

McRae: My art is about how life affects us—joy, tragedy, etc. I want admirers of my work to pick it up, feel its weight; run their fingers over the ridges and carvings. I hope that, at the least, they will enjoy spending time with my work.

TP: Do you have any mentors you wish to thank?

McRae: Yes, Maggie McMahon. Maggie was my Ceramics professor at UTC. She was the one that encouraged me to pursue ceramics. I’d also like to thank the local community of potters and makers. I have some close friends who have been great support for me and put up with my massive anxiety.

TP: What has the partnership w/ AVA been like so far?

McRae: The partnership with AVA has been wonderful! We were invited to a workshop that was insightful and helpful. It covered everything from taxes

The Pulse: Paint for me a portrait of yourself as an artist and how you got interested in your medium.

Jaime Peterson: Among other things I am a 3D artist. As far as medium, I chose to create with clay.

There is something very beautiful and special in the maker type arts, which is the element of interaction.

A piece of dirt when formed and fired can be one’s companion for years. If I put a piece of myself into every work I make, then I have such a real connection with the people who choose my work. That is a connection that I cannot get from other art forms; it is a connection that is truly lovely.

TP: How do you bring your art to life?

Peterson: Ceramics is an ancient and established art form, which makes pushing the medium exciting.

I’m always striving to combine the old techniques with modern ideas in order to make pieces that have a feeling of something that is not quite ceramics but also not quite something else.

I combine rustic and raw aesthetics with whimsical elements, creating pieces that are a combination of rustic industrial and steampunk.

TP: Do you have any mentors you wish to thank?

Peterson: Barron Hall of Mighty Mud Ceramics taught my first throwing class. He has also been a priceless pillar of grace and honesty in my life for many years. Whitney Kearny Avritt taught me all the things about precision work and glaze chemistry.

Jonathan Clardy and Reiko Rymer of 423 Pottery are constantly challenging and pushing me.

TP: Where does your art fit in the current cultural landscape?

Peterson: My art is a throw to the old, worn, and

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

Jaime Peterson

sometimes forgotten industrial towns of the Southern states. I am inspired by the aesthetics of wood, rust, metal, and mechanics. But it is the whispers from these towns that drive me to create, the ghosts of the past that linger and sway and challenge me.

That challenge is to accept my love of the south and the Appalachia, and also acknowledge and own with the horrors created and prolonged in these cities.

My art represents my own evolution within that struggle. I strive not to create only a piece of art, but a layered link to the past. In this way a simple cup can hold your past, but it dares you to hold the entire past. You have to hold the good of the south combined with the reality: slavery and child labor, poverty, racism, sexual abuse, repression, ignorance.

Through my art I seek to come to terms with the whole south, with all its light and dark, so that I can look at it in the eye. In that freedom, we begin to create a better narrative than the one we’ve been given. We can breathe new life into these industrial skeletons.

Stephanie Smith is a Renaissance woman who has written stories, educated children, acted characters, sung songs, danced swing, cooked original culinary creations, and made people laugh with her ability to put her foot in her mouth.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 17

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Reimagining Peter Pan This weekend, Covenant College’s theatre department is putting on a reimagined rendition of the story of Peter Pan. “Peter/ Wendy”, written by Jeremy Bloom, moves through the classic story in a nonlinear fashion, emphasizing its complex themes.

Retellings of Peter Pan frequently highlight the whimsy and joy of childhood, but “Peter/Wendy” takes a different approach, lingering on childhood’s darker sides.

The play is directed by recent Covenant College alumna Abigail DeGraaf, who states, “There’s a lot about Peter Pan that highlights the beauty and terror of a child’s imagination, and one of the things that’s true about the imagination is that it’s hardly ever linear. The play explores ‘the limitlessness of imagination and the real presence of evil’.”

Talented Covenant College students will bring these well-loved characters to life as Wendy will be played by Mia Connell, and Levi Orren will take the role opposite her as Peter Pan. Performed in Sanderson Auditorium, an intimate venue perfect for the play’s scope, the play will provide audience members with a powerful theatrical experience.

Performances will take place on Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. To reserve tickets, contact the box office at (706) 419-1051 or at boxoffice@covenant.edu.

— Adrienne Kaufmann

Aerials Get Grounded Exploring the art of expression in the air above us

By Jessie Gantt-Temple Pulse contributor

“

We were successful by the skin of our teeth and are still working on completing some projects like a mural. This year’s showcase is doubling as a fundraising event to help buy a new roof.”

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

T

UCKED AWAY IN AN INDUSTRIAL CORNER JUST minutes away from the Southside and around the bend from Rossville Boulevard, Chattanooga Aerials found its new home in the Inversions Circus Arts and Performance Center and is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a Spring Showcase this month.

Amongst the sounds of big rigs and sirens, nestled with their automotive neighbors, it was a pleasant surprise when the big bay doors opened to reveal the elegant, graceful Chattanooga Aerials performers suspended from the rafters.

“It’s a circus in here and we love it,” says owner and director Jen Keehn. Jan has been involved with dance and movement long before her interest with aerials, and has been seasonally working with Hixson High School’s band and color guard for over a decade.

Originally created in 2009, Chattanooga Aerials founder and master aerialist Amy Powell sold her business in 2013 to her protégé, Jen Keehn, so she could continue

her skill closer to home and begin the North Georgia Aerials.

Jen began producing, teaching and entertaining since her ownership in 2013 and could not be more pleased with the new location because, unlike her previous places of occupancy, she actual owns this building and is no longer renting.

“We have been through several spaces over the years due to the life monster,” Jen said while giving a tour of the almost perfect building. “The last place was too posh and now we have more of a circus feel to incorporate all the acrobatic arts.”

They are not just a pop up class that only hosts aerials once a month. Chattanooga Aerials was

the first aerials studio in Chattanooga and now the Inversions Circus Arts and Performance Center is the first circus center in Chattanooga.

“We would love to incorporate other arts and artists,” Jen continued, “Any type of object manipulation—silks, rope, pole, dance, tumbling, acrobatics is encouraged within the Inversions Circus Arts and Performance Center.”

Jen began a Kickstarter to acquire the funds to make her up-in-the-air arts more grounded and with the help of Bright Bridge Lender, this unique business opened its doors last April.

“We were successful by the skin of our teeth and are still working on completing some projects like a mural,” Jen said as she pointed to a pressure washed, exposed concrete wall.

“This year’s showcase is doubling as a fundraising event to help buy a new roof.”

As they have successfully done in previous years before the big move, Chattanooga Aerials is elated to yet again be hosting an annual family friendly Spring Showcase. With over two decades of combined aerials experience, the show will feature some of Chattanooga Aerials

and North Georgia Aerials core students along with an indoor color guard and much more.

In addition to the showcase, they are encouraging ticket holders to stick around after the performances to help them celebrate their one year anniversary in their new location with an after party complete with DJ, lights, pole entertainment and a bartender.

For those looking to have a weekend night out, there is a performance on Saturday, April 21st, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the show starting at 6 p.m. For more of a post-brunch matinee, the Sunday, April 22nd show has doors opening at 2 p.m. and the performance starting at 3 p.m.

