The Pulse 16.32 » August 8, 2019

VOL. 16, ISSUE 32 • AUGUST 8, 2019

STATE OF THE ARTS 2019 UNDER 30 CHATTANOOGA A NEW GENERATION PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF ART, DANCE, MUSIC, FILM, FOOD & MORE

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE • WWW.CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

2 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 16, ISSUE 32 • AUGUST 8, 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 Miki Boni • Rob Brezsny Robyn Wolfe Fogle • Jessie Gantt-Temple Kevin Hale • Matt Jones Sandra Kurtz • Mike McJunkin Tony Mraz • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib • Michael Thomas Editorial Interns Kelsey Fox • Ensley McFarland Cartoonists Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow

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

The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors.

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

8 4 36

State of the Arts: Chattanooga Under 30 The Scenic City has long been known for the creative people who make it home.

This year, we take a look at eight amazing creative talents all who have yet to hit 30 years of age. Join us in celebrating these amazing people and all that they do.

CHEF JEREMY AUSPITZ

32

SUPPORT MICHAEL MCDADE

42

“I’m going to win, it’s not a big deal,” says Chef Jeremy Auspitz. He’s been prepping to go up against some of Chattanooga’s best chefs at Chattanooga Market’s FiveStar Food Fight.

You’d be hard pressed to find a friendlier, more helpful, or more generally beloved figure in the local music scene than Michael McDade. And now he needs our help.

INSIDEOUT LAND

J.W. Butts bills himself as a southern artist, and if by some reason you’ve conflated Southern with realism, think again. Butts, a painter with a bold, colorful style, shines the light fantastic.

A MARKETING MONSTER

Last year, in the film Sorry to Bother You, a character states: “If you show a person a problem and they have no idea how to control it, they just learn to ignore it.”

5 CONSIDER THIS

38 MUSIC CALENDAR

44 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

9 SHADES OF GREEN

41 MUSIC REVIEWS

45 JONESIN' CROSSWORD

43 NEW IN THEATERS

46 SUSHI & BISCUITS

34 ARTS CALENDAR

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 3

CITY LIFE · BETWEEN THE BRIDGES

Winning Big—At Food And Life Chef Jeremy Auspitz elevates the Chattanooga food scene

By Alex Curry Pulse City Editor

“

He is inspired by his own raw sense of curiosity and his gift to Chattanooga is a breath of fresh air in a world of stagnant ideas.”

“I

’M GOING TO WIN, IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL,” SAYS CHEF Jeremy Auspitz. He’s been prepping to go up against some of Chattanooga’s best chefs at Chattanooga Market’s FiveStar Food Fight.

He’s somewhere between nervous, ecstatic, and totally Zen about his impending battle. Excitation seems to be his natural state of being.

Make no mistake, he has a lot to be excited about. When you think of the concept of a young, up-and-coming professional with a vibrant future who will change an industry for the better, Jeremy is its embodiment.

After several years of intensive study at some of Chattanooga and Nashville’s preeminent restaurants, Jeremy has accepted the helm at Alimentari Cucina e Bar. Serving up offerings somewhere between Italian and Southern gastronomy, Jeremy has begun his life’s journey of elevating Chattanooga’s cuisine.

At a glance, Italian couldn’t seem farther away from Appalachian cuisine. A closer focus unveils an amalgamation of

4 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

the two cuisines, almost like looking in a mirror that’s just slightly off. A small wave or curve, yet it all looks the same… yet not. Italian is, above all else, ingredient-focused. Fresh, beautiful gifts of the earth treated with respect and love.

Appalachian cuisine and its bold vigor are no different. We are proud of the bounty of our area, and Jeremy is the fruition of this concept. At first, he may seem familiar, yet after digging into his rich psyche and history, a greater truth is revealed.

He is like a Neil Gaiman novel: his mannerisms and stature are at first unassuming, but after further consideration, his cadence grabs at you, entrancing you in a long and complicated history of love for craft and a food history that is deeply and immensely complex. His narrative is not one of old-school French

chefs screaming from atop fiery pulpits.

He is inspired by his own raw sense of curiosity and his gift to Chattanooga is a breath of fresh air in a world of stagnant ideas. Allow him to take your hand and guide you through an enigmatic and fantastical-tasting journey.

“I always have new reasons or ‘A-ha’ moments that make me want to keep being a chef,” says Auspitz. He goes on to talk about restaurant saturation and a desire for a more healthy and chef-driven food community. He wants to see an elevated cuisine to call our own.

Chattanooga cuisine is still being defined, and Chef Auspitz will be at the forefront of the discovery. He is humble in saying that he doesn’t yet know what he is as a chef. His focus and the food that comes out of his kitchen beg to differ. An onslaught of well balanced and beautiful dishes flooded my table the two times I’ve dined at Alimentari.

“We need more places to open with intent and integrity, rather than merely saturating the market.” And right he is. Gourmands like him will bring recognition and James Beard awards to our door.

“The only time I feel at ease is in the kitchen,” he says, somewhere between jokingly and in earnest. It’s my favorite place for him to be as well. If he keeps sending me perfectly cooked muscles, homemade peach puree ravioli, and velvety, exquisite affogato, then I’m hoping his search for inner self ends up being more about the journey than the destination.

Jeremy didn’t win the FiveStar Food Fight this year. I didn’t realize at first that that wasn’t what he was talking about winning. He was talking about his life, world, community, and being the best that he can be. And at that, he is winning, unabashedly. So are all of us.

In-Town Gallery Celebrates Artist cooperative helps keep local art alive Since 1974, almost 250 artists have passed through the doors of In-Town Gallery. This is not just any commercial enterprise. In-Town’s designation as a cooperative artists’ enterprise sets it apart from other businesses, for it is run by and for the artists.

All those years ago, Chattanooga artists relied on outdoor shows to market their works. Many shows had solid reputations that drew large crowds of art buyers. As these shows closed, artists searched unsuccessfully for ongoing venues.

One of the regulars, Dorothy Gannon, was searching for a solution when she read an article about a cooperative art gallery in American Artist Magazine. She contacted the writer, who turned out to be the director of the Art Information Center in New York. Subsequent correspondence provided the information and encouragement Dorothy needed to launch her project, and there were enough artists eager to embrace this new idea.

They formed the nucleus of a cooperative gallery and found their

first home at the Read House Hotel.

The ground-floor space on 9th Street was a challenge to turn into a professional-looking gallery. It took the efforts of all twelve charter members.

The paintings were hung, the crafts arranged on shelves and pedestals, and special lighting installed.

This was the defining moment.

The official Grand Opening took place on Saturday, September 21, 1974, with Mayor Robert Kirk Walker cutting the ribbon.

Nearly ten years later, a storefront with twice the space was found at 718 Cherry Street. InTown re-opened in 1984 on this newly renovated block featuring one-person member exhibits and rotating artwork to keep the gallery fresh for its clientele.

Fast forward to 1994. Growing pains struck again and with 41 artists, the space was getting tight.

The new Chattanooga “hot spot”

was the developing North Shore district. Frazier Avenue’s warehouses were being converted into retail spaces and the members saw a new opportunity. In-Town was on the move again.

The diverse offerings that included paintings, photography, pottery, jewelry, sculpture, wood, glass, and fiber by highly-regarded local artists finally had the showcase they deserved.

With 25 years at their present location, In-Town Gallery is not leaving anytime soon. Find out why by visiting quality workmanship at the longest running gallery in Chattanooga, and one of the longest running cooperative galleries in the country. — Miki Boni

Cons ider This w ith Dr. Rick

“Stop. Close your eyes and send love from your heart to everyone in the world.

Stay in this space for two minutes. It will change everything.” — Marianne Williamson Remember learning in science class that energy cannot be created nor destroyed? It can only be changed.

Here in the West, we humans often vastly underestimate the power of thought, of feeling, of intention. For instance, it is when we experience meditation that we realize the lifechanging effects of a simple breath, of being still, sitting quietly. When we listen, answers come. When we are still, we can transform ourselves and our world.

I invite you to take to heart the words of Osho: “Love should be like breathing. It should be just a quality in you—wherever you are, with whomever you are, or even if you are alone, love goes on overflowing from you. It is not a question of being in love with someone. It is a question of being love.”

— Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 5

6 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

COLUMN · SHADES OF GREEN

Your Energy Vision Is Needed Come out and offer guidance for TVA’s future direction

T Sandra Kurtz

Pulse columnist

“

It’s been a while since we’ve shared lessons from our collective experiences, and I figure there’s no time like the present.”

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

HE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORity first formed as a quasi-Federal agency in 1933. In 1937, President Roosevelt dedicated the Chickamauga Dam, which was completed in 1940. The TVA Act listed needs to address flooding, provide navigability, help farmers with reforestation, fertilizer research, and proper use of marginal lands, seek industrial development, and to provide for the national defense by the creation of a corporation for the operation of Government properties at and near Muscle Shoals, and for other purposes.

It was felt that these steps would improve the deplorable economic situation for the poor, downtrodden people living in this part of the United States during the Depression. TVA bought the existing Tennessee Electric Power Company (TEPCO) system, transferring it to Chattanooga as our local distributor, Electric Power Company (now EPB). EPB still provides local service, as do 153 other distributors across the Tennessee Valley.

Through an economic lens, one could say the TVA experiment has worked. After all, it has supported a larger population coupled with more jobs to deal with the higher demands for services coming from that increased number of citizens.

Most people have enough food, clean water, and housing to comfortably live, although many still struggle to pay electric bills.

Looking through an environmental lens, the experiment may have not worked as well. River water is more navigable, but many mussel species no longer exist. Flooding is heavily controlled, but water, polluted with plastics, toxic chemicals, and radiation, is sometimes low on oxygen or too hot. This has impacted ecosystem health. Too, there is degradation from fossil fuels of air, soil, and forests with the bats and other mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and

amphibians, plus all the microbial fungi and bacteria with their complex interrelated systems.

These systems have been interrupted and segmented. While TVA has protected much green space along riverbanks and has reduced coal burning, many forests have been cleared and archeological sites destroyed for dam building, power lines, and electricity generation.

All along the way, citizens have debated TVA’s actions. As an early TVA director said, “TVA is controversial because it is consequential.” For sure! TVA fits that description because few people want to live without electricity and TVA reliably produces most of it. Since TVA provides public power, don’t we get to have input about how it gets to us and what resources are used?

That’s the controversial part. TVA seems to listen less to citizen concerns around ratepayer hikes, energy efficiency, and use of cleaner natural resources.

TVA’s latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), a guideline for future action, totally demurred on an energy efficiency goal. Energy efficiency translates into lower bills for ratepayers, but TVA has chosen instead to increase its fixed rate fees, so you will pay a higher fee even if you turned everything off and went on vacation.

TVA produced the IRP suggesting several future scenarios. However, because TVA wouldn’t share in-house documents explaining how it came to the conclusions, the public couldn’t tell what assumptions were real when it came to costs. It’s hard to think that energy efficiency or solar generation wouldn’t be a bigger savings long term than the business-as-usual scenario preferred by TVA.

In this climate-constrained world, what is your vision for electricity generation and environmental conservation in the future? Tennessee Valley citizens who have to live with these decisions should have a say. You have an opportunity to join others in communicating a common future energy vision to TVA. On August 13, the Energy Democracy Listening Tour comes to Chattanooga meeting at 6 p.m. at the South Chattanooga Recreation Center, 1151 W. 40th Street.

Tour leader Appalachian Voices wants to hear how you think public power could better serve Valley communities.

According to their press release, this free event will highlight energy reform efforts, discuss impacts of the TVA energy system, evaluate decision-making, and present film clips shown on—what else—a solar film projector. Then you can be part of vision creation. Chattanooga visions will be combined with visions from other Valley communities meeting during 10 or more tour stops and eventually shared with TVA. TVA needs to hear ways to live up to its mission. This is an important and exciting gathering. It will be fun too. I think I’ll wear my old Crosby, Stills & Nash tee shirt I got during a 2012 concert.

It came from Musicians United for Safe Energy, (M.U.S.E.), that supports organizations worldwide working to promote safe, alternative, non-nuclear energy.

That seems appropriate.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 7

STATE OF THE ARTS 2019 UNDER 30 CHATTANOOGA

Rapper BbyMutha Defies Tradition Blazing her own trail to stardom

By Ernie Paik

M

uch has been said about the struggle of working mothers to achieve a good worklife balance, with some wondering if women truly can “have it all”, but when it comes to Chattanooga rapper BbyMutha (real name: Brittnee Moore), a mother of two sets of twins, her life and her art are intertwined to the point of being indivisible.

The name BbyMutha was inspired by an insult that was hurled at her as the rival of another woman in a love triangle, but by reclaiming the term, she defuses the insult; in an interview with The Fader, she clarified, “It’s not an insult to me. Some of us are babies’ mothers. Not everyone is a wife, and not everyone aspires to be a wife.”

Despite the name, there’s much more to BbyMutha than motherhood, and in response to those who declare that kids must always come first, in a Pitchfork interview she said, “Like no, that is a lie, because if you don’t have a happy, healthy mother then you can’t have happy, healthy kids”—reminiscent of the maxim “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”

BbyMutha grew up in a sheltered childhood, mostly raised by a religious mother, and endured bullying as a teen before becoming a mother at 17. To pay the bills, she worked call centers and retail, and if not for her love of music, she could’ve had a different career trajectory, possibly using her certified nurse’s

8 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

assistant license or continuing her study of fashion design in Nashville.

Instead, she bucked the tradition that parents must put their dreams aside and followed the creative path that made her happy and fulfilled.

Provocative and outrageous are the words that come to mind when considering both BbyMutha’s rapping style and her eye-popping, colorful fashion sense, which exude an attitude that says, “I don’t give a damn what you think.”

This writer was introduced to BbyMutha

by Stratton Tingle (executive director of the non-profit SoundCorps) at a performance at Mary’s Lounge in 2017. At that show, it was nearly impossible to not notice her charisma, her distinctive staccato flow, her natural confidence...and her tampon string, on display as if it were a piece of jewelry.

Her lyrics display her sex-positive boldness and confrontational manners, especially when calling out bullshit from men, and there are times when the two combine bluntly, like in the track “F--- Me,” with the line “F--- me good before you f--- me over.”

Calling herself “The antichrist of female rap,” BbyMutha is happy to play with provocation and taboos in a polarizing way.

Take the cover photo of her EP Muthaz Day 3 from 2018, declared by Pitchfork to be one of the best rap releases of 2018, which fea-

”If you’ve ever subscribed to any of BbyMutha’s multiple Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other social media accounts, you’ll notice that she’s always on, and almost always saying something bombastic.” tures her posing with her children in sinister robes over a pentagram, or the “D.I.Y.” video with her dancing in a Satan’s cheerleader outfit—it’s either terribly offensive or hilariously entertaining, or possibly both, simultaneously.

“BbyMutha has something to say and she says it A LOT,” said Tingle via email. “If you’ve ever subscribed to any of BbyMutha’s multiple Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other social media accounts, you’ll notice that she’s always on, and almost always saying something bombastic.

I have no idea how she’s able to maintain this massive flow of content.”

Social media interaction, including responding directly and brutally to haters, is just one of

the ways that BbyMutha has adopted a non-traditional career path in music.

“The collapse of the recording industry has been a big shift in recent music history, requiring artists to develop themselves, rather than rely on a team of A&R professionals and PR folks employed by record labels,” said Tingle. “BbyMutha seems to have embraced that change and seems comfortable taking her career (and the modern music industry) by the reins.”

BbyMutha has avoided the normal path for musicians, which was to build up a local following, record and release an album, tour to support the album, and repeat the process.

Despite having not yet released a full-length album (although

apparently Muthaland is due to drop any minute now), BbyMutha has been praised and recognized by media outlets including The New Yorker, Pitchfork, and The Washington Post; she’s performed around the world in countries including Sweden and South Korea, and this last spring, she joined Earl Sweatshirt on his tour.

“It’s not surprising that she’s focused on building her fanbase on the coasts and in Europe,” said Tingle. “Those are the markets where her image, philosophy, attitude, and artistry resonate the most.”

Love her or hate her, BbyMutha is an artist in control, unapologetically audacious and—like reclaiming an insult—making her name on her own terms.

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 9

10 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

STATE OF THE ARTS 2019 UNDER 30 CHATTANOOGA

Aaron Cowan, Art Scene Facilitator Young artist supports other up-and-comers

By Tony Mraz

I

n less than a decade, Aaron Cowan has established himself as a leader in Chattanooga’s art community, a facilitator and a benefactor for the arts. His work has brought numerous opportunities to artists and greatly enriched local arts culture.

