The Pulse 16.19 » May 9, 2019

VOL. 16, ISSUE 19 • MAY 9, 2019

A Downtown Residential Rebirth Thousands are moving to a newly revitalized city center CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

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FROM THE EDITOR VOLUME 16, ISSUE 19 • MAY 9, 2019

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

EDITORIAL Managing Editor Gary Poole gary@chattanoogapulse.com Assistant Editor Jenn Webster City Editor Alex Curry Music Editor Marc T. Michael Film Editor John DeVore Contributors Rob Brezsny • Jessie Gantt-Temple Matt Jones • Sandra Kurtz Cody Maxwell • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib Michael Thomas • Brandon Watson Cartoonists Jen Sorenson Tom Tomorrow

ADVERTISING Director of Sales Mike Baskin mike@brewermediagroup.com

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Account Executives Rick Leavell • Cindee McBride Libby Phillips • Lisa Roche John Rodriguez • Danielle Swindell

CONTACT Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Fax 423.266.2335 Fax 423.266.2335 Email info@chattanoogapulse.com Website chattanoogapulse.com Facebook @chattanoogapulse THE FINE PRINT: The Pulse is published weekly by Brewer Media and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on music, the arts, entertainment, culture and local news. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publisher may take more than one copy per weekly issue.

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A Downtown Residential Rebirth Stand at the top of Forest Ave. and look down the hill at the Walnut Street Bridge.

People are walking, cycling, talking, busking…thick as clover in May. Yes, people are swarming downtown like bees seeking a new hive. What are they looking for?

What are they finding? And what do they need to flourish here?

A FEAST FOR ALL SENSES

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ZINE FEST IS BACK

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The fusion of artistic media lays the groundwork for multi-sensory experiences of constant boundary-pushing encounters. Art and technology collaborate to blur the lines.

Whenever the phrase “self-published author” is mentioned, there are several characters that immediately come to mind. The first is the basement-dwelling man in his early thirties.

DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH

Political documentaries are very rarely inspiring.

Almost always, they are about what’s wrong with our world. Occasionally, they will offer a solution or a call to action, but not often.

COLLABORATE AND LISTEN

Scotty Moore is a name known by industry old-timers, music lovers, a selection of people with niche interests and specific reasons, and a woefully small portion of the general public.

4 CONSIDER THIS

21 THE ART OF BUSINESS

29 JONESIN' CROSSWORD

9 SHADES OF GREEN

24 MUSIC CALENDAR

29 EDITOONS

13 NEW IN THEATERS

27 MUSIC REVIEWS

22 GAME ON!

16 ARTS CALENDAR

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CITY LIFE · BETWEEN THE BRIDGES

A Feast For All Senses Reciprocity between wine and music

By Alex Curry Pulse City Editor

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The Chattanooga Tasting Club has grown over the past three years and now has a diverse and growing community of over 150 members who rotate through different events.”

T

HE FUSION OF ARTISTIC MEDIA LAYS THE GROUNDwork for multi-sensory experiences of constant boundarypushing encounters. Art and technology collaborate to blur the lines of tired old designations. It doesn’t have to just be dinner or a concert or painting anymore.

Any form or medium can be molded into something genuine and novel. Tim Hinck, the composer, sommelier, and culinarian, is blurring these lines with avant-garde creativity.

While studying music in the Netherlands, Tim developed a deep love for wine. Over time, his passion for composition and performance mingled with his vino-craving taste buds. He envisioned a reciprocal opportunity between his two passions. Three years ago, he started the Chattanooga Tasting Club.

“It grew out of a small group of friends getting together to drink and learn more about wine, but it quickly grew as more people wanted to meet regularly for structured tastings with a highly educational focus,” says Hinck. Now Tim works with the city’s leading chefs in order to create wine-centric tasting dinners. At these tastings, Tim explores the boundar-

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ies between music, olfactory, and palate.

“I’ve taken a deep dive into wine education,” he explains. “Besides music, it’s my main interest and hobby.”

Over the past three years, the Chattanooga Tasting Club has expanded into a diverse and growing community of more than 150 members who rotate through different events.

Tim travels regularly for both his music and his endless wine education and is particularly interested in the newer winegrowing regions of the world.

“I like to explore both broad and general wine education and move through different regions or grapes. Each year within the tasting club, we try to hit three or four grape varietals and do a tasting for each one,” says Hinck. He works closely with Wine Theory, a local wine broker that focuses on bringing new and exciting options to Chattanooga.

Though he’s deeply intrigued by wine, Tim’s main passion in life is the composition and performance of music.

“I spend more hours in a day writing music than doing anything else,” he says. “The master goal is to grow that part of my practice. I want to brand myself as a composer, but most of my musical projects tend to be multi-sensory.

“It’s often not just musicians on stage; there are usually other sensory elements.

Sound and food pairings, sound and wine pairings. I want to continue to do that. I like visual stimulation. It could be fun to have a space where sound and food and drink are mixed up together.

Right now, it’s about establishing myself as a composer and getting my pieces played a lot more.”

Recently he began a partnership with a colleague at the Juilliard School of Music through a project called the Collaborate Arts Ensemble. Together, they will work with a team to develop a theatrical show that explores the concept of an interdisciplinary theatrical piece. In 2020, the ensemble will take this new show on tour across the country.

“The Collaborative Arts Ensemble focuses on community activism and social engagement and explores options that aren’t necessarily available for musicians. It’s a way to provide experiences that are outside of the normal boundaries for these artists.”

Tim Hinck has several performances premiering in the coming year, including a new opera for Opera Tennessee, an experimental film, and a groundbreaking piece written alongside prisoners in Walker County, GA as part of the Arts Capacity organization for which Tim Hinck has just been named composerin-residence. Visit his pages @timhinck and @chatastingclub on Facebook and Instagram, and see upcoming wine events like a Champagne and Dumplings Supper Club on May 18.

As Chattanooga advances towards its place on the world stage as a first-class destination city, Mr. Hinck’s role as an educator, community organizer, entertainer, and musical savant will be at the forefront of our artistic growth.

Supporting The CSO An evening of wine, food, music and fun For the past 86 years, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera has been one of the city’s brightest gems. Led by Kayoko Dan, the CSO consists of top players from Chattanooga and around the southern region.

But as with all things symphonic, they can’t continue without your help. And like many organizations in Chattanooga, they like to do a bit more than just ask for donations. In fact, they can get quite creative with their fundraising.

One of the highlights of their fundraising is UnCorked, which will take place this Saturday starting at 6:30 p.m. at Renaissance Park.

Come out and join with symphony supporters, food and wine enthusiasts, and locals looking to have fun and spend an evening on the banks of the Tennessee River.

Party-goers will enjoy great food, unlimited wine in a custom wine glass, and fantastic live music by Rick Rushing and the Blues Strangers.

“We are thrilled to be presenting UnCorked once again this year,”

says CSO Executive Director Samantha Teter. “The event typically raises about $70,000 for our music education programs, many of which we offer free of charge to schools and community locations throughout a 12-county region.”

UnCorked attracts several of the area’s best restaurants offering small plates of some of their best dishes, such as Wine Down’s Bibimbap, Frothy Monkey’s Shrimp and Grits, Dish T’Pass’ Buffalo Mac and Cheese, The Chef & His Wife’s Pimento Cheese Tostadas, and Walden Club’s Lamp Lollipops.

Several vegetarian options will be provided by Lil Oso, Whitebird, Alimentari, and Paloma. Additional restaurants include Clumpies, Virgola, 2 Sons Kitchen and Market, Chicken Salad Chick, Rolling J’s, Reinhart Food Service, FoodWorks, and The Feed Co. Several of the restaurants will

Cons ider This w ith Dr. Rick

“To live is the rarest thing in the world.

Most people exist, that’s all.” — Oscar Wilde

be paired with a wine available for tasting. For non-wine drinkers, Chattanooga Whiskey and Lass and Lions Vodka will be sampling their products, and Coke products will be available for non-drinkers.

A silent auction with items ranging from artwork to jewelry to clothing to trips will be available for bidding as well.

Tickets are $125 for VIP (includes free, designated parking and shuttle service) and $75 for general admission. Tickets are available at chattanoogasymphony.org or by calling (423) 267.8583.

There’s a saying about not just living the length of life, but also the breadth of life.

It’s easy to become complacent, fall into a rut, and find yourself living a life that’s much more vanilla than you expected it to be.

Perhaps illness has debilitated you. Or mental illness keeps you from feeling yourself.

Or you’ve suffered a recent loss and grieving makes it hard to “get back out there.” On and on, the challenges of life can make the living of life more tiring than enjoyable, more burdensome than free.

But consider this: No matter the setbacks, there is always a degree of happiness waiting to be discovered. There’s a path toward artistic expression. There’s time to spend with those who help you feel better about the magic, the miracles, the simple beauty of simple things.

It’s up to us to believe it can be better.

— Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

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COLUMN · SHADES OF GREEN

A Water Management Threat?

The intersection of progress and protection lies in East Ridge

P Sandra Kurtz

Pulse columnist

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It's not so easy. One doesn’t just dig a hole and let rain fill it with water.

Bona fide wetlands have hydric soils and are anaerobic, meaning no oxygen. That takes time to see if it works.”

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

EOPLE AROUND THE WORLD play soccer or follow it with passion and excitement. It entertains and brings economic benefits, but requires a large area for play. Where then to build a 5,500-seat soccer stadium with easy access, preferably close to large populations?

Bob Martino, owner of the new Red Wolves Soccer Team, is convinced he has found just the place: the 100 acres of wetlands and flood plain between Spring Creek and West Chickamauga Creek located in East Ridge right where I-75 splits from I-24 and curves toward Chattanooga.