Each performance is scheduled for three hours with an intermission including complimentary hors d’oeuvres, desserts and beverages which Jen is affectionately calling a “Performer Potluck” as many of those bringing the entertainment will also be bringing a dish.

Jen pointed to Becca Resnik up on the silks, who has been a long time student and is also helping to make trapeze boots for the showcase. “We are very much a community driven group

and are so lucky to have people who want to contribute to our success.” Rachel Veal is a local artist and also long time Chattanooga Aerials student who makes a therapeutic salve that protects the performers’ hands.

If unable to attend the Spring Showcase, feel free to hire them to host your own showcase for friends in your living room or on the main stage at a corporate event. Jen says they are planning a Circus Nutcracker Holiday Show towards the end of the year but have plenty planned in the meantime.

“We have (and will) perform at the Chattanooga Market, MainX24, The Banana Ball and other community events,” Jan notes.

Chattanooga Aerials are performing at the Bunny Hop in May and will have an area for kids (and possibly adults) to briefly try aerials for free. The showcase is paperless and you can get your name on Will Call by purchasing tickets on their website, chattanoogaaerials.com.

For more information on this and other events hosted by the Chattanooga Aerials, access their Facebook page or the website for a complete class schedule and price list.

THU4.5 “True West”

Gritty, haunting, intense... those are just a few of the words being used to describe this gripping play.

7:30 p.m.

The Ringgold Playhouse 155 Depot St. cityofringgold.com

FRI4.6 Julie Scoggins

Over six feet of Southern Sass. This show is a mustsee for anybody who appreciates great comedy!

7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. thecomedycatch.com

SAT4.7 Chattanooga FC vs.

Detroit City FC

Come on out and cheer on the hometown team with one of the best "bangs for the buck" in town.

7:30 p.m.

Finley Stadium 1826 Carter St. chattanoogafc.com

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

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Motown the Musical

THURSDAY4.19 Ooltewah Farmers Market 3 p.m.

Ooltewah Nursery 5829 Main St. (423) 238-9775 ooltewahnursery.com Open House 4 p.m.

Glass House Collective 2513 N. Chamberlain Ave. (423) 402-0565 glasshousecollective.org Signal Mountain Farmers Market 4 p.m.

Pruett’s Market 1210 Taft Hwy. (423) 902-8023 signalmountainfarmersmarket.com State of the City 5:30 p.m.

The Westin 801 Pine St. (423) 643-7300 chattanoogagov.gov Art Wise: Dr. Leonard Folgarait 6 p.m.

The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View St. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Greg Haynes Art Exhibit Opening 6 p.m.

Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Four Bridges Art Festival

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

Preview Party 6:30 p.m.

First Tennessee Pavilion 1826 Reggie White Blvd.

(423) 265-4282 avarts.org Poetry is LIT 7 p.m.

LIT Gallery 4015 Tennessee Ave. (423) 401-8171 litartgallery.com Chatt About Science 7 p.m.

2 Sons Kitchen and Market 422 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 661-8709 2sonskitchen.com Photographer Clay Thurston 7 p.m.

St. John’s United Methodist Church 3921 Murray Hills Dr. (423) 892-2257 stjohnumc.org “Rock of Ages” 7 p.m.

Signal Mountain High School 2650 Sam Powell Dr. (423) 886-0880 smmhs.hcde.org Motown the Musical 7:30 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Julie Scoggins 7:30 p.m.

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

“Chicago” 7:30 p.m.

Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre 752 Vine St. (423) 425-4269 utc.edu/fine-arts-center “True West” 7:30 p.m.

The Ringgold Playhouse 155 Depot St. (706) 935-3061 cityofringgold.com

FRIDAY4.20 4 Bridges Arts Festival 10 a.m.

First Tennessee Pavilion 1826 Reggie White Blvd.

(423) 265-4282 avarts.org JAMPcon: Origins 10 a.m.

The Chattanoogan 1201 Broad St. jampcon.com EarthDayz 10 a.m.

Rock City Gardens 1400 Patten Rd. (706) 820-2531 seerockcity.com Spring Native Plant Sale 10 a.m.

Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Chattanooga Market at Erlanger 10:30 a.m.

Erlanger Hospital Medical Mall

975 E. 3rd St. chattanoogamarket.com Film Friday: The Happy City Experiement 12 p.m.

Chattanooga Design Studio 719 Cherry St. (423) 664-4837 chattanoogastudio.com Tattanooga Tattoo Expo 1 p.m.

Camp Jordan Arena 323 Camp Jordan Pkwy.

(423) 595-4703 tattanoogaexpo.com Cambridge Square Night Market 5 p.m.

Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. (423) 531-7754 cambridgesquaretn.com Flower Arranging Basics 6 p.m.

Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com The Experience 7 p.m.

Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. chattpalace.com Julie Scoggins 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com “Chicago” 7:30 p.m.

Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre 752 Vine St.

Chicago (423) 425-4269 utc.edu/fine-arts-center “True West” 7:30 p.m.

The Ringgold Playhouse 155 Depot St. (706) 935-3061 cityofringgold.com “Peter/Wendy” 8 p.m.

Covenant College 14049 Scenic Hwy. (706) 419-1051 covenant.edu Nooga! Visit Rock Village 8 p.m.

First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Chatt Talk Tonight 9 p.m.

Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. chattpalace.com Improv Showdown 10 p.m.

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

SATURDAY4.21 Clean and Green 8 a.m.

Miller Plaza 850 Market St. (423) 265-3700 Waterfront, 1864: Exploring Civil War Chattanooga 9 a.m.

Outdoor Chattanooga 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Boardwalk Boogie Trail 5k 9 a.m.

Harrison Bay State Park 8411 Harrison Bay Rd. (423) 344-6214 tnstateparks.com 4 Bridges Arts Festival 10 a.m.

First Tennessee Pavilion 1826 Reggie White Blvd.

(423) 265-4282 avarts.org Earth Day Festival 9:30 a.m.

Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org St. Albans Hixson Market 9:30 a.m.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 7514 Hixson Pike (423) 842-6303 JAMPcon: Origins 10 a.m.

The Chattanoogan 1201 Broad St. jampcon.com EarthDayz 10 a.m.

Rock City Gardens 1400 Patten Rd. (706) 820-2531 seerockcity.com Chattanooga River Market 10 a.m.

Tennessee Aquarium Plaza 1 Broad St. (423) 648-2496

publicmarkets.us Brainerd Farmers Market 10 a.m.

Grace Episcopal Church 20 Belvoir Ave. (404) 245-3682 Farmer’s Market 11 a.m.

Nutrition World 6237 Vance Rd. (423) 892-4085 nutritionw.com Tattanooga Tattoo Expo 11 a.m.

Camp Jordan Arena 323 Camp Jordan Pkwy.

(423) 595-4703 tattanoogaexpo.com Discussion with Author Mark Warren 11 a.m.

Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Red Wolf Feeding and Talk Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Chattanooga Art Tour 1 p.m.

Bluff View Art District 411 E. 2nd St. (423) 290-2477 newsouthtourco.com Artful Yoga: Dancing Into A New Millennium 1:30 p.m.