Cowan earned an Associate of Fine Arts degree before moving to Chattanooga in 2009 to finish his BFA at UTC. When he graduated in 2012, Chattanooga didn’t have many opportunities to keep artists in the city—they were either moving to a larger metro area, or going back to school for larger arts scenes.

There were several spaces that have endured throughout the years, like The Hunter Museum, Association For Visual Arts, UTC’s Apothecary, Chattanooga WorkSpace, ArtsBuild, and Barking Legs Theater. “Meanwhile,” he says, “small galleries were shuttering their spaces, leaving unfilled gaps in activity and diversity. Some of my favorites were Graffiti Gallery AKA North Shore Gallery, Easy Lemon, the Rivoli Art Mill, and Tanner Hill gallery.”

Cowan became involved with the Chattanooga Film Festival’s theater project CineRama, along with the SWINE gallery. SWINE focused on being an approachable, inclusive platform for creatives in Chattanooga and abroad who may not have had an outlet elsewhere in the downtown area. Cowan tells us,

“Suddenly I saw opportunity to share the arts in everything—anywhere that had space or an audience could play a part in spreading art in some way, if they were willing to be supportive.”

The next year, he and artist Adam Kirby cofounded ARC: Artist Residency Chattanooga, an artist residency modeled after the Diane Marek Visiting Artist Series. ARC aims to connect artists abroad with Chattanooga to develop their professional practice while educating and diversifying the local community and arts culture.

Networking became very important to him.

“I did my best to meet with anyone I could think of that was helping the city grow,” he explains, “to see if they were also interested in supporting the arts or collaborating in some way.”

He continues, “For a while Chattanooga felt like an arts desert, with some oases dotted here and there. Around the time CineRama, SWINE, and ARC began, it kind of finally felt like something was beginning to happen. Before you knew it, Stove Works was announced; Sculpture Fields sprang up; Locate Arts was connecting artists in cities across the state; the UNFoundation began funding projects; Frequency Arts opened its doors for the arts and music community, and just down the street VERSA gallery opened in the St. Andrews Center. It felt alive, vibrant,

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 11

”There is quite a bit happening in the city and there are more opportunities for local artists than ever before, while it continues to grow all over.” connected. We were collaborating, sharing, hopping, building, and weaving into the community together.”

Cowan is optimistic, saying, “There is quite a bit happening in the city and there are more opportunities for local artists than ever before, while it continues to grow all over. Artists and businesses are discovering the appeal and availability of hosting art in all places, so just about any local shop will be featuring someone. Open mics, poetry readings, and music opportunities are also flourishing thanks to the work of some excellent creatives and smart thinking folk all over downtown.

“Chattanooga is changing incredibly fast, so I like to look at it as a place of ever-evolving

opportunities to inject creativity into the city in more non-traditional ways; popups, collaborating with existing organizations, turning your house into a gallery. There are some folk who have been thinking in those out-of-the-box ways, such as the Chattanooga Film Festival, the Pop-Up Project, ArtDev, ChattLab, and the Midnight Puff, just to name a few.

“There has been a great increase in children’s arts education, which is glaringly absent from Hamilton County schools. Those organizations include Splash Youth Arts, East Lake Language Arts (ELLA), Mark Making, and Studio Everything. We also did free workshops, lectures, and exhibitions with ARC and worked with local elementary schools to bring artists in

12 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

for hands-on educational sessions.

“The City has been paying attention, funding artists with projects like ArtSpark, exhibitions at City Hall, and the newly announced City Artist residency. I think the city, the community, business owners and proprietors have increasingly been warming up to the arts, simmering even.

Murals adorn several facades all over downtown on new flats, apartments, and restaurants. Artists are at more festivities, events, and have a larger presence in the public. There are more annual events, such as the Chattanooga Zine Fest, Frequency Arts Fest, the Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts and Ideas, Splash Arts Youth Festival. Chattanooga and its arts have really come a long way.”

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 13

STATE OF THE ARTS 2019 UNDER 30 CHATTANOOGA

Christian Eaves: Master Of The Camera Dedicated to expanding Chattanooga’s film scene

By John DeVore

C

hristian Eaves is a big part of a small community. Despite Chattanooga having one of the best film festivals in the region, the filmmaker scene is relatively small.

It’s not for lack of trying—Chattanooga State has a premier television and film production program, one that has led to many a student leaving for greener pastures, typically Atlanta, which is quickly becoming a southern haven for Hollywood productions (provided the state government doesn’t drive them away with their extremely conservative social policies). Christian has done work in Atlanta, as well as across the country, but he calls Chattanooga home.

“I was born and raised in Chattanooga,” Christian says. “The early part of my career started with various projects in Chattanooga before branching out.”

His interest in film developed at an early age, encouraged by his father. As with most children, an interest is sparked by watching the adults around them.

“My dad used to film various subjects when I was very little, mostly family hangouts,” Christian explains. “When I turned 10 my dad was upgrading cameras and decided to pass down his old one to me. I was so nervous to operate it—I had no idea how to stop it after pressing the record button.”

What was initially just a hobby became

14 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

something else in high school, however. Christian spent his teenage years “filming various skits with his friends”, but according to Christian, he “didn’t realized [he] was laying the foundation for understanding the filmmaking process.”

As he grew more confident and more capable, he attracted the attention of “prestigious museums [The Holocaust museum in Jerusalem] and a famous global economist [Harry S. Dent Jr.].” These successes helped lead him to the pursuit of film professionally.

A visit to Christian’s website (christianeaves. com) reveals a small smattering of his work, from commercial projects, to music videos, to his short film Tomorrow Never Knows, which won the MTSU Film Festival Award in 2016.

It seems obvious to anyone familiar with film that Christian has a keen eye for camera work, particularly in his short film. In fact, it’s the direction that really elevates the film to something more than that it seems. Christian’s approach to filmmaking has changed as he’s moved farther into the industry.

“My approach towards all genres have altered over the years,” Christian says. “In the early years I would mostly show up and create on the fly (still do sometimes). Nowadays I tend to spend more time on the pre-production so that I’m more prepared on set. It’s not so much I prefer one genre over the other, but I do prefer a project that is creatively engag-

“The film scene in Chattanooga is still fairly quiet,” Christian says. “Only a handful of people to my knowledge are actively trying to produce films here. All mostly low budget.” ing and challenging. A commercial can be more creative than a music video, depending on the client.”

Beyond just commercial work for clients, Christian says he is interested in working on features, but he’s not sure exactly what capacity it would be in. “The ultimate thing to overcome is financing,” he says.

Film work in Chattanooga can be challenging, Christian admits.

“The film scene in Chattanooga is still fairly quiet,” Christian says.

“Only a handful of people to my knowledge are actively trying to produce films here. All mostly low budget.”

There are a few positives, how-

ever. “People can be very supportive and there are always people interested in lending a hand,” Christian says. But there’s also a “lack of specialized on-set positions such as DP’s [director of photography], Audio, or Grip.

There is not a big selection available.”

Christian is also concerned about how few avenues there are for young filmmakers to get their work in front of an audience. “I think local film festivals could improve on showcasing films that are produced locally. There seems to be little to no representation.”

He admits that the lack of representation could be due to lack

Used Books, CDs, Movies, & More

7734 Lee Highway • McKayBooks.com Mon-Thu 9am-9pm • Fri-Sat 9am-10pm • Sun 11am-7pm

of quality, but still thinks festivals should make room. “I do think local festivals should open a category dedicated to specifically Chattanooga films,” he says. “Why not have representation for films that are produced in the same area as the festivals? It seems pretty obvious.”

In terms of future projects, Christian wants to play things close to the chest. “I’m currently in preproduction for a local short film directed by Emily Steele,” Christian says. “I will be the DP on set and hopefully it will give me a chance to showcase my ability as a dedicated DP. More projects down the pipeline, but would like to keep those as a surprise.”

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 15

16 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

STATE OF THE ARTS 2019 UNDER 30 CHATTANOOGA

Cody Grodzki, Architect Of Adventure Young routesetter challenges climbers

By Robyn Wolfe Fogle

I

f you’ve ever walked into a climbing gym you’ve seen this style of art, whether you’ve consciously noticed it or not. Those routes you see on the walls are intentionally constructed— “set” by a routesetter.