He also wants to build 400 apartments and condominiums, 475,000 square feet of commercial space (including a stadium), and 375 hotel rooms.

Oh, and why not build a tunnel under I-75 to connect to Camp Jordan? How much will that cost?

By the way, Georgia and TDOT have just begun straightening the I-75/I-24 split to relieve congestion. How does that figure into this tunnel plus entrance to the soccer field and, oh, by the way, what about the sewer line that goes from Camp Jordan to the Moccasin Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant?

It seems Mr. Martino has overlooked a few environmental concerns that may not make it worth his while to ruin a wetland area. The Clean Water Act requires “no net loss” of wetlands. That means that filling in a wetland requires mitigation that the Tennessee Department of Conservation (TDEC) will have to permit.

Usually mitigation requires that two to four acres of wetland be replaced for every acre destroyed. That’s expensive.

Besides, there are no easy places in the South Chickamauga Creek watershed for new wetlands.

Mr. Martino must have recognized he can’t build in floodway or in a designated wetland because he said he plans

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a network of walking trails and will develop only half the land. An open wetland shows in the plan at the edge of the buildings, no doubt left as a stormwater detention pond.

The area designated for direct development is all flood plain, with elevation ranging from 650 to 670 feet. Since those flood plain elevations are below the required building elevation, a developer must fill in the site to at least one foot higher. That means many cubic yards of dirt must be brought in so that the site is high enough to avoid floods. Many build two feet higher.

After filling, where then does future floodwater go in the highly floodable Spring Creek area where numerous floods have already impacted residents living there? With climate change bringing more catastrophic storms, we should be building more flood storage areas, not filling them up with buildings. Given past history, FEMA may refuse to sell any flood insurance for this area. Certainly extensive hydraulic engineering will be required before any permits for construction are granted.

It’s early in the process, as no applications for permit approval have been submitted. If wetlands are destroyed, mitigation will be required to replace lost wetland. It’s not so easy. One doesn’t just dig a hole and let rain fill it with water. Bona fide wetlands have hydric soils and are anaerobic, meaning no oxygen.

That takes time to see if it works.

Many a developer has paid mitigation costs for new wetland and completed the development only to find a few years

later that it didn’t work. About 80 percent of wetland creation attempts fail.

Some value soccer more than wetland. In fact, wetlands are nature’s nurseries, allowing for habitat to create a base food chain that harbors and supports most wildlife whether it be insect larvae, eggs from amphibians like tree frogs, toads, salamanders, reptiles, or fish, and the water loving birds and mammals that live and feed there. They are the most vital and productive of ecosystems. They also filter and clean water and hold floodwaters, a free service.

A soccer field is a good idea, but first, here are some questions for Mr. Martino: 1. Can it be built somewhere else, avoiding wetlands?

2. While the soccer field may allow floodwaters to seep through soil, buildings don’t. Can you skip the buildings?

3. Can you create totally pervious parking surfaces?

4. Can the stadium seat fewer people, thereby taking up less space?

East Ridge leaders are, of course, thrilled as they envision all that money coming into the city coffers.

However, if this idea happens as now envisioned, once again the environment loses and those in the way of excessive floodwaters do too.

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COVER STORY

A Downtown Residential Rebirth Thousands are moving to a newly revitalized city center

By Jenn Webster Pulse Assistant Editor

“

What will you find if you take a stroll or trolley ride through Chattanooga with your eye on making this your new home?

Well, it might be anything.”

S

TAND AT THE TOP OF FOREST AVE. AND LOOK down the hill at the Walnut Street Bridge. People are walking, cycling, talking, busking…thick as clover in May. Yes, people are swarming downtown like bees seeking a new hive.

What are they looking for? What are they finding? And what do they need to flourish here?

To start exploring these questions, I encourage you to participate in the Explore Downtown Living Tour on Saturday, May 18. This self-guided, shuttle- and trolley-riding tour will let you explore 14 new apartment developments in the downtown area.

THE PLACES AND SPACES What will you find if you take a stroll or trolley ride through Chattanooga with your eye on making this your new home? Well, it might be anything. Our oldest housing stock includes Civil Warera buildings; there are turn-of-the-

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last-century mansions, plenty of 1920s bungalows, Art Deco walkups, neat WWII-era cottages, and a wealth of newer structures, available in whatever stage of dilapidation or gentrification you can afford.

For a while, as white residents fled in the 1970s, deindustrialization decimated downtown employment opportunities, and population dropped in the 1980s, there were more empty buildings available; now, these are being refurbished and plenty of new development is filling the taps alongside.

Trends come and go; Craig Kronen-

berg, AIA, principal with Hefferlin + Kronenberg Architects, mentions styles that change quickly; industrial steel kitchens were in a few years ago; now, it’s airy lighting and white quartz. Design styles tend to cascade downhill from price point to price point, incomer to established resident, too.

In other words, new properties are typically purchased or rented by incomers accustomed to more expensive markets, who then sell in a few years to locals (or rents fall so locals can afford to move in). A newcomer from Chicago is eating from white quartz while a fairly affluent Chattanoogan is excited about last decade’s black granite, and so on.

(I find this trend continues for decades. Right now I eat off a plastic Walmart table and look out at my street through cracked Art Deco glass panes; last apartment, I ate off a 100-year-old trestle table and looked down at the valley from the East Brow, but then again, my roof leaked and my plumbing system consisted of a bucket under my sink to catch the wastewater. I won’t tell you about the toilet. Sic transit—) New development tends to bring new styles, says Clif McCormick, also a principal with Hefferlin + Kronenberg.

“Parenthetically, when people come from Nashville or Atlanta or Chicago, developers follow the market around and develop in Chattanooga,” he says.

Kronenberg agrees: “All the large apartments buildings are not [by] local developers. And they bring their architects. Local architects did not touch pencil to paper.”

McCormick ticks off out-of-town styles that are entering Chattanooga on the hems of incomers: Rooftop decks, which are too hot for Chattanooga summers;

tall narrow houses connected by a back room, which gained popularity in cities such as Nashville where, according to local zoning laws, lots couldn’t be subdivided—but could be built into condominiums.

Darlene Brown, president and broker/owner with Chattanooga Real Estate Partners, LLC, says that there are as many new styles as there are new residents—and both are incredibly varied.

“I worked with the developer on Loveman’s on Market when it came downtown,” she says. “I had a demographic I [predicted] would live there. I was so wrong. The building ended up being young, old, all kinds of people.

It’s the same with housing requirements. Some want one-level living, some want town homes, apartments; it’s all over the board.”

While the stereotypical incomer is a millennial, many mid- and latecareer folks are coming to downtown Chattanooga, drawn by comparatively low housing rates, as well as the city’s neighborliness—its “Chattitude”. That’s what you find when you go out your door into your larger living space—your street, corner park, church, coffee house or barber shop.

PLACES + PEOPLE = PHYSICAL CULTURE By the late 2000s, Chattanooga had regained the population loss of the 1980s, the only U.S. city to completely recoup these losses, according to a Times Free Press article of 2009.

These people brought with them an interest in walkable spaces, start-up culture, nature and ecology, and Chattitude—the spirit that drives a resident to offer not a only phone but also a cold beer to a stranger in a brokendown car, according to local philosopher Jason Tinney.

This approach to outdoor, on-foot space is just about 180 degrees opposed to that of the 1970s, when

new, privilege and lack, snagging against each other. It’s the willingness to let those edges touch that makes the difference—to call the space home, while acknowledging that a passel of other people also call it home.

ATTITUDES HAVE CHANGED

people (I should specify: middle-class white people) wanted least of anything in the world to interact with strangers in a city. Our larger physical space, the canvas upon which downtown dwellers paint their lives, consists of the interaction between human, natural, and built elements, and it’s the alchemy between them that causes people to live here and love it, or else to run for the suburbs, locking their car doors on the way out.

Newcomer Richel Albright, communications director for Mayor Andy Berke, moved to Chattanooga a tad over a year ago. A Franklin, TN native, she was looking for a place where she could be near water and mountains, but also close to her work.

“I wanted to have that quality of life where I could walk to work most days,” she says. She found a place cattycorned to City Hall, off 11th Street.

“Typically I just park my car at City Hall rather than my apartment. Having that is a new adjustment to a quality of life I wasn’t used to. Rather than rushing at 7:30 to get to work on time, I get to walk [to work] on a gorgeous day. It has been awesome. I love living downtown.”

Albright walks at all hours, visiting Warehouse Row, Miller Park, Moxy

Chattanooga, WanderLinger and other places downtown. From time to time, she stops to speak with people she knows.

“A lot of my time is spent between MLK and Main Street,” she says.

“There are so many great restaurants and vendors. I think [it’s important to] make sure there is something for everyone, open public spaces where everyone feels welcome to enjoy their day. It’s been exciting to talk to the staff here and hear how everything has changed in the last several years. The revitalization of downtown has been exciting to see, be a part of, and live right in the middle of.”

Albright’s excitement is contagious.

Yet the evolution of neighborhoods can evoke feelings of nostalgia and loss, too. “The Big 9”, as old MLK was called when it was Ninth Street, houses businesses that have been continuously owned since the 1930s, yet has also changed greatly, causing residents to lament old feelings of solidarity and home. (UTC’s “Stories from the Big 9” podcast series explores the history, progress, and gentrification along MLK.) So we Chattanoogans are interacting in our shared physical spaces, though not without edges of old and

“When I lived in Highland Park, I was on the neighborhood association board,” McCormick says. “If someone said, ‘foot traffic’, that implied crime.

[People were] against alleys and so on to get rid of foot traffic.”