The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968

huntermuseum.org “Chicago” 2, 7:30 p.m.

Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre 752 Vine St. (423) 425-4269 utc.edu/fine-arts-center Discussion with Author JD Harper 2 p.m.

Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org “Peter/Wendy” 2:30 p.m.

Covenant College 14049 Scenic Hwy. (706) 419-1051 covenant.edu Spring in West Village 6 p.m.

West Village 802 Pine St. westvillagechattanooga.com Chattanooga Aerials 2018 Showcase 6 p.m.

Chattanooga Aerials 2315 Cannon Ave. (423) 582-2437 chattanoogaaerials..com Chattanooga FC vs. Detroit City FC 7:30 p.m.

Finley Stadium 1826 Carter St. (423) 668-2121 chattanoogafc.com Julie Scoggins 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 21

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

D.L. Hughley (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com “True West” 7:30 p.m.

The Ringgold Playhouse 155 Depot St. (706) 935-3061 cityofringgold.com 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

SUNDAY4.22 4 Bridges Arts Festival 10 a.m.

First Tennessee Pavilion 1826 Reggie White Blvd.

(423) 265-4282 avarts.org JAMPcon: Origins 10 a.m.

The Chattanoogan 1201 Broad St. jampcon.com EarthDayz 10 a.m.

Rock City Gardens 1400 Patten Rd. (706) 820-2531 seerockcity.com Tattanooga Tattoo Expo 11 a.m.

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

Camp Jordan Arena 323 Camp Jordan Pkwy.

(423) 595-4703 tattanoogaexpo.com Israel Festival Noon Jewish Federation 5461 North Terrace (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com Chattanooga Earth Day Festival 2 p.m.

Coolidge Park 150 River St. (423) 643-6311 Chattanooga Aerials 2018 Showcase 2 p.m.

Chattanooga Aerials 2315 Cannon Ave. (423) 582-2437 chattanoogaaerials.com Free Fiddle School 2 p.m.

Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 994-7497 D.L. Hughley 7:30 p.m.

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

MONDAY4.23 Spring Belly Dance Session 5:45 p.m.

Movement Arts Collective 3813 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 401-8115

movementartscollective.com Krista Clark Artist Talk 5 p.m.

UTC Fine Art Center 752 Vine St. (423) 425-4269 utc.edu Build Your Negotiating Skills 5:30 p.m.

The Edney 1100 Market St. (423) 661-3300 theedney.com Advanced Tarot 6 p.m.

Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com

TUESDAY4.24 Wake Up & Run 6 a.m.

Fleet Feet Sports 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 771-7996 fleetfeetchattanooga.com Northside Farmers’ Market 3 p.m.

Northside Presbyterian Church 923 Mississippi Ave. (423) 266-1766 Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute Tour 4 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute 175 Baylor School Rd. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Science on Tap

5 p.m.

Barley Chattanooga 235 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 682-8200 chattanoogabarley.com Tuesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m.

Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com April Book Club: Gods of Howl Mountain 6:30 p.m.

Star Line Books 1467 Market St. (423) 777-5629 starlinebooks.com

WEDNESDAY4.25 Lookout Farmers Market 10 a.m.

Memorial Hospital 2525 Desales Ave. lookoutfarmersmarket.com Main Street Market 4 p.m.

522 W. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.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 • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 23

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

THE ART OF BUSINESS

Bringing The Blue Skies To You Finding the perfect little gift—or big gift—for that special someone Brooke Brown

Pulse Assistant Editor

“

When you give a gift, you are connecting with a friend or a family member and if the gift is right, it creates a tangible, emotional bond between the giver and the recipient.”

The Scoop Blue Skies Your destination for perfect little gifts.

30 Frazier Ave (423) 266-8010 Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm Sunday Noon-5pm shopblueskies.net

C

HATTANOOGA IS FULL OF interesting people, restaurants, and at the top of the list is our incredible selection of locally-owned shops.

Whether you’re searching for boutique clothing or an out-of-the-box gift for a friend, the North Shore is brimming with options. But one shop that’s been making a name for itself on Frazier Avenue for the last fifteen years is the kaleidoscope shop known as Blue Skies.

Describing it as a kaleidoscope isn’t just a nice little metaphor, but a description of the colorful, imaginative wares that are to be expected upon entering their storefront.

“Our store has been described as a three-dimensional collage,” says owner Tina Harrison. “It’s a store of juxtaposed goods and sundries housed in a space that was once a neighborhood hardware store.”

Juxtaposed goods they have. Anything you could want from handmade jewelry, items for your home, baby shower and wedding gifts, birthday cards, you name it, they’ve probably got it, it’s unique, and it’s more than likely in your price range, whatever that may be.

“We strive to represent a variety of price points,” says Tina. “The average college student has a different budget than the downtown executive so we try to accommodate that difference.”

That price variation allows for everyone to find something for someone.

Giving a great gift is hard, and if you’re like me, you don’t want to let anyone down by letting them open something lackluster. With items like Israeli artist Ayala Bar’s rich mosaic jewelry and Angie Olami’s Roman glass work, the odds of a Blue Skies gift being a letdown are

zero.

“The single most important reason for our success is that our customers know they can find the perfect little gift, or thing for themselves, at Blue Skies,” Tina says, continuing on with the heartwarming fact that giving a successful gift feels good for everyone involved.

“When you give a gift, you are connecting with a friend or a family member and if the gift is right, it creates a tangible, emotional bond between the giver and the recipient.”

From their homegrown relationship with their customers to their ever-changing storefront windows, Blue Skies has the familiarity of being a well-known shop in town, but also keeps customers on their toes as they consistently carry new merchandise, and are always working to keep the shop itself looking fresh.

With Tina’s background in retail originating in museum retail, Blue Skies storefront is her canvas and she loves nothing more than arranging their cool new goods in a beautiful, eye-catching way that will have people stopping in, perusing the goods, and leaving with

something they love. And with North Chattanooga being a pedestrian neighborhood, Blue Skies window displays are the perfect marketing to entice you.

And once you’re inside, you may just find yourself humming, “Come with me, and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination” as you explore every eclectic, imagination-filled shelf, table and display like a kid in Wonka’s factory.

Like one of Wonka’s crazy creations, some artists can make art out of anything, a prime example being local artist Peggy Petrey’s jewelry made from recycled license plates. They’re beautifully made in a modern fashion and so incredibly unique, you’ll be fending off compliments. Just make sure to tell them you got it at Blue Skies!

At Blue Skies, you’ll find an outstanding assortment of gifts, products and goodies as well as top-tier customer service. They even offer complimentary signature gift wrapping. Step off of Frazier Avenue and into a world of imagination where a smiling face is always willing to help you find the perfect piece to bring joy to your life or a friend’s.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 25

THE MUSIC SCENE

Country, Blues, Gospel, Punk: It’s All There Starting out in 2004 as a star-struck duo known as My Other Face, the now fourpiece band Deer Tick is five records into an affluent music career.

Frontman John Joseph McCauley concocted the name after finding a deer tick on the back of his head from his hike in Morgan–Monroe State Forest.

Since then, the band went on to reach peek popularity in the early 2010’s and continues on to this day.