“A blank climbing wall is a canvas and a routesetter creates movement, appeal, and interaction on that wall,” explains John Wiygul, partner/president of High Point Climbing And Fitness. “Not many forms of art allow you to see, feel, and physically interact,” he adds.

Designing routes requires vision and imagination—a creative whose art should function kinetically and aesthetically in order to inspire climbers. Meet one such creative—28-year-old Cody Grodzki.

It was 2009 when Grodzki, a senior in high school, was first introduced to rock climbing.

Like any new climber, routesetting wasn’t even a concept for him. “I guess I assumed the climbing walls came with the routes already on them.

I didn’t know,” he admits. But as he learned how climbing routes at the gym were frequently changed, or “reset”, by a routesetter, he saw a creative outlet that intrigued him.

After only a few visits to his local climbing gym, he pressed the owner for a job and set about pursuing routesetting. With no experience setting, and limited climbing ability, he was relegated to the grunt work of stripping old routes off the walls. Eventually he was allowed

to set his first boulder problem—on a wall hidden in the worst spot in the gym. He jumped at the opportunity and thus his routesetting career began.

After graduation, he went on to earn a degree in kinesiology—the study of the mechanics of body movements—a degree unquestionably applicable to routesetting. In 2015 he moved to Chattanooga and began working at High Point Climbing And Fitness where he quickly advanced from routesetter, to head routesetter, to his current position as director of routesetting with oversight of the routesetting teams at all five of their climbing gyms.

That’s right, “teams”. Unlike many artistic endeavors, routesetters—wherever they’re setting—work as a team. “A good routesetter must have strong communication skills and be willing to support the team and allow them to support him,” explains Grodzki.

This emphasis on teamwork means that the designer of a climbing route or boulder problem is rarely recognized or acknowledged. “I put the route on the wall, the initial vision,” says Grodzki, but “as soon as I’m done doing that, it goes to the next phase and at that point it’s all of ours (the routesetting team’s).” They offer feedback and tweak each other’s work.

“Once we agree the boulder is complete, it’s the community’s boulder,” continues Grodzki.

“It’s not ours. We’re thinking about the end user. You don’t get to say, ‘this is my boulder,

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 17

my move, my route’—this is the community’s boulder,” emphasizes Grodzki, whose humble attitude belies his extraordinary skill.

The process itself is physically demanding and exhausting. Old routes must first be stripped from the wall. New holds are selected—taking into consideration things such as size, shape, color and density. Then, outfitted in a helmet, harness, safety visor and more, the routesetter equips himself with tools such as his drill, bits, taps, ascending device, buckets of holds, etc. and hoists himself to the top of the wall where he begins to set the skeleton of his route.

After the first draft is in place, the routesetters test the difficulty, as well as the movement, of the route by climbing their routes and each other’s, and the tweaking and perfecting process begins.

Once complete, “It’s a lot of fun watching

Photo by Todd Clark

“It’s cool seeing the problem solving. You know what you intended, and hopefully the way you set it is the most likely beta.” people try your routes,” says Grodzki. “It’s cool seeing the problem solving. You know what you intended, and hopefully the way you set it is the most likely beta.”

While it’s easy to have a “style”, Grodzki emphasizes his goal is to set as many styles as possible. “If you’re a climber I don’t want to make you climb my style every time,” he explains. He challenges himself to set new movements.

As he has perfected his routesetting skills, he has advanced from setting static, straightforward moves to creating sequences that require complex, coordinated movements.

To spark creativity and inspiration, Grodzki and his routesetting peers exchange videos of routes they have set. The holds themselves offer inspiration as well. “I get really psyched to have new holds, they compel new movement,” says Grodzki.

18 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

While commercial gyms require no certifications for routesetters, setting for competitive USA Climbing events does require strict qualifications.

To date, Grodzki has achieved a Level 4 (out of five) National Routesetter certification with USA Climbing, and has endorsements in both sport climbing and bouldering. As of June 30, that makes him one of only 16 routesetters across the entire country to hold these distinctions. He is qualified to be an assistant routesetter for any USA Climbing event, and the chief routesetter for any divisional level events.

In addition to pursuing his Level 5 certification, he aspires to one day set for the World Cup, the World Championships, or even the Olympics.

But while we still have him in Chattanooga, you can visit High Point to not only see, but also experience, his creative art form for yourself.

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 19

STATE OF THE ARTS 2019 UNDER 30 CHATTANOOGA

La Blanca Studios: Musical Inspiration Nelson and Garcia support an array of local musicians

By Jessie Gantt-Temple

S

urprisingly set up in an inactive church formerly known as the Soul Saving Station on Dodds Avenue, La Blanca Studios houses so much opportunity for musical creativity and has astounding acoustics. It’s not like you hear angels sing, but there is definitely something heavenly and jaw dropping when you walk through the dusty, outdated building to find yourself in a pristine, high-tech studio.

It simultaneously looks vintage and modern. It’s being preserved yet rejuvenated. It is an inspirational space of spirituality and sound like no place I’ve ever been. So it makes complete sense why Daniel Nelson and Ivan Garcia would decide to redesign their recording studio in such a unique place.

Ivan grew up playing Latin jazz in Mexico and “is not afraid to say I’ve always been a sucker for pop, so I love Britney,” and Daniel is from the Michigan’s upper peninsula and studied vocals for a year. Every studio has their own style and La Blanca’s is a constantly evolving blank slate.

Previously, La Blanca was set up in a smaller, less welcoming rehearsal space and, after ample time spent crammed in a second-rate set up, they decided to fine tune their business plan and move up and out. The church location made sense for this duo: Daniel and Ivan have religious backgrounds in that Daniel plays for his church and Ivan’s parents are

20 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

missionaries.

The Soul Saving Station, with some of its boarded windows and unkempt rooms, is a multi-level facility with bygone remnants. It is a perfect space for artistic endeavors.

Just celebrating their first year at 1518 Dodds Avenue, Daniel and Ivan occupy a large two-room loft on the second floor.

First greeted and awakened by the amazing air conditioning, as the historic building has no breeze yet nevertheless boasts central air, you’re then in awe at the bountiful selection of instruments.

There are five pianos/stage organs, ten guitars, a banjo, a flute, a xylophone, seven drum sets, and lots of snares and amps. Any artist coming to record can have access to their analog equipment as well as any digital sounds, which are endless.

The production room is lined with keyboards and organs from the ‘70s and a mustard-yellow couch to match. Daniel says they are a commercial production studio but it has a personal vibe because “it’s not like we have the best gear but we have enough to do pretty much anything.”

When asked how they met, Ivan quickly replied “Instagram” and Daniel jokingly responded to that with “Tinder”, but their passion for making music forced their paths to cross one day in a Guitar Center.

“I knew who he was because I saw him

“Daniel says they are a commercial production studio but it has a personal vibe because ‘it’s not like we have the best gear but we have enough to do pretty much anything’.” play in shows before,” Daniel explained; they then began to disagree on the years they’ve known each other like an old married couple. I think the final answer was eight years.

Ivan tours with a Nashvillebased band, Luthi, and he plays locally with Monomath. He’ll be playing a show at JJ’s Bohemia on August 16th. Daniel occasionally performs in Chattanooga with Ben Strawn and records the backstage performances at Moon River. Ivan’s specialty is drums and Daniel’s is guitar and they do agree that they argue about bass.

“Even though we run the studio together, we still do our own thing in this shared space,” Ivan

said as he described how their styles complement one another.

“Everything really is 50/50 and we’ve been working together more lately to create a portfolio.”

They provide engineering, production, and mixing as well as an array of instruments for musicians to experiment with while on-site. Currently, Daniel is producing two records, Ivan is producing a record, and together they are working on Daniel’s first record.

La Blanca is open 24/7, with the help of coffee, as they understand everyone’s schedule is different, especially when it comes to multiple parts. For instance, Ivan is producing a record for a professionally-trained cellist who

has fifteen musicians contributing.

“So when it comes to pricing, my favorite response is ‘let’s go have coffee,” laughed Daniel.

More seriously, they say their pricing is different for every person, every project. They stress that they are making relationships and they want to be flexible with the artists, so a conversation has to be had.