Now, though, foot traffic has become highly desirable, and the quality of sidewalks and greenspaces is continuously being updated, at least in more affluent sections. Urban design plans are drawn specifically to encourage cycling and walking.

“Now, any development, near downtown especially, you want to walk from the Riverwalk to your front porch,” McCormick says. “A developer asked, [‘Is it] OK if someone from the Riverwalk can walk right up and sit on your front porch?’ and there was no problem with that.’”

“I’m still inclined to raise the level a couple of feet off the ground,” Kronenberg interjects dryly.

Still, the idea is that the road, as Bilbo says, goes right up to your front door; your porch is the start of a shared space.

“I have conversations with my neighbors all the time, porch to porch,” Cronenberg says of his Southside dwelling. “My neighborhood has changed so much it resembles Lincoln Park area of Chicago more than any other place in Chattanooga.”

Bus stops are other shared spaces; sit at a bus stop long enough and you’ll probably interact with somebody.

Perhaps illustrating the shoulderrubbing that goes into creating physical culture, a couple of weeks ago, my son and his friend—a white youth and a black youth in their early 20s, carry-

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COVER STORY ing big backpacks full of D&D accoutrements—were sitting at the bus stop on MLK across from UTC, waiting to catch a bus home from work. A third youth, a little younger they were, approached them.

“Where y’all from?” he said.

“It’s none of your business where we’re from,” said Son’s Friend. (Point of fact, they’re both from Brainerd.)

“How bout I kill you?” said Third Youth, his hands in his pockets.

Son added: “We’re not looking for trouble, we’re just not about to tell you where we’re from.”

Listening later, I asked, “So how’d it end up?”

Son: “We talked him down finally.”

To unpack things a bit: Son and Friend were alarmed but panicked; they aimed not to get hurt but also to establish their presence at this bus stop; the conversation would proceed on their terms and they were not about to be pushed around by this other youth. They needed the bus to get home; this was their space.

Yet they weren’t trying to drive the other kid out of the space; provided he stopped hassling them and didn’t shoot them, they had no objection to him waiting for the bus. Certainly they had no intention of calling cops on him. It was, after all, his space, too; he just needed to modify his behavior.

To move into downtown Chattanooga, or, I reckon, any downtown space, you have to be willing to subject yourself to anecdote, because you never know who you’ll meet or what they’ll say or do. A busker may ask you to dance to his fiddling (always dance to the fiddler). A one-time society belle may tell you about 1930s-era balls as she sits at Miller Park with all her possessions in a brown paper bag at her feet. Demographic shift doesn’t trump the gnarly incandescence of individual human interactions. “[You’re] sharing the public realm with a lot more people than you would

in the suburbs,” Cronenberg says. In Chattanooga, “you are forced to be friendly or turned into a recluse.”

WHAT DO WE NEED? The Explore Downtown Living Tour alone includes flats and lofts on the Southside, refurbished downtown structures such as the Tomorrow and Maclellan buildings, new construction along the Riverfront, and apartment buildings on the Northshore, where one new complex evokes Atlanta with the moniker “5 Points North Shore”.

One-bedroom apartments start at $1,184 a month, so yeah, there’s definitely an Atlanta vibe. One thing we badly need in downtown Chattanooga: housing that local dwellers with middle and low incomes can afford.

The challenge is that prices which raise scorn across a swath of communities here (progressives would call them “gentrified” while suburban and rural dwellers would call them “citified” or “hipster”) in fact look like rock-bottom rates to incomers from Chicago or New York.

However, the city does offer tax credits for below-market-rate developments. In fact, some developers come to town specifically to develop belowmarket units in return for tax credits, Cronenberg says.

Still, below-market may still be unaffordable to many people, especially

since there are people with plenty of money ready to drive the prices up.

Buildings constructed as affordable housing may be snapped up by investors who resell for a profit or manage them hotel-style.

“It’s hard for a city to fight gentrification,” McCormick says. “If the market decides [an area] is cool, it’ll find a way to squeeze. It’s hard to build at an affordable rate, and if you do, people sublet and move elsewhere. What’s underreported is that the city has programs for low- to moderate-income home improvements with guaranteed interest rates.”

“If you own your home, [the city] can help you with improvements that will keep you in your home so you don’t have to sell to a developer who will tear it down,” Kronenberg says.

Gentrification can benefit owners who either improve or sell, Kronenberg says. However, there’s a huge caveat—rising prices almost inevitably hurt renters.

“The city should look at where you will go [if you’re priced out of your neighborhood] and what will happen to make those decent neighborhoods,” McCormick says. “[Chattanooga should] look at neighborhoods where people are being displaced to, and make it a nice target.”

Donna C. Williams, administrator of Chattanooga’s Department of

Economic & Cultural Development, agrees. The city focuses on whitecollar newbies, without exploring the needs of lower-income newcomers or those displaced by rising prices.

“Yesterday, someone came to the lobby, a homeless woman who moved here to escape a domestic violence situation,” Williams relates. “ I was going between meetings—I gave her a list of a few service providers she could make contact with. I would have loved to ask her, ‘Why Chattanooga?’ Has she heard we are working on affordable housing? Does she have family here? Did she have just enough gas to get here?”

Another “wish list” item, of course, is groceries. We have food deserts in low-income areas, and that’s a continual shame on our city, but in fact no one in downtown Chattanooga, except perhaps Northshore dwellers with their Publix, is satisfied with the availability food. There simply aren’t fresh groceries in walking distance—not even convenient driving or bus distance.

Enzo’s didn’t make it long enough to benefit from the full Southside boom, and the entire city center, from Carter Street as far east as Arts and Sciences, from the Aquarium all the way to Missionary Ridge, and south all the way down Broad Street, is a grocery wasteland. You have to cross the river to Northshore, drive out to 23rd Street, or maybe take the Alton Park or St. Elmo line down to the foot of Lookout Mountain, just to get your groceries.

Still, as Brown says, people are falling over themselves to move into downtown Chattanooga, and they are likely to keep doing so into the near future.

“Any [neighborhood] that touches downtown is quite popular and getting more popular as we continue to grow,” she says. “We have a vibrant city and our city is spending some money to make it enjoyable to work and play in the downtown area. People want to be in the middle of things.”

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FILM & TELEVISION

David Versus Goliath Documentary shows spirit dominating strength

12 Years Of The Jewish Film Series One of the longest running film series in Chattanooga is the annual Jewish Film Series, assembled and presented by the Jewish Cultural Center on North Terrace.

Five Jewish-themed, award-winning films produced in Israel and Argentina will be shown on five consecutive Wednesday evenings at 7:15 p.m. beginning May 22.

These films have garnered international film awards and nominations, and have received recognition at film festivals throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel.

Current feature films are the foundation of this series.

The series kicks off with The Tobacconist, the story of seventeen-year-old Franz, who journeys to Vienna to apprentice at a tobacco shop. There he meets Sigmund Freud, a regular customer, and over time, the two very different men form a singular friendship.

Other films include An Act of Defiance on May 29, Murer: Anatomy of a Trial on June 5, Enemies: A Love Story on June 12, and Redemption on June 19.

An average of 30 films are reviewed by a committee of dedicated volunteers each year in order to choose six feature films, five for the series and one for the sponsor event.

Past selections have included Academy Award nominees and winners, as well as Israeli Ophir Award winners. Mark your calendars now for some amazing films.

— Michael Thomas

By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor

“

As disaffecting as the news can be, there are people who will stand against it. Who refuse to be silenced. Knock Down the House is a David vs.

Goliath story.”

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P

OLITICAL DOCUMENTARIES ARE VERY RARELY inspiring. Almost always, they are about what’s wrong with our world. Occasionally, they will offer a solution or a call to action, but more generally the films highlight a particular point of view on an issue, tell stories of those affected by them, and offer a sobering look at something serious and dangerous.

It’s not often fun viewing—there’s no question that the world sucks, the country is headed into a constitutional crisis, and there’s not much the average person to can do about it. That is, until the average person does something.

Knock Down the House is a documentary about four average women. Women who were unhappy with the status quo, who dare challenge the establishment, who stood against the world and said, “No, you move.” The result is something powerful, something essential,

something valid.

As disaffecting as the news can be, there are people who will stand against it. Who refuse to be silenced. Knock Down the House is a David vs. Goliath story, and it shows that Goliath is likely to win three out of four times. But that fourth time is a knockout. And it makes everything that came before worth it.

There are four stories in Knock Down the House, although there were far more voices not included in the film. Four women—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vile-

la, Cori Bush, and Paula Jean Swearengin—dared to enter the Democratic primaries of the 2018 election as part of the Blue Wave inspired by the election of Donald Trump.

These races had long been dominated by incumbent candidates. In the case of OcasioCortez, her opponent Joe Crowley had not had a primary challenger in fourteen years. Cori Bush was running against Lacy Clay, who essentially inherited the position from his father Bill Clay in 2001, ensuring that the same district had been represented by a Clay for fifty years. Paula Jean Swearengin pitted herself against incumbent Blue Dog Democrat and U.S. Senate swing vote Joe Manchin.

These were not easy seats to challenge or to win. And yet these women took a chance. It’s not a secret that most were unsuccessful.

Amy Vilela only won nine percent of the vote in her Nevada district.

Paula Jean Swearengin pulled in thirty percent. Cori Bush got a respectable thirty-nine percent.

But there’s always one and it was the most unlikely of them all. Joe Crowley controlled the Democratic Party in the Bronx and Queens.

He was the fourth most powerful Democrat in the House of Representatives. And yet, when the votes were tallied, Alexandria OcasioCortez defeated him by winning

“

She is likely one of the only Congress members whose apartment looks like yours. She is not a rich white man in a suit; she doesn’t speak like a politician.” fifty-seven percent of the vote.