The band has been dubbed rock-andcountry by their listeners, but is self-described as alternative rock and “proud not to sing with a twang.”

It was in the late 2000’s when the band began to take notoriety among its contemporaries musically juxtaposed counterparts, Modest Mouse and Bright Eyes.

They have released their first new album since Negativity (2013), titled simply Vol.1, and as a result, the band is back on tour in what can be described as Deer Tick 2.0.

It’s given them a chance, in their own words, “to flex their punk-inspired garage rock muscles.”

Oklahoma native and American singersongwriter John Moreland will also join the fray. The show starts at 9 p.m. at the Songbird Museums South Stage located on 35 Station St. For more information, visit songbirdsguitars.com. — Austin M. Hooks

The Prodigal Sunshine Emi Sunshine is a musical force to be reckoned with

By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor

“

Emi got her start, as many musical child geniuses do, playing churches, festivals, picnics and anywhere she could find a place to stand and sing.”

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

P

RODIGY IS A STRONG WORD, SO MUCH SO THAT in the last five or six years I’ve only used it once in my writing. Today, I’m not sure if it’s strong enough because little Emi Sunshine from Madisonville, Tennessee is a prodigy and then some.

Every few years a child star comes along with a big voice and makes a splash, but usually they have handlers and producers, people who set the stage for them to “get up there and sing.” This thirteen-year-old requires no such packaging, however.

She writes her own music, produces her own songs, plays her own instruments, and she does it all with a level of sophistication

that would be remarkable in someone twice (or even three times) her age.

Her voice, strong, clear and emotive, lands somewhere between Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire in its tonal quality and her playing is on par with any seasoned veteran of the stage.

Either of these points would be remarkable on their own, together it’s downright spooky, and yet

as impressive as that is, it almost pales in comparison to her songwriting ability.

Her effervescent nature in interviews—Sunshine is a perfectly descriptive moniker—is counterpointed brilliantly by the maturity of her lyrics and subject matter.

“I’m pretty sure that most folks expect me to write and sing about rainbows, butterflies and unicorns, but that’s just not me. I like to write about things that are real and life just isn’t pretty sometimes…that’s just the way it is.”

True to her word, Emi writes about classic themes of love, murder and deceit, but also demonstrates a grasp of social issues covering topics like abuse, autism, incarceration, and tragedies like the Gatlinburg fires.

It isn’t all heavy material; she has a fun side too with songs like “Porter Wagoner Blues” and “Strong Armed Robbery”, a ghost story from the perspective of the ghost.

“Johnny, June and Jesus” is a reminiscence of her beginnings as a street performer, busking for tips.

References to Johnny and June come as no surprise considering the young lady’s musical family who serve as her backing band,

“

A performance at a 2014 Flea Market was captured on video and immediately went viral on YouTube, catapulting the Tennessee treasure to international fame with 14 million current followers.”

The Rain. Emi got her start, as many musical child geniuses do, playing churches, festivals, picnics and anywhere she could find a place to stand and sing.

A performance at a 2014 Flea Market was captured on video and immediately went viral on YouTube, catapulting the Tennessee treasure to international fame with 14 million current followers. Since then she’s managed an average of 50+ shows a year with an upcoming appearance here in Chattanooga at the May 25th Nightfall concert.

Her latest recording, the fifteen track compilation of roots, country, and Appalachian folk tunes, is scheduled for pre-order on July 29th with a release date of August 25th. In the meantime, her music can be found on YouTube and at theemisunshine.com.

While this may be the first time you’ve heard of Emi, I guarantee it won’t be the last. For someone so young to possess such talent, drive and ambition with literally every aspect of her career sewn up with professionalism, there is no question she is destined to be the next Country super star.

Listen to her music now, see her when she comes to Nightfall, and one day in the not too distant future when she takes the Grand Ole Opry by storm, you can nudge your friends and tell them, “I saw her when…”

I’ve written about a lot of performers over the years, some famous, some on their way to being famous, but rarely have I had the pleasure of hearing and writing about such a sure thing as the imminent stardom of Emi Sunshine.

A Collusion Of Talent Ya, mon! This Friday, JJ’s Bohemia is the place to be for all things chill as Milele Roots presents and evening of Reggae, Dub, Ska, Electronica and more.

Milele will be joined by local music god Danimal Pinson with a musical midnight snack provided by The Fridge.

JJ’s has long been recognized as the hottest, funkiest little music venue around, but this particular lineup on this particular night promises to be legendary.

No half-baked show, the collusion of talent (Yes collusion! Yes collusion!) is set to blaze as the ghost of Bob Marley nods and smiles. — MTM

THU4.19

FRI4.20

SAT4.21

A Night of Jazz

Smokin *HOT* 420 Show

Tropidelic

Nothing beats a great horn player, and nothing beats the Tom Cordell Trumpet and Improv Ensemble when it comes to great jazz.

7 p.m.

Sport Arts Venue 3210 Brainerd Rd. spotvenue.co

Celebrate the other "green" holiday at Ziggy's with 423Kid K, Class War, Infidel 2017, and Good Violence.

9 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggys 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net

A boisterous mix of reggae, hip-hop and high energy funk that will keep you on your feet, dancing and grooving all night long!

9 p.m.

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 27

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Ghostland Observatory

THURSDAY4.19 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m.

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

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Larnelle Harris 6:30 p.m.

Convention Center 1 Carter Plaza. bryan.edu Jimmy Dormire 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com A Night of Jazz 7 p.m.

Sport Arts Venue 3210 Brainerd Rd. spotvenue.co Toby Hewitt 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Darrell Scott 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Open Mic Night with Ryan Oyer 7 p.m.

Moccasin Bend Brewing Co. 3210 Broad St.

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bendbrewingbeer.com Jesse James & Tim Neal 7:30 p.m.

Mexi-Wing VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. mexi-wingchattanooga.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 Open Mic Night with Jonathan Wimpee 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Faux Ferocious and Hard Lines 9 p.m.

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

FRIDAY4.20 Dr. B and The Ease 6 p.m.

Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. publicmarkets.us Matthew Paul Revere 6 p.m.

Mad Knight Brewing Co. 4015 Tennessee Ave. madknightbrewing.com Abigale Blake 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Megan Howard 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Steve Wariner 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Rick Rushing and The Blues Strangers 7:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Cody James Harris 8 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Rappers in the Round 8 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Ghostland Observatory 8:30 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com No Good Deeds 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Drvin’ N Cryin 9 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St.

songbirdsguitars.com Gaslight Street and Daniel Donato 9 p.m.

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Smokin *HOT* 420 Show 9 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggys 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Milele Roots and Comedy All Studs 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com David Gabbard and the Fridge 9 p.m.

Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St. facebook.com/frequencyarts Voodoo Slim 10 p.m.

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

SATURDAY4.21 The Do Rights 12:30 p.m.

Colledgedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. publicmarkets.us The Grizzly Fowler Band 6 p.m.

The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com John Carroll

Cicada Rhythm 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 Tennessee Tremblers 7 p.m.