With the dynamics of these two characters, both musically and personally, you are going to want to have a conversation with La Blanca Studios because a glorious compilation will arise from a good cup of coffee and great acoustics. Email LaBlancaStudios@gmail.com

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 21

22 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

STATE OF THE ARTS 2019 UNDER 30 CHATTANOOGA

Lahana Palencia Is A Polymath Observing the patterns of the world

By Kevin Hale

M

ixed-media artist Lahana Palencia sees the world through math and relativity. A selfdescribed “observer”, she finds pleasure in unnoticed details and organic versus logical thought. Her latest show will feature her love of platonic solids.

For those with an aversion to math, there are five platonic solids: the tetrahedron, with four triangular faces; the cube, with six square faces; the octahedron, with eight triangular faces; the dodecahedron, with 12 pentagonal faces; and the icosahedron, with 20 triangular faces.

Palencia cites the book “The Flatland”, which takes place in a two-dimensional world.

“It got me thinking, “What would it be like to only see two dimensions?” she says.

It’s a question she has been exploring since growing up in Maine, one that probably influenced her collecting vinyl records.

Born and raised in Pittsfield, Maine, Palencia moved to Portland, Maine to escape a small town she compares to the movie Footloose.

“Growing up, I felt alienated in Pittsfield,” she says. “And I know every teenager is going to feel angst, but no one looked like me in this small town.”

The daughter of Venezuelan and Caucasian parents, Palencia thought she was going to become a vocalist, but some health problems

held her back.

“I was obsessed with singing jazz but then I started having these crazy seizures,” she says.

She ended up enrolling at Southern Maine Community College, while working and taking classes at Maine College of Art, where she learned most of her printmaking skills.

She graduated with an associate’s degree in liberal studies and became a member at the artist collective Running With Scissors.

Vinyl records and math were the theme for one of her first showsm “33’s in Threes”.

“I asked myself what made the vinyl record what it was and realized it consisted of several different components,” she says on her website. “It spun at 33 & 1/3 reps per minute, measured 12 inches in diameter, and could play up to 22 minutes of a recording.”

And here’s where the relativity comes in to play.

“If one of those values changed, the other two would have to change as well in order for the recording to maintain its integrity,” she continues.

She wanted to create a series that shared a recognizable uniformity while still allowing each piece to have its own unique beauty.

“33s in Threes” was a perfect name for the series for its sense of uniformity through the number three. There are three different patterns, each pattern is based on a different special triangle, and each consists of three

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 23

“Even when I get positive reinforcement or reviews or some say, ‘That’s cool, I like it,’ I might not like it because I don’t understand it.” prints for a total of nine.

The series is now being shown in a hip gallery in Rockville, Maryland, and was so popular it was recently extended.

Palencia built up her contacts and made friends at the Maine College of Art, where she also she responded to a lot of artist’s calls and submitted applications “to a lot of crazy residencies.”

It ultimately led her to Morocco for a month in February, where she completed a residency at Green Olive Arts in Tetouan.

She remembers one time wandering around some winding city streets in the white-washed town when a small boy approached her and led her to one of the local restaurants.

“It was probably not the smartest idea because I didn’t know what was going to happen,” she says. “I didn’t know if I was going to be killed or what.”

Turns out her fears were eased when she realized the boy was just leading her to a place where they waited on her and hand and foot.

“I didn’t want to come back,” she laughs. “It felt like I was in Aladdin. I get Arabic culture.”

But like a genie on a flying carpet, she did return to the states when Aaron Cowan of ARC awarded her a short-term artist residency (S.T.A.R.) her in town.

“I kept bugging him,” she says talking about Cowan. “I just wanted to come back (to Chattanooga) to visit my friends.”

24 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Since she set up shop in the Scenic City, she has presented a sideshow slideshow at Stove Works, where a little stage fright has helped her with her work.

“Even when I get positive reinforcement or reviews or some say, ‘That’s cool, I like it,’ I might not like it because I don’t understand it,” she says of some of her work.

She is still adjusting to a slower pace of life in the south.

“I need to get used to how chill it is here,” she says. “There is no urgency. My mom always used to say to me, ‘Your mind never quits reeling.’”

Her work will be on display August 30th at Frequency Arts Gallery at 516 Tremont Street.

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 25

STATE OF THE ARTS 2019 UNDER 30 CHATTANOOGA

The Dance Of Emma Pannkuk Young choreographer has audiences whooping out loud

By Jenn Webster

T

he music starts high and thrilling. Quick electronic arpeggios evolve and repeat. The dancers drop, rise, pump a fist in the air, spin, skip, lean back, repeat. Each woman’s movement is a little offset from the others, filling the stage with sharp cascades of gesture and whirling yellow skirts.

They finally unite in a slow rotation, torso toward cocked foot, then on around til they’re facing away from us, palms out, hands like splayed stars. Then they uncoil, stand up straight, pull one stiff arm across their necks in a clear “cut your throat” gesture, and throw it away behind them. The music drops: power-ballad guitar and drums. We’re off.

The scene is Celebrations community performance at Spot Venue; the dance is choreographer Emma M. Pannkuk’s “The Road Out”. Just turned 23, Pannkuk is young even among emerging artists. An alumna of Ballet Tennessee and The Pop-Up Project, Pannkuk is now a freelance choreographer, teacher, and dancer, spending a portion of her time with CCS as a ballroom dance instructor, but mostly working independently to bring her work to venues around the city.

As a dancer, Pannkuk is a powerful, vibrant presence, bringing an engaging sweetness to the stage, but then again, Chattanooga’s bursting at the seams with skilled dancers.

Where Pannkuk makes her mark with is with

26 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

choreography that’s a powerful mix of dance and gesture, endowed with explosive energy even when exploring very dark themes—think end-of-the-world dark.

Among her most memorable works are “The Road Out”, “Shake that Devil” for the Color Carnival, and “White Horse” for Ballet Tennessee’s Spring Festival of Dance in 2017. With the eerie “White “Horse”, Pannkuk combined two Johnny Cash songs, “Hurt” and “When the Man Comes Around” to explore the hardship of endings.

“It was about the end of the world, and explored what that might feel like, moving from ‘What have I experienced?’ and ‘What has left its mark on me?’ moving into ‘What am I left with?’” she says.

Pannkuk locates her work within contemporary dance. “I have such a heart for ballet,” she says. “I really enjoy those lines and the very classical positions, but I also like weird shapes and experimenting into lots of gestures and bigger movements.”

Her work is often grounded in an issue or story. “I’ll either get some sort of insight on a particular issue or I’ll speak with someone and think: ‘That would be a great opportunity for storytelling,’” she says. “I don’t shy away from telling the story or communicating the emotion as transparently as possible.” Sometimes even a single word will inspire her.

She’s bold in her music choices, favor-

“Chattanooga is still too small to have a distinctive dance style. But as we develop one, it’s sure to be informed by choreographers like Pannkuk.” ing country, folk, and alternative rock. She’s choreographed three pieces so far to Radiohead songs, and she’s fascinated with Imogene Heap and Bon Iver.

Among Chattanooga choreographers, Pannkuk’s work fits most closely with that of Bernadette Upton of WEAVE. They share the blending of gesture with fullbody dance, the musicality, and the exploration of working-class and apocalyptic themes.

Chattanooga is still too small to have a distinctive dance style.

But as we develop one, it’s sure to be informed by choreographers like Pannkuk—athletic, colloquial without being slangy, ice-pure as Red Clay spring wa-

ter, and deeply involved with moral themes.

Back to “The Road Out”. After the first lines of “Teenage Wasteland” blare out (“Out here in the fields/I fight for my meals/I get my back into my living”), the dancers drop, too, alternating lunges like runners on blocks, then leaping like stags before forming a tight triangle. They split again to fill the stage with a blur of energy held together by the crispness of line and gesture.

The knife-hand-to-throat becomes a panicky reverberation.

This dance is fast and a lot of it’s hard—like a flying T that rotates and resolves into a high front attitude. Some of the danc-

ers wobble in their attempts, but the choreographer’s purpose holds firm. As the song resolves into a fiddle break, the dancers line up into a stiff-legged parody of folk dance, skipping, bowing, both hands to throat now as if to contain the welled-up emotion.

Lunges and stag leaps repeat double time as the fiddle goes wild.