The documentary primarily focuses on Ocasio-Cortez, likely because of the four she was the winner. I have no doubt there was plenty of footage of each of the candidates, but Ocasio-Cortez shook the Democratic establishment and made a target for the Republican Party. She has essentially replaced Hillary Clinton as the conservative boogeyman.

The documentary shows a different story, however. It shows her working class roots (Ocasio-Cortez was a bartender before and during the election), her family, her living conditions.

She is likely one of the only Congress members whose apartment looks like yours. She is not a rich white man in a suit; she doesn’t speak like a politician. She is an ordinary person who has been put in an extraordinary situation, and by all measures, appears to be rising to the occasion.

But the film isn’t just about Ocasio-Cortez and her unlikely

win. It’s about groups like Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress who are out in the country searching for more candidates like her. As Ocasio-Cortez wisely puts it, for one person to get through “one hundred have to try.”

There are others who made it— Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are two more. If things continue as they are, there will be more that come through in 2020. Despite the horror show that is the current administration, there is hope.

The film is inspiring, of course, although I doubt it will appeal to both sides of the aisle. There aren’t many conservatives that are going applaud a film about a democratic socialist winning an election, no matter how scrappy and relatable she may be.

Instead, they’re more likely to see women and people of color successfully challenging the establishment as a sign of the apocalypse.

But it’s not the end of the world.

Hopefully, it’s just the end of some.

✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴

Pokémon Detective Pikachu In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective.

Yes, really.

Director: Rob Letterman Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy

The Hustle Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star as female scam artists, one low rent and the other high class, who team up to take down the dirty rotten men who have wronged them.

Director: Chris Addison Stars: Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson, Tim Blake Nelson, Alex Sharp

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • MAY 9, 2019 • THE PULSE • 13

ARTS & ENTERTANMENT

Zine Fest Promotes Indie Creatives

Today’s iterations of an illustrious tradition An Evening Of Dance The old Alstom facility on Riverfront Parkway has been taken over as a performance venue. The Pop-Up Project, Chattanooga’s site-specific dance and production company, has teamed up with SoundCorps to present “Abandoned Arts 2019”, which they describe as a “fully immersive theatrical experience unlike anything Chattanooga has seen before!”

It’s another installment in their oeuvre of site-specific performances and videos documenting elements of Chattanooga history such as the lives of early 20th-century seamstresses, the1960s sit-ins to protest racial discrimination, and the terrorist shootings of 2015.

“Abandoned Arts 2019” is billed as a choose-your-own adventure performance.

Audience members can roam the old Alstom facility, exploring arts installations and discovering music, dance, cocktails, and other surprises.

More than 30 artists participated in creating this fascinating experience, which is supported by Urban Story Ventures, Humanaut, EPB, Chattanooga Theatre Centre, and VLOVE. You don’t need boots, even though you’re coming to a party at a factory; all audience spaces are safe for you to explore in your comfortable street clothes, party dresses, or most fanciful tuxedoes.

“Abandoned Arts” has just one performance, this Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are available through Eventbrite, and they’re going fast! — Jenn Webster

By Cody Maxwell Pulse contributor

“

Consider Walt Whitman.

No other writer has captured the absolute spirit of America more completely than Whitman.

‘Leaves of Grass’ was uncannily prophetic.”

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HENEVER THE PHRASE “SELF-PUBLISHED author” is mentioned, there are several characters that immediately come to mind.

The first is the basement-dwelling man in his early thirties wearing an old Dungeons & Dragons t-shirt.

He has greasy hair and glasses and listens to a lot of Rush. He sadly doesn’t understand Tolkien and never says much unless it is to explain the magical workings of the fantasy novel he’s nearly finished.

Another is the girl who wears long skirts that were possibly made from old curtains. As a freshman in college she prayed before an altar dedicated to Sylvia Plath. By her sophomore year she prayed in front of a mirror and in candlelight watched herself becoming another Bronte sister. She writes poetry. Her master’s thesis will be on Virginia Woolf if she makes it that far.

There’s also the old woman from the Baptist Church on some rural route. She’s collected stories from her childhood. Her book is usually called “Quilt Stories” or something like that. The stories are interspersed with jelly and apple pie recipes.

These people exist. They exist in large numbers, actually. But you would do yourself a grave disservice if you consider these characters the epitome of the independently published author.

Consider Walt Whitman. No other writer has captured the absolute spirit of America more completely than Whitman. “Leaves of Grass” (in particular “Song of Myself”) was uncannily prophetic and describes today’s cultural and spiritual zeit-

geist in a way that no modern writer has been able to do. But “Leaves of Grass” was considered pornographic and obscene in Whitman’s time. It was so bad that it elicited praise from Oscar Wilde, which certainly sealed its 19th century doom. Not a single publisher in Whitman’s time would touch the work.

So he published it himself. He paid for the printing and distributed as many copies as he could afford.

Today, more than 160 years later, “Leaves of Grass” is considered a seminal work of American literature and is the standard against which all other American poetry is now judged.

Self-published writers should not be so easily dismissed.

In 1827, Edgar Allan Poe paid a printer to publish fifty copies of “Tamerlane and Other Poems”. It was a forty-page pamphlet that didn’t even carry Poe’s name. In 2009, a copy of this pamphlet was sold at auction for $662,500.

H. P. Lovecraft, the master writer of the weird and creator of Cthulhu, began his career in one of many early amateur press clubs. He self-published and gave his writing away. Today, with the possible exception of Poe, there is no other writer who has exerted so much influence on the literature of the ghostly, strange, and macabre. If this statement needs verification, ask Stephen King.

“

It is this lineage that brings us to the Sixth Annual Chattanooga Zine Fest being held at the Downtown Library on Saturday, May 18.”

There are countless other giants of American literature who published independently after being refused by traditional publishing houses. Those driven to create readily admit to suffering from a mad desire to be heard.

Writers suffer from a lack of venue worse than purveyors of any other art form. This suffering is particularly acute today. The modern publishing world is interested in only what will sell, not what matters.

It is not only the high literary world that has struggled to be heard. In the 1920’s and 30’s, science fiction magazines began publishing their readers’ letters, along with their home addresses. This allowed readers to bypass the magazines and write to one another.

Someone soon began compiling lists of these addresses. Someone else decided they could put together a magazine of their own, however crudely, and before long the first “fanzine” was born. Eventually nearly every form of low-brow literature had its own dedicated fanzine.

After the birth of rock and roll, fanzines spread to the world of music.

Several prominent music journalists had their beginnings here, including names such as Lester Bangs and Greil Marcus. When punk came along, fanzines became what we know today as ‘Zines. They went far beyond mere fandom and emulation and began espousing the punk ethos and underground, DIY mentality for which ‘Zines are now known.

It is this lineage that brings us to the Sixth Annual Chattanooga Zine Fest being held at the Downtown Library on Saturday, May 18. The Zine Fest has become one of the library’s most anticipated and popular events.

The 4th Floor will be filled with DIY writers, printers, and illustrators, both locals and many who have travelled from afar to buy, sell, and trade their self-made and self-sustaining work.

The library has also organized various speakers and workshops to help teach anyone who, having attended the event, finds themselves inspired to go it alone. This is sure to happen.

The Zine Fest is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free and open to everyone.

THU5.9

FRI5.10

SAT5.11

Friends of the Library Book Sale

The Magic Negro (And Other Blackness)

“Avenue Q”

It's long been said one can never have too many books.

9 a.m.

Eastgate Town Center 5600 Brainerd Rd. friendsofthelibrarychattanooga.com

Mark Kendall brings his one-man sketch comedy show about all things blackness to town.

8 p.m.

Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. improvchattanooga.com

It's the final weekend for one of the more creative and unusual theater performances you'll likely see all year.

8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. theatrecentre.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • MAY 9, 2019 • THE PULSE • 15

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR Movie with Mat: Young Frankenstein

THURSDAY5.9 Friends of the Library Book Sale 9 a.m.

Eastgate Town Center 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 855-5570 friendsofthelibrarychattanooga.com Urban Farmers Market and Marketplace 3 p.m.

Miller Park 910 Market St. millerparkmarket.com Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 5 p.m.

Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. 431 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 760-3600 huttonandsmithbrewing.com Night Vision Art Workshop 5:30 p.m.

The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View.

(423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org “32: The Panel” 5:30 p.m.

The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Vision + Verse: Rhyme n Chatt 6 p.m.

16 • THE PULSE • MAY 9, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View.

(423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org WordPress CHA Meetup 6 p.m.

The Edney Innovation Center 1100 Market St. (423) 643-6770 theedney.com Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play Tour 7 p.m.

Memorial Auditorium 399 McCallie Ave. (423) 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com “Avenue Q” 7 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Yom Ha’atzmaut Observance with Eleanor Tallie Steinberg 7 p.m.

Jewish Cultural Center 5461 North Terrace (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com Jerry “Critter” Harvey 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Movie with Mat: Young Frankenstein 7:30 p.m.

Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. 431 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 760-3600 huttonandsmithbrewing.com Alcoholics Not Anonymous Comedy Open Mic 8 p.m.

Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 682-8200 chattanoogabarley.com Country Line Dancing Class 8 p.m.

Westbound Bar 24 Station St. (423) 498-3069 westboundbar.com

FRIDAY5.10 Friends of the Library Book Sale 9 a.m.

Eastgate Town Center 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 855-5570 friendsofthelibrarychattanooga.com Turry Lindstrom Art Exhibition 6 p.m.

Frequency Arts 516 Tremont St. facebook.com/frequencyarts Jerry “Critter” Harvey 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

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

thecomedycatch.com 5Rhythms Chattanooga Dance 7:45 p.m.