Mayo’s Bar and Grille 3820 Brainerd Rd. mayosbarandgrill.com Cicada Rhythm 7 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org CSO Pops Series ft. Bob’s Favorites 7:30 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com Danimal 7:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Charley Woods 8 p.m.

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

The Casual Pint 5550 Hwy. 153 hixson.thecasualpint.com Curtis and Loretta 8 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse

105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Heavy Show ft. One Day Closer and Friends 9 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggys 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Paul Childers Band with Jordan Hallquist & The Outfit 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Naked Funk 9 p.m.

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

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Kerchief, Deaccons, Rock Europa 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Voodoo Slim 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY4.22 Nativity Rising Artists: The Shepherd’s Harp 10:20 a.m.

Nativity Episcopal Church

1201 Cross St. nativity.dioet.org The Bird and the Bear 11 a.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Matt Downer 12:30 p.m.

Colledgedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. publicmarkets.us Derek W. Curtis 1:30 p.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com UTC Cadek Oorchestra 3 p.m.

UTC Fine Arts Center 752 Vine St. utc.edu/fine-arts-center Amber Fults 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Voodoo Slim 7 p.m.

Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com Weaves 7 p.m.

The Palace Theater Georgia Ave. chattpalace.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 Tacomouth 9 p.m.

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

MONDAY4.23 Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Jazz Cafe 7 p.m.

The Camp House 149 E MLK Blvd. thecamphouse.com Open Air with Jessica Nunn 7:30 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Very Open Mic with Shawnessey Cargile 8 p.m.

The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com

TUESDAY4.24 Bill McCallie and In Cahoots 6:30 p.m.

Southern Belle 201 Riverfront Pkwy. chattanoogariverboat.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 29

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Screaming Females Danimal 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Screaming Females 8 p.m.

Sluggo’s North Vegetarian Cafe 501 Cherokee Blvd.

(423) 752-5224 Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com

WEDNESDAY4.25 The Other Guys 6 p.m.

SpringHill Suites 495 Riverfront Pkwy. springhillsuites.com Court of Songs 6 p.m.

Mad Knight Brewing Co. 4015 Tennessee Ave. madknightbrewing.com Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com DJ Passé 7 p.m.

American Draft 1400 Market St. americandraft.beer Jazz In The Lounge 7 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater

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

1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org The Mailboxes, Miki Fiki, Lottery 7:30 p.m.

Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. stonecupcafe.com Mark Andrew 8 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Bad Tattoo 8 p.m.

Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com Priscilla & Little Rickee 8 p.m.

Las Margaritas 1101 Hixson Pike (423) 756-3332 Papadosio and Aqueous 8:30 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com Deer Tick and John Moreland 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Prime Cut Trio 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

ERNIE PAIK'S RECORD REVIEWS

New Music From Hanz, The Yearning

Hanz Plasty II (Tri Angle)

The Yearning Take Me All over the World (Elefant)

T

shapeless the proceedings can sometimes be, with listeners often left bewildered and guessing.

“Number One Stain” opens Plasty II with irregular beats that churn tensely and reverberate dramatically; film noir strings swirl uncomfortably among spoken snippets, making a puzzling track that ends without answers.

“The Approach” has an aggressive attitude with a barrage of stuttering beat samples, while “Psychic Dog” offers a different, less confrontational vibe with soul synth chords unfurling on drum machine

he latest vinyl and digital release Plasty II from Hanz, the musical outlet of recording artist Brandon Juhans of Durham, N.C., is a genre-smashing exercise full of twists that perhaps conveys being in a video-game-world earthquake.

Imagine the ground buckling and opening up, making it difficult to stand, as splintered pieces of billboards—showing bits of text and pictures— fly through the air and embed themselves into the ground.

A pithy yet inadequate description might be glitchy electronic hip-hop, but that doesn’t speak to how free-form and

sounds, as hisses echo artificially.

“Fifty Yard Stare” continues the confusing nature of Plasty II, with disembodied vocal snippets and keyboard splashes, with the occasional chugging rock guitar to chop up the track’s flow.

Very gradually, Plasty II leans toward instrumental hip-hop territory, which is most apparent on “Three Min Surgery”; it’s a blast-up of randomness tied down with a hip-hop beat loop, with ghostly sounds, glitchy digital recording artifacts and short yet deeply felt aural slivers like a harp run.

Finally, the release ends with “Clutched,” which pushes a wedge to highlight the duality between abrupt, sharp sounds and more abstract backgrounds, as breakbeats are stretched and manipulated; it closes a winding, tricky release with no obvious paths or safety nets for the listener as it meanders through its blurry, genredefying, thorny pathway.

M

ulti-instrumentalist and producer Joe Moore seems to have been born 50

years too late, with an unabashed devotion to certain strains of pop music from the ‘60s.

On earlier releases, his trio The Yearning channeled ‘60s girl-group pop, but in the last few years, the group has been outwardly expanding its expressed influences, which still mostly happen to be from the ‘60s.

The band’s latest release, a mini-album entitled Take Me All over the World released digitally and on vinyl, sports a few Brazilian flavors and beats, evoking samba and bossa nova and bringing to mind the breezy, effortless charm of Astrud Gilberto.

The Yearning’s current lineup is a trio with lead vocalist Maddie Dobie and guitarist Mark Kiff joining Moore, who wrote, arranged, recorded and produced all of the album’s songs.

The opening track “How Do You Make Somebody Fall in Love?” is lithe, gentle and balanced, with nylon-string guitar parts, synthetic flute and string flourishes and a wide-eyed purity; the direction changes

pointedly for the next tune, “Do You Remember?” with a samba flair and dance tempo while remaining poised, pushing the nostalgia past the ‘60s into the late ‘70s.

One of the release’s highlights is the escapist “Airplane (Fly Me to Mexico),” an ambling bossa nova tune with an irresistible chorus melody that is so damn cute that one feels slightly guilty listening to it, delivered by Dobie with her pretty and spotless voice; among its glistening and sparkling moments is a quick diversion into lounge jazz territory before settling back into Stan Getz-esque bossa nova.

The elegant waltz-time “Learn to Love” has an air of mystery with dreamy windchimes, intriguing harpsichord patterns and strings, and Dobie finds herself dueting with Moore in a sort of Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra style.

Some aspects of The Yearning could rightfully be called precious or even cheesy, but they certainly deliver pure pop delights with bright and clean melodies and tight and vibrant arrangements.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 31

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

FOOD & DRINK · DINING OUT

Fine Latin Cuisine Comes To Town The new Mayan Kitchen celebrates all the up-scale tastes of Latin America Brooke Brown

Pulse Assistant Editor

“

We wanted to focus on more than just Mexican. We have Mexicaninspired dishes, Guatemalan, Salvadorian, Cuban. A lot to choose from.”

The Scoop Mayan Kitchen Up-scale Latin-American Cuisine and Tequila Bar. 507 Broad St. (423) 682-7835 Monday-Friday 11am-10pm Saturday-Sunday 10am-10pm facebook.com/ MayanKitchenChatt

L

ET’S FACE IT—CHATTANOOGA is drenched in restaurants. Italian eateries, burger joints, farm to table meeting places, they all dot the corners of Downtown and North Shore.