Then everyone’s running and we don’t know what force is going to win—defiant energy or frenetic despair—and it’s with a whoop of relief and shared triumph that the audience greets the last pose, everyone screeching to a halt with their fists in the air.

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 27

28 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

STATE OF THE ARTS 2019 UNDER 30 CHATTANOOGA

Jorge Parra’s Art Of Happiness Southside chef draws on food-truck roots

By Mike McJunkin

I

t’s almost impossible to talk about Mexican food in Chattanooga without mentioning Taqueria Jalisco and Jorge Parra.

The food truck turned restaurant has been a part of the Southside’s dramatic transformation since 2005 and a regular stop for anyone who appreciates fresh, genuine Mexican flavors. As the Parra family business has grown and evolved over the last two decades, Jorge has grown and evolved into one of the city’s most successful young entrepreneurs.

Before moving to the United States, Jorge’s mother, Maria, owned a taqueria in Jalisco, Mexico when he and his siblings were still very young. She sold dishes made from family recipes that she learned while watching her mother cook, as well as a few of her own special creations. (A taqueria is a food cart or restaurant that serves tacos and other Mexican dishes. The food is typically inexpensive and served quickly.)

Like so many families, the Parras came to the United States with hopes for a better future. Maria turned her love of cooking and previous business experience into a small food truck that started off on E. Main Street and quickly became a neighborhood favorite.

Jorge wasn’t initially interested in a career in the restaurant business. While his mother’s taqueria was growing in popularity here in

Chattanooga, he was attending school in Atlanta, but it wasn’t long before the taqueria’s popularity became too much for Maria to handle on her own.

“The family business was calling, so I came to help right out of college,” Jorge remembers. “My mother prepared all the food, so I helped with everything else. I took orders, swept floors, cleaned bathrooms, whatever she needed to help make the business successful.”

With Jorge’s help, that small, corner food truck began to build name recognition and grow in popularity by setting up at local markets, developing a catering business, and enduring long nights in the parking lot of the gone-but-not-forgotten dive bar Discoteca, all while expanding through a myriad of incarnations.

“We were there on Main Street as a food truck for a while, along with an indoor space that served as a grocery store and discotheca,” Jorge says. “A discotheca can be a CD store or a club—this store was mostly a CD store and was before the club named Discoteca.”

After outgrowing that space, they spent a couple of years in a space further down Main Street that functioned as a grocery store, bike shop, and taqueria before moving back to their familiar Main Street corner where they continued to grow in popularity for the next

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 29

“I love talking to my customers and getting to know them. I want this space to feel comfortable and inclusive enough so that everyone feels welcome.” five years. They then faced a turning point when their building was sold and they were forced to relocate.

Jorge says, “It actually worked out great. We found this really small, cool, abandoned-looking building just behind our old location. It was covered in graffiti, full of weeds, and had a pig on it, but I thought it had so much character!”

Jorge and his family turned that odd little building into one of the city’s most beloved restaurants, eventually opening a second location in Miller Plaza, and earning Jorge the 2015 YPAC “Entrepreneur of the Year” award at just 24 years old.

Fueled almost entirely by word of mouth, the

restaurant grew again this year and moved into a stunning, newly constructed location across the street from their long-time Rossville Avenue location dubbed “Taqueria Jalisco | ANIA Tequila & Mezcal Bar”.

“The new name is an homage to my niece who passed away a few years ago,” Jorge says.

“The hummingbird signifies her in the tradition of alebrijes—it’s a hummingbird because she was so tiny. The logo was designed by [Chattanooga multimedia artist] Cole Sweeton and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.”

The new location is not only larger; it gives Jorge a chance to bring music back into the taqueria experience. “We have music for

30 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

our brunches with different artists rotating through,” he explains. “We just had Ben Lee, DJ and executive chef at Flying Squirrel, to come and build the fun and excitement with his music, just like a good meal progresses.

We want brunch to be upbeat and fun, not boring.”

Taqueria Jalisco’s success is due, in part, to the infectious enthusiasm Jorge brings to both his customers and his mother’s food.

“I love talking to my customers and getting to know them,” Jorge says with a flash of his ever-present smile. “I want this space to feel comfortable and inclusive enough so that everyone feels welcome.”

THE PULSE • STATE OF THE ARTS • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 31

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

InsideOut Land Blasts Expectations A whimsical glimpse into another world A Novel Theater Production Are you a Jane Austen fan? Are you someone who always wanted to say you were a Jane Austen fan but never wanted to read her books? I’ve got great news for you—“Pride and Prejudice” is coming to the Mars Theatre this weekend and is promised to have the “same charm, with a modern twist.”

Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” has been around for 200 years and is certainly her most popular novel. Back Alley Productions is taking this classic love story and presenting it in the round for audiences. The show will also be performed in the original vernacular but no fear, it is not like Shakespeare.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, it can quickly be summarized as being about Elizabeth Bennet, who is in no hurry to marry but keeps falling for an unstable, brooding man named Mr. Darcy.

The story holds up well in 2019, and the director of the play, Madison Smith, insists that “modern texting, social media, and dating trends have only enhanced many of the themes in Austen’s work.”

If you would like to experience Mr. Darcy and all his arrogance, the show will take place at 8 p.m. this Friday and at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available at www.BAPshows.com; they can be purchased online or at the box office 30 minutes before showtime.

Don’t miss this tale as old as time at the Mars Theatre, just south of Chattanooga 117 N. Chattanooga St. in LaFayette.

— Kelsey Fox

By Jenn Webster Pulse Assistant Editor

“

I had been doing landscape paintings for a while, I love trail running.

A lot of my inspiration came from nature.”

32 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

J

.W. BUTTS BILLS HIMSELF AS A SOUTHERN ARTIST, AND if by some reason you’ve conflated Southern with realism, think again. Butts, a painter with a bold, colorful style, shines the light fantastic on everything he touches.

Now, J.W. Butts is coming to Hamilton Place, where his new installation, InsideOut Land, is on display on the second floor near Bar Louie through September 15.

InsideOut Land, Butts’ first 3D work, is a landscape of whimsy rooted in reality.

“I had been doing landscape paintings for a while,” he says. “I love trail running. A lot of my inspiration came from nature.”

Inspired may be the right word. Butts

doesn’t just represent his subjects, he breaths his own kind of life into them.

Under Butts’ brush, flowers sprout eyes. A piece of fruit grows legs and takes a walk. A bucolic scene may be possessed by The Lover, a Wookielike character who beams rainbows of love from his third eye, causing unicorn fish to rise happily from a pond.

Blades of grass squirm energetically, and the sun seems to pulse in the sky.

It was Butts’ fusion of nature and fantasy, in fact, that drew Taylor Bost-

wick, marketing director for Hamilton Place and Northgate Malls, to reach out to him about creating an installation in an empty storefront. Butts’ work is visible around town in murals from the Riverwalk to the Choo Choo.

“I wanted to do something cool and different, to attract a different crowd,” she says. “I also wanted to create something with a local flare, to speak to the ‘scenic city.’”

Butts had never done a 3D installation, but “I said yes,” he recalls, “and figured then I’d figure it out.”

Between the two of them, they conceived of InsideOut Land, a fantasy brought indoors, where Butts’ anthropomorphic concepts create a selfcontained world for mall guests. After an initial moment of panic, Butts says, he took to the project like a duck to water.

Assisted by Mont Overton, a coppersmith and mixed-media artist with experience in installations such as Wayne-o-Rama, Butts turned his heady plants and animals into a world you can walk right into.

Media for InsideOut Land is highly touchable, ranging from felt to pool noodles to long, wispy faux fur.

“I look at common house-hold objects and say, ‘I can make that into something, a skeleton or a sculp-

“

It’s a coherent, created world that the audience steps into for a few minutes and then returns as if from a visit to Wonderland.” ture,’” says Butts, who in his early days painted on found treasures from dumpster dives. For InsideOut Land, he combines those objects into animals and plants, wildly colored—everything from grass-green to blood red to cotton-candy pink—that seem to watch the viewer and beg to be spoken to.

The end result, while definitely curious, is not ad-hoc: it’s a coherent, created world that the audience steps into for a few minutes and then returns as if from a visit to Wonderland.

It’s funny, wacky even, but with a compelling undertone of mythopoeia.

“InsideOut Land should be attractive to people who attend events like Passageways, as well as incidental shoppers,” Bostwick says. “Hamilton Place and our area have a lot to offer.