Southern Soul Yoga 313 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 643-9642 southernsoulyoga.com “Avenue Q” 8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com The Magic Negro (And Other Blackness) 8 p.m.

Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Video Game Night 8 p.m.

Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. (423) 521-3977 stonecupcafe.com Ruby Falls Lantern Tours 8:30 p.m.

Ruby Falls 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com Good, Old-Fashioned Improv Show 10 p.m.

Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com

“Loving Vincent: The Impossible Dream”

SATURDAY5.11 Friends of the Library Book Sale 9 a.m.

Eastgate Town Center 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 855-5570 friendsofthelibrarychattanooga.com Rock City’s Southern Blooms Festival 9 a.m.

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

Tennessee Aquarium Plaza 1 Broad St. publicmarkets.us Beginner Henna 1 p.m.

Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Silk and Shades 1 p.m.

Chattanooga Public Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattlibrary.org New Artist Showcase 2 p.m.

Gallery 1401 1478 Market St.

(423) 265-0015 gallery1401.com Stand Up Paddleboarding: Beyond the Basics 5 p.m.

Chester Frost Park 2277 Gold Point Cir. N. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com UnCorked 6:30 p.m.

Renaissance Park 133 River St. (423) 643-6096 chattanooga.gov Jerry “Critter” Harvey 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

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

Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Abandoned Arts 8 p.m.

Alstom Facility 1201 Riverfront Pkwy.

(423) 777-4217 soundcorps.org “Avenue Q” 8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Chatt Talk Tonight:

Philanthropy 9 p.m.

The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com Whose Line Chattanooga 10 p.m.

Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com

SUNDAY5.12 Rock City’s Southern Blooms Festival 9 a.m.

Rock City Gardens 1400 Patten Rd. Lookout Mountain, GA (706) 820-2531 seerockcity.com Friends of the Library Book Sale Noon Eastgate Town Center 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 855-5570 friendsofthelibrarychattanooga.com Chattanooga Market 12:30 p.m.

The Chattanooga Market 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com How to Ride a Bike for Kids 1 p.m.

Enterprise South Nature Park

190 Still Hollow Loop (423) 893-3500 parks.hamiltontn.gov Paint and Pints with Bob Ross 1 p.m.

WanderLinger Art Gallery 1208 King St. (423) 269-7979 wanderlinger.com “Avenue Q” 2:30 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com “Loving Vincent: The Impossible Dream” 4 p.m.

The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com Jerry “Critter” Harvey 7:30 p.m.

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

MONDAY5.13 Friends of the Library Book Sale 9 a.m.

Eastgate Town Center 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 855-5570 friendsofthelibrarychattanooga.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • MAY 9, 2019 • THE PULSE • 17

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Spring Belly Dance Session 5:45 p.m.

Movement Arts Collective 3813 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 401-8115 movementartscollective.com Wild One’s Community Meeting: Open Forum 6 p.m. green|spaces 63 E. Main St. (423) 648-0963 greenspaceschattanooga.org Joggers & Lagers 6 p.m.

Chattanooga Brewing Co. 1804 Chestnut St. chattabrew.com

TUESDAY5.14 Wake Up & Run 6 a.m.

Fleet Feet Sports 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 771-7996 fleetfeetchattanooga.com Chattanooga Self Improvement Meetup 8 a.m.

The Edney Innovation Center 1100 Market St. (423) 643-6770 theedney.com Friends of the Library Book Sale 9 a.m.

Eastgate Town Center 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 855-5570 friendsofthelibrary-

18 • THE PULSE • MAY 9, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

chattanooga.com Cognitive Fitness Circuit Training for Adults 11:30 a.m.

LearningRx Chattanooga 2040 Hamilton Place Blvd.

(423) 305-1599 learningrx.com Handcrafted Happy Hour 4 p.m.

WanderLinger Art Gallery 1208 King St. (423) 269-7979 wanderlinger.com Chess K-night 5 p.m.

Mad Priest Coffee Roasters 1900 Broad St. (423) 393-3834 madpriestcoffee.com Jewelry Fundamentals: Soldering Jewelry 6 p.m.

Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Art Throw Down VII: Akhriev vs. Uribe 6 p.m.

Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Huck Embroidery 101 6 p.m.

Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Tuesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m.

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

The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com English Country Dance for All! 7 p.m.

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

WEDNESDAY5.15 1 Million Cups 9 a.m.

The Edney Innovation Center 1100 Market St. (423) 643-6770 theedney.com Eileen Fisher: Waste No More 10 a.m.

Embellish 1110 Market St. (423) 752-7463 embellishcollection.com Main Street Market 4 p.m.

522 W. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com Public Speaking Masterclass 5:30 p.m.

The Edney Innovation Center 1100 Market St. (423) 643-6770 theedney.com

Beginner’s Copper Foil 5:30 p.m.

Reflections Gallery 1635 Rossville Ave. (423) 892-3072 reflectionsgallerytn.com Tangles & Tannins 6 p.m.

Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Darren Knight’s Southern Momma 7 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Improv Open House 7 p.m.

Improv Chattanooga 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 7:30 p.m.

The Bitter Alibi 825 Houston St. (423) 362-5070 thebitteralibi.com Open Mice Comedy 8 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • MAY 9, 2019 • THE PULSE • 19

20 • THE PULSE • MAY 9, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Water Feng Shui—AquaNooga You know you want a koi pond. And so much more.

W

ith the spring season upon us, it is the ideal time to tend to your garden and a water feature should totally be a part of it. Locally owned and operated, AquaNooga has all the aquatic amenities needed to heighten your H20 experience.

Founded in 1987, AquaNooga, formerly The Water Garden, can help any do-it-yourselfer or contractor with their ideal liquid landscape including water gardens, koi ponds, fountains, and disappearing waterfalls. Whether indoor or outdoor, there are aquatic options ideal for everyone.

Erik Tate, son of founder Randall Tate, decided to revamp and relocate the family business to be more accessible. Tate assured me they still provide the regional expertise that their customers have grown to love over the years.

Colorfalls are one of my favorite items that will literally light up your life. Taking a simple element, like my former mosquito martini backyard pond that sat after years of neglect, and elevating it to an evening filled with a bug-free ambiance as well as color is an outdoor experience not to be missed. We kept our pond effortless with this one splurge, then a few more pops of color from plant life.

It took our nighttime hosting to the next level. Who knew simply adding fish and moving water would solve our mosquito woes?

Bubbling rocks and disappearing waterfalls are also wonderful aquatic adornments to a less-than-impressive terrain. Adding movement and height helps break up a monotonous single-level landscape while encouraging worthwhile wildlife as well as expanding the panorama. However, not everyone has a yard, even a

“They have koi and goldfish as well as over fifty plants, including several dozen varieties like night blooming water lilies, pink grapefruit water lilies, water hyacinth, cattails, and lotus.” lackluster one at that, to manipulate to a secret garden.

“Small aquariums are something we are dipping our toes into,” Erik states as he points to the cutest little glass globes, affectionately referred to as “nano tanks”, filled with plant life. Perfect for an office desk or someone who wants elements of nature in a manageable mini, these small aquariums can provide peaceful surroundings.

AquaNooga offers more than mechanical and structural embellishments for specialty aquatic gardens.

“Developing and maintaining the aquatic ecosystem is important, especially for spring and summer,” says Tate, who recommends having some life form in every pond to create a

harmonious environment. “Without the right start, people may struggle with algae. Maintaining the pond with beneficial bacteria, as well as adding the right number of fish and plants, will help balance it.”

They have koi and goldfish as well as over fifty plants, including several dozen varieties like night blooming water lilies, pink grapefruit water lilies, water hyacinth, cattails, and lotus. Their spitters and fountains are pretty impressive too, so it is worth it to get a firsthand look by making a trip into the now more centrally located store.

“Our first store opened in Red Bank; then we moved to Hixson, where we stayed for sixteen years,” states Tate, who chose the advantageous new location. Stop in to their new convenient location between Amnicola and Riverside Drive, at 2314 Bliss Avenue, and speak with one of their regional experts who offer an affordable approach to a specialty product.

Resource their website at Aqua-

Nooga.com or their Facebook page to access resources to tips regarding water quality and pond care. Call (423) 870-2838 to ask questions regarding their products or get advice.

For instance, if a person bought a house and acquired a pond during that transaction (like we did), then AquaNooga can definitely help with how to transform it to something more fitted and functional. “We recommend bringing in a picture, measurements, and any visions or inspirational concepts they want to create so we can make appropriate suggestions.”

The Water Garden, when it opened over 30 years ago, was the first specialty aquatic garden center in Tennessee and, decades later, AquaNooga continues the legacy of being the only one in our region.

With over thirty years of experience serving Chattanooga in specialty aquatics, AquaNooga has a new name in a new location while still providing quality and professionalism with a familiar, family feel.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • MAY 9, 2019 • THE PULSE • 21

THE MUSIC SCENE

When Music Makers Collaborate Jake Najor pulls together an all-star album

Come On Down To Barnaroo!

The North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy invites you to an event in support of conservation of the Chickamauga Creek watershed—Barnaroo! Described as an “evening with friends, family, & pickin’,” Barnaroo is a kid-friendly, camping-optional hullabaloo up at Richards’ Barn, 7777 Harrier Hill, Signal Mountain, this Saturday, May 11.

Headlining the event will be The Wooks, a Lexington, KY jamgrass band; Randy Steele, a local acoustic storyteller and banjo picker; and the up-and-coming Maygen Navarro with her classic rock and blues band out of central Florida.

If you’re camping, you can start setting up at noon; general public can enter the event at 1 p.m. An electric shuttlebus will transport people who need it from their car to the Barn and back.