With our multitude of restaurants, it can be hard to make a decision, or to find something new to try. But one thing Chattanooga was lacking until last November was a Latin restaurant as diverse as the Mayan Kitchen.

No, not a Mexican restaurant, although they serve traditional Mexican and Mexican-American dishes, but a true Latin restaurant, with a vast variety of flavors special to countries around the world that had yet to be served to Chattanooga until the Mayan Kitchen opened its doors.

“We wanted to focus on more than just Mexican,” says owner Jacob Lemus.

“We have Mexican-inspired dishes, Guatemalan, Cuban, Salvadorian. A lot to choose from.”

The menu is quite expansive, with categories dedicated solely to specialmade dips like traditional queso or The Mayan Dip, made with steak, chicken and chorizo. Choose from the list of appetizers, tapas, nachos, salads, and every dish is divided up by what meat you’d prefer, whether it’s steak, chicken, pork, or seafood.

To say you’ll find something you’ve never tried before here is an understatement with a menu as diverse as the Mayan Kitchen’s. For those of you still trying to get your feet wet in branching out of your traditional taco and queso, pupusas are a safe bet. Their thick tortillas are stuffed with a choice of chicharron, frijol, queso fresco o mixtas (pork cracklings, refried black beans, white cheese or a mix of all three) and are outstand-

ingly light and fresh, served with curtido (cabbage slaw) and a lite tomato sauce.

The Mayan Kitchen doesn’t just serve outstanding lunch and dinner, but a brunch menu to rival some of the best brunch eateries Downtown. Whether you want huevos rancheros, a sizzling brunch skillet, or a sweet treat in the form of pancakes or waffles, Mayan Kitchen has you covered.

Their expansive bar selection makes for not only some mean evening cocktails, but also morning-pick-me-up mimosas and bloody mary’s.

Nothing sounds better on a beautiful Saturday morning than a plate of Very Berry pancakes, smothered in maple syrup and seasonal berries, and a strong mimosa…or three. If you feel so inclined, have brunch then stay for lunch and go ahead and start your afternoon off on the right foot with an appetizer or dip.

No matter the dish you choose for brunch, lunch or dinner, you’ll find there is always a great alcoholic beverage to be paired with your meal. Known as a tequila bar, The Mayan Kitchen is the

only place in town with every kind of tequila imaginable. From white tequilas, rested, aged, mezcal, premium, and ultra premium, if you like tequila, you’ve found your new hotspot.

And if you aren’t sure if tequila is your liquor, try one of their ‘tequila flights’ in which you can sample and compare three tequilas of your choice with a sangria chaser. First Class gives you access to try any three of the ultra premium tequilas, Business Class is for any three premium tequilas, and Coach you can try any three white, rested or aged tequilas.

After perusing the menu and checking all of your options, you may end up sticking with the tried and true margarita, and no one with fault you for that!

It’s a great go-to for an evening with the girls, a date night or the perfect pair to chips and queso.

One thing is for sure, if you haven’t been to the Mayan Kitchen yet, you’re missing out on more Latin delicacies and delicioso liquor than you could possibly imagine.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 33

FILM & TELEVISION

The Whimsical World Of Cats For fans of Japanese animation, Studio Ghibli is the equivalent of Pixar Studios for American audiences.

For decades, the artists, writers, and directors at Studio Ghibli have made some of the best—and more creative—anime films in the world. And audiences around the world have embraced the unique look and storytelling of this very Japanese art form.

This Sunday and Monday, you can experience of the most charming and magical anime adventures in the past two decades with the big-screen showing of director Hiroyuki Morita’s The Cat Returns.

The plot is both simple and whimsical: after helping a cat, a young girl finds herself involuntarily engaged to a cat prince in a magical world where her only hope of freedom lies with a dapper cat statuette come to life.

The film actually came about when Studio Ghibli received a proposal from a Japanese theme park to make a twenty minute animation starring cats. However, once studio head Toshio Suzuki saw Morita’s storyboards, especially his depiction of the main cat character of Haru, he gave the director the greenlight to become a full feature.

If you love anime or cats (or both), come out to East Ride 18 and Hamilton Place 8 this Sunday at 12:55 p.m. or Monday at 7 p.m. for a magical experience.

— Michael Thomas

Jewish Film Series Returns Come out and enjoy a strong slate of intriguing films

By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor

“

After attending the Jewish Film Festival in Atlanta, Sandford Winer sought to bring something similar to Chattanooga.”

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

W

ITH THE CHATTANOOGA FILM FESTIVAL FINishing its fifth year as a wild success, Chattanooga has become a powerhouse for independent film in the South. However, the CFF isn’t the only film event in Chattanooga.

There have been an increase of festivals and screenings around the city in recent years. Events like the Lookout Wild Film Festival or the new Chattanooga State Student Film Festival are all part of the rich fabric that is being woven in the Scenic City film scene.

Another event, one that might have escaped notice in recent years, is the Chattanooga Jewish Film Series, which according to chairman Sanford Winer, began “with a conversation eleven years ago with Michael Dzik, the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga.”

Winer says, “There was and still is a need for outstanding international films in this city. The Adult Education Council ended its international series and a huge void was created which commercial theatres did not fill.”

After attending the Jewish Film Festival in Atlanta, Winer sought to bring something similar to Chattanooga. “These films offer terrific stories with universal themes such as xenophobia, independence, topics important to women, history, distortion of history, love, divorce, biography, sports, drama, comedy, suspense, etc.,” he says. “The list can

continue infinitely. Seeing these movies are like reading a novel.”

I can’t say I disagree. This year, the films can be seen every Wednesday in May, starting on May 2nd, at the Jewish Cultural Center.

The films in the series are as follows: In Between: Winer calls In Between “his favorite movie of this year.” The film is about three Palestinian women sharing an apartment in Tel Aviv. One is secular, one is Christian, and one is Muslim. The movie dramatizes the effect of modernity on each as well as such issues as homosexuality, abuse of women, and freedom to choose a lifestyle.

The film has won or been nominated for awards at fifteen international film festivals, including Israel, Berkshires, Glasgow, Haifa, Istanbul, Kosmorama, Trondheim, Odessa, Palm Springs, San Sebastian, Toronto, Amsterdam and Zagreb.

Maktub: Winer says that the selection committee liked Maktub so much they decided to show it twice.

Billed as “Goodfellas as guardian angels,” this dark comedy won the Audience Award at Monte Carlo International Film Festival.

It also won Best of Festival at the Palm Springs International

“

It’s a great time to be a film fan in Chattanooga—don’t miss this this event. Support local film.”

Film Festival. “Although politically incorrect, Maktub is a warmhearted…very funny film,” says Winer.

The Last Suit: According to Winer, this film follows eightyeight-year-old Abraham Bustein, a Holocaust survivor, [who] leaves his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina to find a Christian friend who saved his life in Poland.

This “road trip” movie takes us to Argentina, Spain, Germany and Poland. Abraham meets characters along the way who both help him and also need his help. Comedic and poignant in equal measure, this movie has already won the audience award at the Miami and Atlanta Jewish Film Festivals.