“I want to continue to do new, exciting things. We are trying to get more local stuff in the mall, to provide space for local vendors who could benefit from our high traffic and high

sales volume. We are becoming a suburban town center—finding new ways to connect with people. InsideOut Land is part of that momentum.”

“The attraction is the cross-pollination,” Butts adds. “People who follow art, people who know nothing about art. People who love nature, people who know nothing about nature. Mall traffic with people who normally don’t go to the mall. Hopefully this will inspire people to be more curious about the city and what it has to offer.”

To visit InsideOut Land, you’ll need to buy a ticket through Eventbrite.

Guests are admitted in small groups, so the exhibit is never crowded. It’s just $10 per person, and the installation is open Monday–Saturday, noon–8 p.m. and Sunday, noon–5 p.m. For a sneak peak, check out insideoutland.com.

Find J. W. on Instagram at mute0n.

But maybe lock your credit card up first—his work is affordable, and it’s great.

THU8.8

FRI8.9

SAT8.10

Barrot Rendleman

Juried Members Show Opening Reception

Local Author Event

Spend an evening getting to know this talented local arist at the new home of Frequency Arts in North Chattanooga.

7 p.m.

Frequency Arts 516 Tremont St. facebook.com/frequencyarts

Local artists’ new and challenging work goes on display in the cuttingedge North Shore gallery.

6 p.m.

AVA Gallery 30 Frazier Ave. avarts.org

Come meet and learn about local authors Jean Davis, Joe Moore, David Brunsworth, and April Royer.

Noon Barnes & Noble 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd. barnesandnoble.com

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 33

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR THURSDAY8.8 Throwback Thursday 4 p.m.

Eastgate Branch Library 5705 Marlin Rd. (423) 643-7770 chattlibrary.org Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 5 p.m.

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

(423) 760-3600 huttonandsmithbrewing.com “African Americans: Representations in Advertising” Exhibit Open House & Reception 5:30 p.m.

Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org Alley Hour 5:30 p.m.

Cooper’s Alley 10 E. 7th St. Genderally Speaking: Introduction to Gender, Sexuality, & Everything in Between 6 p.m.

The Chattery at Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 521-2643 thechattery.org Amani Uganda Short Film Release 6:30 p.m.

Amani ya Juu 420 S. Willow St. (423) 531-6496 Big, Loud & Live 16 6:30 p.m.

AMC Chattanooga 18 5080 South Terrace fathomevents.com Barrot Rendleman 7 p.m.

Frequency Arts 516 Tremont St. facebook.com/frequencyarts Mutzie 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St.

34 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

(423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.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

FRIDAY8.9 Create & Color – Geometric Fox Plate 4 p.m.

The Pottery Place of Chattanooga 103 Cherokee Blvd.

(423) 385-8443 thepotteryplacechattanooga.com Beginner Macrame: Plant Hanger and Plant Swap 6 p.m.

The Chattery at Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 521-2643 thechattery.org Juried Members Show Opening Reception 6 p.m.

AVA Gallery 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-4282 avarts.org Sideshow Slideshow 7 p.m.

Stove Works 1265 E. 13th St. stoveworks.org ‘80s Themed Dance 7:30 p.m.

Brainerd United Methodist Church 4315 Brainerd Rd. chattanoogausadance.com Merengue Lesson & Dancing 7:30 p.m.

USA Dance 4315 Brainerd Rd. chattanoogausadance.com Mutzie

7:30, 9:45 The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Improv “Movie” Night Presents: Broadway on the Big Screen!

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 Willow Rae and Vivica C. Foxx 11 p.m.

The Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com

SATURDAY8.10 Fall into Fall 9 a.m.

Red Bank Methodist Church 3800 Dayton Blvd. knscraftshows.com FarleyCon 9 a.m.

East Ridge Community Center 1517 Tombras Ave. farleycon.com Chattanooga River Market 10 a.m.

Tennessee Aquarium Plaza 1 Broad St. publicmarkets.us Chip Carving Workshop with Daniel Clay

10 a.m.

Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. townsendatelier.com Watercolor Classes with Margaret Park 11 a.m.

Reflections Gallery 1635 Rossville Ave. (423) 892-3072 reflectionsgallerytn.com Pinhole Photography 101 11 a.m.

The Chattery at Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 521-2643 thechattery.org Local Author Event with Jean Davis, Joe Moore, David Brunsworth, & April Royer Noon Barnes & Noble 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd.

(423) 893-0186 barnesandnoble.com DIY Saturday Noon Amani ya Juu 420 S. Willow St. (423) 531-6496 Southern Author Book Signing with David Brunsworth 2 p.m.

Barnes & Noble 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd.

(423) 893-0186 barnesandnoble.com Intro to Brush Calligraphy 4 p.m.

Michael’s 600 Northgate Mall Dr. (423) 876-4395 michaels.com Get Your Hands Dirty 6 p.m.

Scenic City Clay Arts 301 E. 11th St. (423) 883-1758 sceniccityclayarts.org Build Your Own Terrarium 6:30 p.m.

Rustic Trading Co. 199 River St. (423) 888-1405 rustictradingco.com Art Show with Maggie Sanders & Hannah Watson

7 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. (423) 269-7979 wanderlinger.com Love, Loss, & What I Wore 7 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Center 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Mutzie 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 Whose Line Chattanooga 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY8.11 Chip Carving Workshop with Daniel Clay 10 a.m.

Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Chattanooga Market 12:30 p.m.

The Chattanooga Market 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Painting Party at Hutton & Smith 1 p.m.

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

(423) 760-3600 huttonandsmithbrewing.com Hello, Dolly! 50th Anniversary 1, 4 p.m.

AMC Chattanooga 18 5080 South Terrace fathomevents.com HOPE Film Screening 6 p.m.

Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org Mutzie 7:30 p.m.

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

MONDAY8.12 Summer Belly Dance Session 5:45 p.m.

Movement Arts Collective 3813 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 401-8115 movementartscollective.com Joggers & Lagers 6 p.m.

Chattanooga Brewing Co. 1804 Chestnut St. (423) 702-9958 chattabrew.com Venting & Gratitude: Journaling 101 6 p.m.

The Chattery at Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 521-2643 thechattery.org Wheel 2 with Loren Howard 6 p.m.

Scenic City Clay Arts 301 E. 11th St. (423) 883-1758 sceniccityclayarts.org Chattanooga Art Exchange 6:30 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. (423) 269-7979 wanderlinger.com Springsteen Fan Event: Blinded By the Light 7 p.m.

AMC Chattanooga 18 5080 South Terrace fathomevents.com River City Dance Club 7:45 p.m.

Peace Strength Yoga 3800 St. Elmo Ave. (813) 731-9581 rivercitydanceclub.com Comedy Open Mic Night

9 p.m.

The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy.

(423) 468-4192 thehonestpint.com

TUESDAY8.13 Archers + Aces: Adult Archery Noon Outdoor Chattanooga 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Chess K-night 5 p.m.

Mad Priest Coffee Roasters 1900 Broad St. (423) 393-3834 madpriestcoffee.com Quilting Series 101 5:30 p.m.

Bernina Sew N Quilt Studio 5950 Shallowford Rd. (423) 521-7231 berninaofchattanooga.com Tuesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m.

Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com Pour, Paint, & Play 6 p.m.

The Pottery Place of Chattanooga 103 Cherokee Blvd.

(423) 385-8443 thepotteryplacechattanooga.com Enneagram 101 6:30 p.m.

Edney Innovation Center 1100 Market St. (423) 799-0052 theedney.com Paths to Pints along the Riverwalk 6:30 p.m.

The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com Millenium Actress Remastered with English Sub 7 p.m.

AMC Chattanooga 18 5080 S. Terrace (423) 855-9652 amctheatres.com Millennium Actress

7 p.m.

AMC Chattanooga 18 5080 South Terrace fathomevents.com Improv Chattanooga 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 29 E. Station St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Poetry, Pups & Pints 7:30 p.m.

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

WEDNESDAY8.14 Hello, Dolly! 50th Anniversary Noon, 7 p.m.

AMC Chattanooga 18 5080 South Terrace fathomevents.com Main Street Market 4 p.m.

522 W. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com Silver Foxtrot 7:15 p.m.

Ballroom Magic Dance Center 4200 N. Access Rd. (423) 771-3646 ballroommagicdancecenter.com Chattanooga Film Festival Presents: Double Indemnity 7:30 p.m.