Come hungry, because World Food Tribe LLC is bringing their food truck and serving up grub with an eclectic vibe. Or, you can bring your own picnic basket.

This is a particular poignant year for Barnaroo, in view of the new developments anticipated to Chickamauga Creek (see our writer Sandy Kurtz’ feature on the planned Red Wolves Stadium between Spring Creek and West Chickamauga Creek). If you love the environment, especially our local creeks and wetlands, this is one benefit you don’t want to miss! — Jenn Webster

By Marc T. Michael

“

Pulse Music Editor

Every so often, one of these giants upon whose shoulders the front man has stood makes an album, and when they do, it is a thing of beauty.”

22 • THE PULSE • MAY 9, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

S

COTTY MOORE IS A NAME KNOWN BY INDUStry old-timers, music lovers, a selection of people with niche interests and specific reasons, and a woefully small portion of the general public.

He isn’t “unknown”, but the man who invented power chords never achieved the fame or recognition he arguably deserved, being overshadowed by the presence of the man at the front of the stage, the man whose career, in part, was built on Moore’s contributions: Elvis Presley.

So it goes. It is the nature of the entertainment industry, and music in particular, that immensely talented players are too often relegated to liner notes and music trivia. Debbie Harry has spent an entire career reminding people that she isn’t Blondie; she’s Debbie Harry, a member of the band Blondie.

It doesn’t always work out that

way. No one thinks of Bruce Springsteen’s one-time saxophone player as “Bruce Springsteen’s one-time saxophone player”. Clarence Clemons is as recognizable a name as the the Boss himself, but this is a rare exception, not the rule.

Every so often, one of these giants upon whose shoulders the front man has stood makes an album, and when they do, it is a thing of beauty, a culmination of talent that has built fortunes for other people.

Jake Najor is one of the most highly-sought funk drummers in Southern California, likely one of the greatest in the country. His resume alone would triple the allotted wordcount

of this feature. Suffice it to say he’s played with a lot of acts, some of the more instantly recognizable being Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, Kurtis Blow, and Redman.

A couple of years ago, Najor released his debut solo album. Soon after that he was fronting his own band, The Moment of Truth. To call The Moment of Truth an all-star is ensemble is accurate, but terrifically inadequate. If Najor has a neargodlike status among West Coast recording artists (he does) it follows that the members of The Moment of Truth are his peers, which is to say it is one of the most mind-blowing pools of talent to be found anywhere.

In March of this year, Jake Najor and the Moment of Truth released In The Cut, a ten-track album that, if there is any justice (there may not be, the jury is still out on that one), ought to cement their place in history as one of the greatest funk bands of all time, the preternaturally talented children of all who preceded them.

Mixmaster Wolf’s vocals on the album’s lead single, “High Costa Living”, suggest that James Brown never went away; he simply went back in time and became Wolf.

“Another Saturday” features the vocals of Jamie Allensworth but could easily be mistaken for Ziggy Marley.

“

This is an album that needs to be heard, a labor of love from the men and women who are the backbone of a genre.”

Coincidentally, the horn section is led by trumpeter and arranger Todd Simon, known for his work with the actual Ziggy Marley.

The horn section, by the way, is perfection, featuring the talents of Simon, James King, Sam Robles, Elizabeth Lea, and Andy Geib. Every one of those musicians carries a stack of credentials as impressive as Jake’s. In addition to Wolf and Allensworth, vocals are contributed

by Matthew Burke and Najor himself. Nick Costa’s tasty guitar work is accentuated by the slinky keys of Tim Felten, both of which build a big house on the solid foundation of double duty bassists, Matt LaBarber and Matt Gorney.

Under it all is the masterful percussion of Najor, a man whose humility and “Sure man” attitude is the counterpoint to his sterling reputation and skill (I assume “Sure man” is Californian for “Aw, shucks”).

My only fear for the album is that it may be a “musician’s album”. I don’t mean that it is inaccessible to anyone, anywhere, but rather that

All Hail New Music From DDS

some of the very best music ever recorded goes unheard and unappreciated outside of the industry itself.

I don’t know why precisely, but I suspect it’s that distribution networks, media outlets, and radio stations aren’t interested in anything but the lowest common denominator cookie-cutter stuff with predictable hooks and a guarantee of a fast buck on a minimal investment.

I truly hope not this isn’t the case, because this is an album that needs to be heard, a labor of love from the men and women who are the backbone of a genre. It’s superstar caliber music, and while Najor and company may deserve your support, it’s no less true that you deserve music like this in your life.

That album is available now through The Redwoods Music and all of the regular outlets including Amazon. Try it, buy it, love it, and give some much deserved props and recognition to the real movers and shakers of modern music.

Metal fans and aficionados of general music badassery and fun, rejoice! This Saturday is the day when Double Dick Slick’s highly anticipated and brilliant new EP, Hey! My Eyes Are Up Here! is scheduled for release at JJ’s Bohemia.

Reviewed recently in this journal of note, the collection of tunes is a long overdue flashback to the golden age of heavy metal, with enough humor and high energy thrown in to make anyone a grateful headbanger for an evening.

DDS will be joined by The Soggy Daisies, a mysterious group of native folk fueled by fiery chili and Mountain Dew, promising an explosive performance.

The show starts at 10 p.m. Service Sasquatch friendly. Whether you want to bang your head or not, there’ll be a whole lot of banging this Saturday at JJ’s Bohemia with Double Dick Slick. — MTM

THU5.9

FRI5.10

SAT5.11

Bombadil

Hip-Hop CHA presents Mic Check

Zech Dallas

The freshly revitalized Bombadil is back on the road in support of their fantastic new folk-styled album.

7 p.m.

Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. stonecupcafe.com

A night of local hip-hop from Kay B Brown, J. FLO, Strength Loyalty Unity and much more!

8 p.m.

The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. chattpalace.com

If you've seen Zech's name popping up with regularity in our calendar, come out and see why he's so in demand now.

8 p.m.

Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • MAY 9, 2019 • THE PULSE • 23

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR THURSDAY5.9 Danimal & Friends 6 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Company 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Thursday Night Jazz 6 p.m.

The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com John Carroll 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Jesse Jungkurth & Friends 6:30 p.m.

Mexi-Wing VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. (423) 296-1073 Bombadil, Spinster 7 p.m.

Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. stonecupcafe.com Cicada Rhythm with Oliver Wood 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Zech Dallas 7 p.m.

Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. cambridgesquaretn.com Webb Barringer 7 p.m.

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

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Mark Andrew 7:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Choral Arts of Chattanooga Season Finale 7:30 p.m.

Second Presbyterian Church 700 Pine St. secondpreschattanooga.org Michael McDade

24 • THE PULSE • MAY 9, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Nashville Pussy 8 p.m.

The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com Open Mic Night with Jonathan Wimpee 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Katrina Barclay, Grizzly Fowler, Joel Beaver, Ben Straw 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Nashville Pussy 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co

FRIDAY5.10 Megan Howard 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Harper and Midwest Kind, Aaron Carney Band 7 p.m.

Miller Plaza 850 Market St. nightfallchattanooga.com Reignwolf, Welles 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Heatherly

7 p.m.

Oddstory Brewing Company 336 E. MLK Blvd. oddstorybrewing.co Jason Lyles 7 p.m.

Slick’s Burgers 309 E. Main St. slicksburgers.com Tim Lewis 7 p.m.

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

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Blue Matter Blues Band 7:30 p.m.

Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. cambridgesquaretn.com Black Jacket Symphony: Journey’s ‘Escape’ 8 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com Hip-Hop CHA presents Mic Check 8 p.m.

The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. chattpalace.com David Grier & Casey Campbell 8 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Cody James Harris 8:30 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Cuddy & Jordan 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Jess Goggans Band 9 p.m.

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Stoned Cold Fox, The Joey Winslett Band 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co John Paul Keith 9 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Wretch, Coathanger Abortion, Amune 9 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Jonny Monster Band 9 p.m.

The Brew & Cue 5017 Rossville Blvd.

(423) 867-9402 The Daly Special 10 p.m.

The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com Aunt Betty 10 p.m.

Bud’s Sports Bar

Son Volt 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com

SATURDAY5.11 Dana Rogers 12:30 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium Plaza 1 Broad St. publicmarkets.us Preacher Lawson 5 p.m.

Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com No Big Deal Trio 6 p.m.

The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Binji Varsossa 6 p.m.

Cancun Mexican Restaurant 1809 Broad St. (423) 266-1461 Jesse Jungkurth 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com The Briars 6:30 p.m.

Slick’s Burgers 309 E Main St. slicksburgers.com Black Market Haggis 7 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Lucy Dacus featuring Mothers 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Pat Terry 7 p.m.

Wired Coffee Bar 5707 Main St. thewiredcoffeebar.com Sweet Crude, Side Affect 7 p.m.

The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd. thecamphouse.com The 9th Street Stompers 7 p.m.

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

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

Westbound Bar 24 Station St. westboundbar.com Tim Lewis 7 p.m.

El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Me’Lange 7:30 p.m.

Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. cambridgesquaretn.com Oweda, Aaron Carney Band 8 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Company 1208 King St.

wanderlinger.com Zech Dallas 8 p.m.

Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Wade Henry Sims 8 p.m.

Tonya’s Pub 5403 Wilbanks Dr. (423) 362-8881 Convertibull 8 p.m.

Mayo’s Bar and Grill 3820 Brainerd Rd. mayosbarandgrill.com David Walters & Rishard 8 p.m.

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

River Drifters 1925 Suck Creek Rd. riverdrifterschatt.com Courtney Daly Band 8:30 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Trevor Hall 8:30 p.m.

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

Fireside Grille 3018 Cummings Hwy. firesidechattanooga.com Bad Tattoo Band 9 p.m.