A Quiet Heart: This film is billed as a “a tense, slow burn drama about the evils of intolerance that [builds] into a gripping suspense thriller.” It follows Naomi, a concert pianist, [who] seeks refuge from the pressure of everyday life.

Despite her intentions to stay alone, she makes two unexpected connections—one with a musically gifted young boy and also with a

✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴

charismatic Italian Catholic monk.

The film is set on a fault line between religions, conservatives and secular liberals in contemporary Israel. A Quiet Heart has emotional bite and dramatic punch.

Shelter: In the last film of the series, Shelter is a tension filled spy thriller where two women, isolated from the outside world, flirt and begin to merge identities, each becoming more like the other.

“Be prepared to be seduced by Mona, a Lebanese informant recovering from plastic surgery to assume a new identity,” Winer says.

Naomi, an Israeli Mossad agent, is sent to Germany to protect her.

Winer says the film is a complex multi-dimensional labyrinth of trust and mistrust, honesty and deception and loyalty and betrayal.

As I mentioned, each film will be screened at the Jewish Cultural Center for $8 per ticket (which includes popcorn and a drink). It’s a great time to be a film fan in Chattanooga—don’t miss this this event.

Support local film.

I Feel Pretty A woman struggling with insecurity wakes from a fall believing she is the most beautiful and capable woman on the planet. But what happens when she realizes her appearance never changed?

Directors: Abby Kohn & Marc Silverstein Stars: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams

Super Troopers 2 When a border dispute arises between the U.S. and Canada, the Super Troopers are tasked with establishing a Highway Patrol station in the disputed area.

Director: Jay Chandrasekhar Stars: Lynda Carter, Emmanuelle Chriqui

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 35

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Riddles if they feel both scary and fun.

ROB BREZSNY ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the early history of the automobile, electric engines were more popular and common than gasoline-powered engines.

They were less noisy, dirty, smelly, and difficult to operate. It’s too bad that thereafter the technology for gasoline cars developed at a faster rate than the technology for electric cars.

By the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, the petroleumsuckers were in ascendance. They have remained so ever since, playing a significant role in our world’s ongoing environmental degradation. Moral of the story: Sometimes the original idea or the early model or the first try is better. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you should consider applying this hypothesis to your current state of affairs.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Chesapeake Bay is a fertile estuary that teems with life. It’s 200 miles long and holds 18 trillion gallons of water. More than 150 streams and rivers course into its drainage basin. And yet it’s relatively shallow. If you’re six feet tall, you could wade through over a thousand square miles of its mix of fresh and salt water without getting your hat wet. I see this place as an apt metaphor for your life in the coming weeks: an expanse of flowing fecundity that is vast but not so deep that you’ll get overwhelmed.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’ll soon arrive at a pressure-packed turning point. You’ll stand poised at a pivotal twist of fate where you must trust your intuition to reveal the differences between smart risks and careless gambles. Are you willing to let your half-naked emotions show? Will you have the courage to be brazenly loyal to your deepest values? I won’t wish you luck, because how the story evolves will be fueled solely by your determination, not by accident or happenstance. You will know you’re in a good position to solve the Big

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

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Strong softness is one of your specialties. So are empathetic rigor, creative responsiveness, and daring acts of nurturing.

Now is a perfect time to summon and express all of these qualities with extra flair. If you do, your influence will exceed its normal quotas. Your ability to heal and inspire your favorite people will be at a peak. So I hereby invite you to explore the frontiers of aggressive receptivity. Wield your courage and power with a fierce vulnerability.

Be tenderly sensitive as an antidote to any headstrong lovelessness you encounter.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 1973, Pink Floyd released the album The Dark Side of the Moon. Since then, it has been on various Billboard charts for over 1,700 weeks, and has sold more than 45 million copies. Judging from the astrological aspects coming to bear on you, Leo, I suspect you could create or produce a beautiful thing with a similar staying power in the next five months. What vitalizing influence would you like to have in your life for at least the next 30 years?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I beg you to take a break sometime soon. Give yourself permission to indulge in a vacation or recess or sabbatical. Wander away on a leave of absence. Explore the mysteries of a siesta blended with a fiesta. If you don’t grant yourself this favor, I may be forced to bark “Chill out, dammit!” at you until you do.

Please don’t misunderstand my intention here. The rest of us appreciate the way you’ve been attending to the complicated details that are too exacting for us. But we can also see that if you don’t ease up, there will soon be diminishing returns. It’s time to return to your studies of relaxing freedom.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Singersongwriter Roy Orbison achieved great success in the 1960s, charting 22 songs on the Billboard Top 40. But his career declined after that. Years later, in 1986, filmmaker David Lynch asked him for the right to use his tune “In Dreams” for the movie Blue Velvet. Orbison denied the request, but Lynch incorporated the tune anyway.

Surprise! Blue Velvet was nominated for an Academy Award and played a big role in reviving Orbison’s fame.

Later the singer came to appreciate not only the career boost, but also Lynch’s unusual aesthetic, testifying that the film gave his song an “otherworldly quality that added a whole

Homework: It’s easy to see fanaticism, rigidity, and intolerance in other people, but harder to acknowledge them in yourself.

Do you dare? Testify at Freewillastrology.com. new dimension.” Now let’s meditate on how this story might serve as a parable for your life. Was there an opportunity that you once turned down but will benefit from anyway? Or is there a current opportunity that maybe you shouldn’t turn down, even if it seems odd?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You’ve been to the Land of No Return and back more than anyone. But soon you’ll be visiting a remote enclave in this realm that you’re not very familiar with. I call it the Mother Lode of Sexy Truth. It’s where tender explorers go when they must transform outworn aspects of their approach to partnership and togetherness. On the eve of your quest, shall we conduct an inventory of your capacity to outgrow your habitual assumptions about relationships? No, let’s not. That sounds too stiff and formal. Instead, I’ll simply ask you to strip away any falseness that interferes with vivacious and catalytic intimacy.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 1824, two British explorers climbed a mountain in southwestern Australia.

They were hoping to get a sweeping view of Port Phillip Bay, on which the present-day city of Melbourne is located. But when they reached the top, their view was largely obstructed by trees. Out of perverse spite, they decided to call the peak Mount Disappointment, a name it retains to this day. I suspect you may soon have your own personal version of an adventure that falls short of your expectations. I hope -- and also predict -- that your experience won’t demoralize you, but will rather mobilize you to attempt a new experiment that ultimately surpasses your original expectations.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn rock musician Lemmy Kilmister bragged that he swigged a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey every day from 1975 to 2013. While I admire his

dedication to inducing altered states of consciousness, I can’t recommend such a strategy for you. But I will love it if you undertake a more disciplined crusade to escape numbing routines and irrelevant habits in the next four weeks. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will have a special knack for this practical art.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Germany was one of the big losers of World War I, which ended in 1919. By accepting the terms of the Versailles Treaty, it agreed to pay reparations equivalent to 96,000 tons of gold. Not until 2010, decades after the war, did Germany finally settle its bill and fulfill its obligation. I’m sure your own big, long-running debt is nowhere near as big or as long-running as that one, Aquarius. But you will nonetheless have reason to be ecstatic when you finally discharge it. And according to my reading of the astrological omens, that could and should happen sometime soon. (P.S. The “debt” could be emotional or spiritual rather than financial.)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “I would rather have a drop of luck than a barrel of brains,” said the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes. Fortunately, that’s not a choice you will have to face in the coming weeks, Pisces. According to my reading of the cosmic signs, your brain will be working with even greater efficiency and ingenuity than it usually does. Meanwhile, a strongerthan-expected flow of luck will be swirling around in your vicinity. One of your main tasks will be to harness your enhanced intelligence to take shrewd advantage of the good fortune.

Rob Brezsny is an aspiring master of curiosity, perpetrator of sacred uproar, and founder of the Beauty and Truth Lab. He brings a literate, myth-savvy perspective to his work. It’s all in the stars.

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

“Duty: Free”—here comes the freestyle puzzle.

ACROSS 1 Cart food served in a soft corn tortilla 11 Former U.N. Secretary General Hammarskjöld 14 Phone-based games where quizzers often play for cash prizes 15 Oscar ___ Hoya 16 Like some geometric curves 17 Nasty 18 St. Tropez summer 19 Inventor Whitney 20 Obtrude 22 Solitary 24 “I’d like to speak to your supervisor,” e.g.

27 “Dallas” family name 29 Flip option 30 Recombinant stuff 31 They’re silent and deadly 33 “I Need a Dollar” singer Aloe ___ 35 Namibia’s neighbor 36 Calculus for dentists

40 Country east of Eritrea 43 Beethoven’s Third Symphony 44 Doubledecker, e.g.

47 Cave ___ (“Beware of dog,” to Caesar) 49 Fur trader John Jacob 50 Customary to the present 53 Pivot on an axis 54 Make further corrections 55 “Oh yeah? ___ who?”

57 “And many more” 58 “Caprica” actor Morales 59 Popular request at a bar mitzvah 63 “Okay” 64 Complete opposites 65 Rolls over a house?

66 Short religious segment on old TV broadcasts DOWN 1 Island where

Napoleon died 2 Be active in a game, e.g.

3 Going from green to yellow, maybe 4 The day before the big day 5 Cork’s country, in Gaelic 6 Word after coffee or time 7 Follower of Lao-tzu 8 ___.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas member) 9 Cost-of-living stat 10 Swing to and fro 11 Lacking, with “of” 12 Novelist Lurie 13 Lead ore 15 Branch of govt.

21 Makeup with an applicator 23 “Hope you like it!”

25 Truck compartment 26 Feel unwell 28 Actor Johnny of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Roseanne” 32 TV host Bee and blues singer

Fish, for two 34 Traverse 37 Golf club brand 38 Connection to a power supply 39 Uncommon example 41 Brian once of Roxy Music 42 Not quite improved?

44 Minimalist to the max 45 Depletes 46 Takes an oath 48 Be way off the mark 51 New Bohemians lead singer Brickell 52 Almost on the hour 56 Investigation Discovery host Paula 60 Hydrocarbon suffix 61 Open-reel tape precursor to VCRs (and similar, except for the letter for “tape”) 62 “I hadn’t thought of that”

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. 880 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 37

COLUMN · GAME ON!

A World Of Secrets And Horrors Cult adventure MMO goes Free to Play in all the right ways

F Brandon Watson Pulse columnist

“

Funcom championed Secret World Legends to be accessible to new players of MMORPGs and with the interface change to a more basic control scheme that actually pulled it off.”

When not vaporizing zombies or leading space marines as a mousepad Mattis, Brandon Watson is making gourmet pancakes and promoting local artists.

RIENDS HAVE TRIED TO GET me on the WoW train many moons ago, then there was SWTOR, Rift, and EVE Online. Instituting money drains like auction houses and excruciating time eating mechanics that make the eyes bleed with repetitiveness doesn’t compel me to sacrifice my hard earned dollar to a subscription fee month after month.

Then came Norwegian game developer Funcom that challenged my snobbery of online gaming with a bonus: no monthly subscription fee. The Secret World hit the PC in 2012 with mixed fanfare, of course EA was doing its best to find that elusive WoW killer. So did EA achieve this? Not in the slightest but what it did was create a cult hit that managed to hold up and improve over time.

The Secret World offered an online playground with some of the most popular horror tropes ever created. Zombies, Eldritch forces, esoteric conspiracies, Mayan prophecies, interdimensional monsters everything from Lovecraft, King, and Koontz to Monster Squad and the Mummy exist in this game. Imagine a game where you fight off biblical plagues as a gunslinger on the front lawn of the Black House somewhere in Maine: pure fanboy joy right there.

Fast forward almost six years later TSW is rebranded as Secret World Legends and relaunched as free-to-play with new expansion content called Dawn of the Morning Light and my curiosity got the best of me. Typically, when a MMORPG goes free-to-play, it signals the end because also typically most of the content is locked by the horrors of microtransactions that forces the player to pay money to access the rest of the game.

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

After resurrecting my dated account, I had to start fresh. The character creator is limited but you spend 90 percent of a third person game staring at the toon’s backside so it’s no problem. My slick Mohawk sporting avatar was ready to choose a role in about eight minutes.

SWL has reduced the freeform approach to role building opting for a more streamlined bank of skills and abilities that unlock in linear paths. Before it was very easy to muddle abilities up that it critically hobbled character builds to devastating effect. Players can now choose from nine presets that combine various abilities and powers to fit their playstyle eventually allowing for them to unlock them all over time.

Funcom championed Secret World Legends to be accessible to new players of MMORPGs and with the interface change to a more basic control scheme that actually pulled it off. If you can WASD and spin a mouse at the same time, then you’re good to play. Gone is the crazy six button press hotkeys for cooldown interface that turned off many players and was very jarring in the original iteration.

Loot scrounging was never a big thing in Secret World, instead it focused more on playing through story driven quests given by NPCs. Have I ever mentioned that I hate crafting game mechanics?

SWL makes it easy with a like consumes like system so the inventory doesn’t get filled with useless junk prompting a jump from the action to a vendor seven load screens away.

But is SWL right for everyone? Not exactly. Remember this is a story driven MMORPG it’s mostly PvE with some PvP elements. All of the usual MMO functions exist with the dungeons, clans, and annoying chat window but the meat and potatoes are all about the adventuring either solo or with online friends. Quests are broken down into categories like story, side, sabotage, and investigations that break up the monotony of gratuitous monster genocide.

When I say “investigations,” be prepared to wrack your brain for days fighting off the urge to call up a cheat site just to farm the XP. Though investigation missions are time consuming and not for the impatient they are the most fun. I’m serious, one mission will have you researching the Old Testament for clues to solve a puzzle written on a sewer wall in New England.

Ever learned Latin? SWL will require you to study dead languages in order to dive more into the well-crafted lore about a world full of lore.

I’ve not been able to dig into the new content but it’s free along with the rest of the game and patrons who subscribe $12 a month have access to daily boosters and other rewards. But nothing has been taken away from the game. In fact, it’s still worth the visit just to see how F2P games should be done.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • APRIL 19, 2018 • THE PULSE • 39