The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com She The Devil, SevenStones, Hesperian, The Electric Shaman 9 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Son Volt 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co The Pickup Lions 9 p.m.

Trish’s Sports Bar 4762 Highway 58 (423) 269-8400 Randall Adams 9 p.m.

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

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Double Dick Slick EP Release with Pains Chapel 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Austin Zackary Band 10 p.m.

Sky Zoo 5709 Lee Hwy. (423) 521-2966 Aunt Betty 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY5.12 The Lark and The Loon 11 a.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Mark Andrew 11 a.m.

The Edwin Hotel 102 Walnut St. theedwinhotel.com Carl Pemberton 11 a.m.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • MAY 9, 2019 • THE PULSE • 25

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR Westin Chattanooga 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Jerry Fordham Noon 1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Amber Fults 12:30 p.m.

The Chattanooga Market 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Danimal and Friends 12:30 p.m.

The Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Joel Clyde 1:30 p.m.

Slick’s Burgers 309 E. Main St. slicksburgers.com The Close 1:30 p.m.

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

WanderLinger Brewing Company 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Scarlet Love Conspiracy 2 p.m.

The Chattanooga Market 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Bluegrass Jam 4 p.m.

Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd.

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

Long Haul Saloon 2536 Cummings Hwy. (423) 822-9775 Mother’s Day Jazz Dinner 6:30 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com California Guitar Trio 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Cody James Harris 8 p.m.

Southside Social

26 • THE PULSE • MAY 9, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

California Guitar Trio

1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com

MONDAY5.13 Open Air with Jessica Nunn 6 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Songwriters Night 6:30 p.m.

Oddstory Brewing Company 336 E. MLK Blvd. oddstorybrewing.co Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Blues Night Open Jam 7 p.m.

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

The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com

TUESDAY5.14 Danimal 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Space Jam Open Mic with Xll Olympians 7 p.m.

Barley Taproom

235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Gino Fanelli 7:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com “Abide with Me” 7:30 p.m.

Second Presbyterian Church 700 Pine St. secondpreschattanooga.org Live Jam Session with Freddy Mc & Friends 8 p.m.

Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Open Mic Night with Mike McDade 8 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com

WEDNESDAY5.15 Sean Quinn 6 p.m.

1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Steve Busie 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Nashville Star Karaoke Competition

7 p.m.

Sing It Or Wing It 410 Market St. singitorwingitchattanooga.com Dexter Bell 7 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Papa Sway 7 p.m.

River Drifters 1925 Suck Creek Rd. riverdrifterschatt.com Amber Fults 7:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Randall Adams 8 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Rhythm & Brews Open Jam 8 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Priscilla & Little Rickee 8 p.m.

Las Margaritas 1101 Hixson Pike (423) 756-3332 Zech Dallas 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 PAIKS’S RECORD REVIEWS

New Music From Rose Dougal, Sauter & Millions

Rose Elinor Dougall A New Illusion (Vermilion)

B

ritish singer, songwriter and musician Rose Elinor Dougall got a burst of fame in the previous decade as a vocalist known as “Rosay” in the modernized girl-group throwback band The Pipettes, delivering polished pop escapism and unabashedly embracing tropes that were charmingly dated.

Wearing coordinated outfits with polka-dot patterns and synchronized movements, the group was self-aware about its cheesiness and ephemeral disposability, but in bubblegum pop, ironically, there can sometimes be an enduring joy when being honest about seeking pure pop pleasure for pleasure’s sake.

A different pop escapism is

at work on Dougall’s new solo album, A New Illusion, which is her third since departing The Pipettes in 2008. In comparison with her previous album Stellular, A New Illusion features more aesthetic control from Dougall herself, leaning towards more organic arrangements with fewer synthetics.

While Stellular had hints of shiny ‘80s new-wave pop, A New Illusion often throws the listener into a blissful world where the time and place are less certain. The album’s sophistication and tasteful production puts Dougall in a class with acts like Saint Etienne and Broadcast without really sounding like them.

Mysterious evocations of folk pop come with acoustic guitar notes, while piano and string parts bring a certain classy quality; at times, the natural/artificial balance sometimes leans toward the artificial side, like on “Take What You Can Get”, with a self-conscious production style of an auteur (think Joe Meek).

One of the album’s high points is its title track, with lyrics about finding reality behind veiled appearances and lines like “Paradise shouldn’t be so hard to find.”

The reverberating “Echoes” uses stark drum machine beats and hand-muted guitar and bass notes—and eventually bowed strings—to gently fill the room as Dougall sings with an aloof style that isn’t entirely guarded, as she lets her notes linger with clarity before gingerly thickening them with vibrato.

While the melodies on “That’s Where the Trouble Started” don’t quite stick, on one level it hardly matters, since the sound-world on the track—and the whole album—is so enveloping.

Jim Sauter & Kid Millions Safe and Sane (Astral Spirits/Family Vineyard)

The title of the new album from saxophonist Jim Sauter and drummer Kid Millions, Safe and Sane, brings to mind the

Cthulhu Mythos of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and the ultimate fate that all humans in that universe must suffer: one either dies a likely horrible, premature death, or one goes insane. It’s obvious from listening to just a few seconds of Safe and Sane that it is neither of those things.

Sauter is primarily known as a member of the intense and pioneering sax/sax/guitar noise trio Borbetomagus, which is remarkably in its 40th year of existence, and fans of Borbetomagus will find a lot to love here.

Kid Millions’ main gig is with the eclectic, boundary-pushing rock band Oneida, and he also creates long minimalist percussion pieces in his ensemble Man Forever and has side projects and collaborations, including the infamous Jäh Division, which performs Joy Division covers in a Jamaican/dub style. On Safe and Sane, Kid Millions dispenses with structure and goes with a free-jazz drumming approach.

Compared with the previous albums Bloom and Fountain from the duo, Safe and Sane is the most intense of the three; while the previous two albums had occasional moments of space, Safe and Sane is brutally unrelenting, featuring two long

tracks—one 32 minutes long, one 11 minutes long—with a dense marathon of sound.

Sauter runs his tenor sax through electronics, and while distortion destroys clarity, it can also twist sounds to make interesting timbres; his playing is ferocious with pained and painful squawking and squealing. He can sound like a wild, wailing guitar, a harmonica being abused or a swarm of angry buzzing bees; at times, it sounds like he’s gargling hot asphalt.

He’ll wrench strange noises from his instrument or go on unhinged runs, and sometimes he’ll just linger on a few notes, seemingly torturing them.

Kid Millions is definitely on a path with his long sustained thrashings, and he seems to make equal time for his drums and cymbals, going for maximum noise and motion, as if trying to single-handedly recreate John Coltrane’s Ascension on drums in double-time.

It should be known that Safe and Sane is definitely a “love it or hate it” album, and although it doesn’t have the power to steal lives, its constant, compelling barrage and volcanic energy will probably make most people lose their minds.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • MAY 9, 2019 • THE PULSE • 27

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY CANCER (June 21-July 22): The next three weeks will be an excellent time to serve as your own visionary prophet and dynamic fortune-teller. The predictions and conjectures you make about your future destiny will have an 85-percent likelihood of being accurate. They will also be relatively free of fear and worries.

So I urge you to give your imagination permission to engage in fun fantasies about what’s ahead for you. Be daringly optimistic and exuberantly hopeful and brazenly self-celebratory.

ROB BREZSNY TAURUS (April 20-May 20): According to science writer Sarah Zielinski in Smithsonian magazine, fireflies produce the most efficient light on planet Earth.

Nearly 100 percent of the energy produced by the chemical reaction inside the insect’s body is emitted as a brilliant glow. With that in mind, I propose that you regard the firefly as your spirit creature in the coming weeks. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you, too, will be a dynamic and proficient generator of luminosity. For best results, don’t tone down your brilliance, even if it illuminates shadows people are trying to hide.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Here’s a message from author Susan J. Elliott: “This is not your week to run the Universe.

Next week is not looking so good either.”

Now here’s a message from me: Elliott’s revelation is very good news! Since you won’t have to worry about trying to manage and fine-tune the Universe, you can focus all your efforts on your own self-care. And the coming weeks will be a favorable time to do just that.

You’re due to dramatically upgrade your understanding of what you need to feel healthy and happy, and then take the appropriate measures to put your new insights into action.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo poet Stanley Kunitz told his students, “You must be very careful not to deprive the poem of its wild origin.” That’s useful advice for anyone who spawns anything, not just poets. There’s something unruly and unpredictable about every creative idea or fresh perspective that rises up in us. Do you remember when you first felt the urge to look for a new job or move to a new city or search for a new kind of relationship? Wildness was there at the inception. And you needed to stay in touch with the wildness so as to follow through with practical action. That’s what I encourage you to do now. Reconnect with the wild origins of the important changes you’re nurturing.

Nietzsche said, “One must have chaos within oneself if one is to be a dancing star.” Are you a dancing star? Comment at FreeWillAstrology.com Meena Alexander in her poem “Question Time.” I’d love for you to have that experience in the coming weeks. I’d love for you be released from the karma of your history so that you no longer have to repeat old patterns or feel weighed down by what happened to you once upon a time. I’d love for you to no longer have to answer to decayed traditions and outmoded commitments and lost causes. I’d love for you to escape the pull of memories that tend to drag you back toward things that can’t be changed and don’t matter any more.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I have no complaints about the measures you’ve taken recently to push past unnecessary limits and to break outworn taboos. In fact, I celebrate them. Keep going! You’ll be better off without those decaying constraints. Soon you’ll begin using all the energy you have liberated and the spaciousness you have made available. But I do have one concern: I wonder if part of you is worried that you have been too bold and have gone too far. To that part of you I say: No! You haven’t been too bold. You haven’t gone too far.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Desire is a profoundly upsetting force,” writes author Elspeth Probyn. “It may totally rearrange what we think we want. Desire skews plans and sets forth unthoughtof possibilities.” In my opinion, Probyn’s statements are half-true. The other half of the truth is that desire can also be a profoundly healing and rejuvenating force, and for the same reasons: it rearranges what we think we want, alters plans, and unleashes unthought-of possibilities. How does all this relate to you?

From what I can tell, you are now on the cusp of desire’s two overlapping powers.

What happens next could be upsetting or healing, disorienting or rejuvenating. If you’d like to emphasize the healing and rejuvenating, I suggest you treat desire as a sacred gift and a blessing.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Dreamt of a past that frees its prisoners.” So wrote

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “So much of what we learn about love is

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

taught by people who never really loved us.” My Sagittarian friend Ellen made that sad observation. Is it true for you? Ellen added the following thoughts: so much of what we learn about love is taught by people who were too narcissistic or wounded to be able to love very well; and by people who didn’t have many listening skills and therefore didn’t know enough about us to love us for who we really are; and by people who love themselves poorly and so of course find it hard to love anyone else. Is any of this applicable to what you have experienced, Sagittarius? If so, here’s an antidote that I think you’ll find effective during the next seven weeks: identify the people who have loved you well and the people who might love you well in the future—and then vow to learn all you can from them.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn fantasy novelist Laini Taylor creates imaginary worlds where heroines use magic and wiles to follow their bliss while wrangling with gods and rascals. In describing her writing process, she says, “Like a magpie, I am a scavenger of shiny things: fairy tales, dead languages, weird folk beliefs, and fascinating religions.” She adds, “I have plundered tidbits of history and lore to build something new, using only the parts that light my mind on fire.”

I encourage you to adopt her strategies for your own use in the coming weeks.

Be alert for gleaming goodies and tricky delicacies and alluring treats. Use them to create new experiences that thrill your

imagination. I believe the coming weeks will be an excellent time to use your magic and wiles to follow your bliss while wrangling with gods and rascals.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “I was always asking for the specific thing that wasn’t mine,” wrote poet Joanne Kyger.

“I wanted a haven that wasn’t my own.”

If there is any part of you that resonates with that defeatist perspective, Aquarius, now is an excellent time to begin outgrowing or transforming it. I guarantee you that you’ll have the potency you need to retrain yourself: so that you will more and more ask for specific things that can potentially be yours; so that you will more and more want a haven that can be your own.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I’m not a fan of nagging. I don’t like to be nagged and I scrupulously avoid nagging others. And yet now I will break my own rules so as to provide you with your most accurate and helpful horoscope. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you aren’t likely to get what you truly need and deserve in the coming days unless you engage in some polite, diplomatic nagging. So see what you can do to employ nagging as a graceful, even charming art.

For best results, infuse it with humor and playfulness.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Time to shake things up! In the next three weeks, I invite you to try at least three of the following experiments. 1. See unusual sights in familiar situations. 2. Seek out new music that both calms you and excites you. 3.

Get an inspiring statue or image of a favorite deity or hero. 4. Ask for a message from the person you will be three years from now. 5. Use your hands and tongue in ways you don’t usually use them. 6. Go in quest of a cathartic release that purges frustration and rouses holy passion. 7. Locate the sweet spot where deep feeling and deep thinking overlap.

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

EDITOONS

“A Few Good Turns”—cycling through.

ACROSS 1 Baked, so to speak 5 Cocoa substitute 10 Talk show host who’s somehow board-certified 14 Cookie with a “Game of Thrones” variety in 2019 15 “Battlestar Galactica” commander 16 Become entangled 17 Luxury SUV manufactured in the U.K. 19 Singer Burl 20 Playground equipment 21 Avgolemono ingredient 22 Peregrine falcon place 23 Gooey stuff seen on Nickelodeon 25 Jousting outfit 27 Hurdle for a doctoral student 32 Freshen, in a way 35 “Three’s Company” landlord 36 Grates harshly

38 2 + 1, in Italy 39 Troublemakers 40 Fielder’s feat 41 Neologism for an extreme enthusiast (just added to MerriamWebster’s dictionary) 42 “___ the ramparts ...”

43 Revamp 44 Old movie holders 45 “Mr.” in “Elmo’s World” segments 47 Practice 49 Circulatory system components 51 Hunk of gum 52 Iowa State University town 54 John who appears in a 2019 episode of “The Twilight Zone” 56 Balkan capital 61 Boggs of the Red Sox 62 Relinquished 64 Dumpster emanation 65 Go on stage 66 “SNL” segment?

67 Got out 68 Loads cargo

69 Poetic tributes DOWN 1 ___ d’oeuvres 2 “Dies ___” (Latin hymn) 3 Wilder who played Willy Wonka 4 Sty occupants 5 Paint job protectant 6 “And now, without further ___ ...”

7 Type of party chronicled in Mixmag 8 Psi follower 9 Pie chart alternative 10 Key of Beethoven’s Ninth 11 Semi-aquatic mammal with webbed feet 12 Quarry deposits 13 Lemon peel part 18 Pumped up 24 Jeweler’s measurement 26 Prefix trickily paired with “spelled” 27 Betelgeuse constellation 28 Shakespearean character in the NATO

Phonetic Alphabet 29 Gave a thumbs-up to 30 Guitar maker Paul 31 He gets knighted in “Cars 2” 33 Asia-Europe border range 34 Nerve-wracking 37 Phillips-head hardware 40 Strong holds 41 Galilee, e.g.

43 “Aladdin” song “Prince ___” 44 Decorated again 46 Negev, e.g.

48 They’re gonna ... do what they do 50 Obsolescent contraction 52 Off-base, unofficially 53 Crafted 55 Unfooled by 57 Caramel-filled Hershey’s brand 58 Like many fans 59 “Scream 4” and “Party of Five” actress Campbell 60 Olympian war god 63 Mtn ___

Copyright © 2019 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents perminute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 935 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • MAY 9, 2019 • THE PULSE • 29

COLUM · GAME ON!

Games For Change Expo Girls Inc. inducts young women into the wonderful world of IT

B Brandon Watson Pulse columnist

“

The Build IT program is designed to provide access to STEM programming for girls and to encourage students towards a career using information technology.”

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

EING A GAMING JOURNALIST comes with its share of perks. It can be a pleasant existence if you’re the type of person who cashes in on pre-release codes or play tests the latest whizbang for whatever upcoming triple-A disaster looms on the horizon.

Don’t get me wrong, superficially these are okay. But having the opportunity to tell stories about the next generation of videogame creators is something no big box publisher can ever touch in terms of rewards or space-consuming swag.

This year I’ve been given the honor of being a judge on this year’s Girls Inc. of Chattanooga’s Games for Change Expo. The expo is the culmination of everything the seventh-grade girls of East Lake Academy have learned with the Build IT program. According to Girls Inc. of Chattanooga, the Build IT program is designed to provide access to STEM programming for girls and to encourage students towards a career using information technology.

Not to get too political about the topic, but as videogame developers gain visibility and individual followings, a top issue has been greater female representation within the industry. Programs such as Build IT at East Lake Academy are important assets to cultivate introductory skills and artistic passions within technology fields.

According to the National Center for Women & Information Technology, only 25 percent of the computing workforce was female as recently as 2015. There’s even more room for growth among women of color; black women held just three percent of computing jobs and Latinas only one percent in 2015, according to the same organization. With the demand for skilled IT professionals soaring, that’s an enormous wealth of underutilized potential waiting to be discovered.

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Sounds like a bright and brilliant future if you ask me—but first, the obstacles that stand between these young women and their full potential need to be removed. And that’s just what Girls, Inc. is trying to achieve.

Twenty plus years ago my Grandfather told me that there will be jobs out there that you’ll never believe will exist. This perpetually greasy construction worker sage was always thinking light years ahead, and I can’t believe how much of his great wisdom rings true even today. I mean, who knew that one could get paid to make computer generated shapes dance across a screen, or moderate media content from a laptop for a company in another hemisphere? I sure didn’t.

So, when I look into these STEM and IT education programs across the city, I see the old man’s wisdom applied to full effect. The teachers, students, volunteers, and parents who actively engage in these programs are preparing the next generation for what lies ahead.

On the evening of May 16th at East Lake Academy of Fine Arts, I and a few others will see what these tech-savvy 7th graders have created. The project for these students is to develop videogames that promote a specific message or theme around specific social issues.

It will be an exercise in utilizing videogames as a means of artistic expression to communicate deep and complex topics.

This is something many of us have seen in the open, independent video game markets of the direct-to-download era: socially conscious games with a purpose. Love it or hate it, socially aware

gamers are numerous and vocal. There is no denying that as technology gets more sophisticated, the range of artistic expression in videogames has expanded.

It will be interesting to see how all of this comes together and what content these teens will present.

Build IT Program Educator Meghan Kelly has been beaming about this year’s event: “I am so proud of the diligent work of the girls in the program. We are excited to present our games to the community in hopes of enacting change. We are hopeful for the community to show up for a night of play and learning!” she said.

Although I’m attending as a judge, I feel more like a fanboy cheerleader who will be there to offer encouragement to the next generation of game developers.

I encourage anyone who works in the game or IT industry looking for a righteous cause to lend a hand to Girls Inc. and Chattanooga’s Build IT program.

Please reach out to Meghan Kelly via email at mearll@girlsincofchatt.org if you’re interested in attending the night’s expo or if you’d like to assist the program in the future. The best thing anyone can do to support our young girls is offer encouragement and positivity. The videogame industry needs their vision, their energy, and their social commitment.

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