Miller Park 928 Market St. chattfilmfest.org Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 7:30 p.m.

The Bitter Alibi 825 Houston St. (423) 362-5070 thebitteralibi.com Gold Bolero 8 p.m.

Ballroom Magic Dance Center 4200 N. Access Rd. (423) 771-3646 ballroommagicdancecenter.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 35

THE MUSIC SCENE

Coming Together For Michael McDade Helping out one of the truly good ones A Night You Will Remember What’s better than burgers, beer, and your favorite local musicians? I’ll answer for you—nothing, because they’re all going to be in the same place. And yes, you read that correctly.

If you’re a Chattanooga local, chances are you have been to Tremont Tavern at least once. Their laid-back atmosphere makes it the perfect place for you to relax, order the best burger in town, and listen to music. Tremont is always bustling with families, young beer connoisseurs, and businesspeople alike. If you’re looking for the place where every distinctive personality fits in, look no further.

All of these factors make Tremont Tavern the ideal place to hold an event with the best singer/songwriters in our local area.

This Saturday at 9 p.m. Tremont is hosting their newest event, A Night to Remember: Songs in the Round. The featured performers are Amber Fults, Jordan Hallquist, Ryan Oyer, Danimal Planet, Paper Mache, Tiffany Taylor, Butch Ross, and Megan Howard.

If you’ve been meaning to support our local music scene, this is your chance. Each of these artists has an electric stage presence and an original sound. Make sure you get to Tremont early because this is bound to be the most popular live music event this Saturday. I’ll see you all at A Night to Remember. — Ensley McFarland

By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor

“

I’ve said it before, from personal experience our community takes care of its own.”

36 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Y

OU’D BE HARD PRESSED TO FIND A FRIENDLIER, more helpful, or more generally beloved figure in the local music scene than Michael McDade.

His own talent and career aside, Michael has done as much as anyone, and more than most, to foster a positive, uplifting, and nurturing spirit in the musical community.

The founder and host of numerous “Open Mic Nights” over the years, Michael has never hesitated to lend his skill, advice, support, and even his equipment to folks who could benefit from it. Never underestimate

the value of that, or take it for granted.

The music community in the place I grew up was nasty and backstabbing, the prevailing attitude at the time being that any gig someone else had is one you should have gotten, and it’s like that in a fair number of places.

That we have a scene in which musicians generally support one another (or at worst, fail to try and undercut

“

A stellar lineup of A-list local names have stepped up to volunteer for the Michael McDade Benefit Concert at Songbirds South on Thursday, Aug. 15th.” each other) is a gift.

Michael McDade is one of the people who’ve helped foster that. Indeed, there’s more than one popular and successful performer in the area who owes some of their success to his mentorship and support.

To say that Michael has a big heart is both an understatement and a hamfisted segue in to the point of today’s feature, namely that Michael recently had to undergo heart surgery.

He’s recovering well, but the state of healthcare being what it is in this country, coupled with the resources of a hardworking, dedicated, and selfless musician means that medical bills are monumental.

I’ve said it before, both from personal experience and from firsthand knowledge of other performers in need, our community takes care of its own. Michael being who he is, a stellar lineup of A-list local names have stepped up to volunteer for the Michael McDade Benefit Concert at

Songbirds South on Thursday, Augustw 15th.

The current lineup of luminaries features such well-known locals as Hara Paper, Butch Ross, Jennifer Daniels & Jeff Neal, Amber Fults, Lew Card, Jordan Hallquist, Ryan Oyer, Scarlet Love Conspiracy, The Rounders, and The Bohannons.

This would be a powerhouse lineup for a regional music festival, and it’s all for the sake of a treasured peer who, true to his nature, has managed to remain sunny and upbeat in the face of major surgery and the monstrous costs associated with it.

Tickets are available now through Eventbrite, and more information may be found at the Facebook event page, “Michael McDade Benefit”. Proceeds will help defray medical expenses until Michael can get back on his feet.

There’s no better opportunity to return the favor for a man who has given so much of himself to Chattanooga music.

Prepare To STOMP!

One of the hottest acts in Chattanooga has finished their first full-length album, ready for mass consumption on Thursday, August 15th.

Studio albums offer the greatest degree of control a performer can have over the final product. Multiple takes and edits, “fixing” software, the list goes on and all with the final result of a recording that is “clean” and as near perfect as is possible.

On the other hand, there is an ineffable quality to a live performance that no studio recording can ever hope to capture. It seems the Stompers have managed the best of both worlds with 9th Street Stompers…LIVE!, a recording that

evinces all the technical perfection of a studio album with the energy and “you are there” of a live performance.

Make no mistake, it wasn’t studio tricks that created such a pure sound, it was the unmatchable discipline of a band who takes their music seriously, delivering Zappalike quality in a charming, “Well, how do you do?” format.

Next week’s feature will be dedicated to an in-depth review of the eleven tracks on this album, some new, some old favorites, but for now know that a group that has garnered critical praise and adoring fans from day one has seriously outdone themselves with this latest and greatest release. — MTM

THU8.8

FRI8.9

SAT8.10

Wendy Eisenberg & Shane Parish

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Behold the Brave, Psychic Dungeon

A dynamic evening of innovative solos and duets from a pair of guitar masters.

7:30 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org

If B.B. King and Duane Allman were combined into one teen guitarist, this would be the result.

9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co

Saturday night may not be for fighting anymore, but it's definitely the night for some serious rock-n-roll.

9 p.m.

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

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 37

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR THURSDAY8.8 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m.

St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Jeff White 6 p.m.

1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Danimal & Friends 6 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Open Mic Thursday 6 p.m.

Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. stonecupcafe.com Thursday Night Jazz 6 p.m.

The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Open Mic Thursday 6 p.m.

Stone Cup Cafe 208 Frazier Ave. stonecupcafe.com Dustin Concannon 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Bluegrass and Country Jam 6:30 p.m.

Graze Nazarene Church 6310 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 842-5919 Katrina Barclay 7 p.m.

Charlie’s BBQ & Bakery 2309 E. Main St. (423) 541-1500 Toby Hewitt 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Webb Barringer 7 p.m.

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

The Spot 1800 E. Main St.

38 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

spotvenue.co Joel Harris, Earl Brackin, Ben Vanderhart 7 p.m.

Heritage House Arts & Civic Center 1428 Jenkins Rd. chattanooga.gov Nicholas Edward Williams 7 p.m.

Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. reflectionriding.org Courtney Holder 7:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Bluegrass Thursdays 7:30 p.m.

The FEED Co. Table and Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Wendy Eisenberg & Shane Parish 7:30 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Jesse Jungkurth & Friends 7:30 p.m.

Mexi-Wing VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. (423) 296-1073 Get The Led Out 8:30 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Open Mic Night with Jonathan Wimpee

9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com

FRIDAY8.9 Summer Music Weekends 8:30 a.m.

Rock City Gardens 1400 Patten Rd. seerockcity.com Binji Varsossa 6 p.m.

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

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Front Country 7 p.m.

Miller Plaza 850 Market St. nightfallchattanooga.com Tim Lewis 7 p.m.

El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Paul Childers 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Lew Card 7:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar

801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Cody James Harris 7:30 p.m.

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

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com Christone “Kingfish” Ingram 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Zach Ryan 9 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Jason Lyles 9 p.m.

The FEED Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Joe Finkle & The 7/10 Splits 9 p.m.

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Step Sisters, Lewis & Clark 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Hit Town 10 p.m.

Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd.

PULSE PICK: LIVE MUSIC SPOTLIGHT The Mighty Pines are a soulinspired roots rock band influenced by the wide rivers and red-brick streets of St. Louis. With soaring vocals and thoughtful composition, the two principle songwriters shift the band’s sound from catchy rock ‘n’ roll to earthy instrumentals.

The Mighty Pines Saturday, 7 p.m.

Ross’s Landing 201 Riverfront Pkwy. riverfrontnights.com

budssportsbar.com

SATURDAY8.10 Summer Music Weekends 8:30 a.m.

Rock City Gardens 1400 Patten Rd. seerockcity.com Travis Bowlin 12:30 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium Plaza 1 Broad St. publicmarkets.us E.T. 2 p.m.

River Drifters 1925 Suck Creek Rd. riverdrifterschatt.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 Mighty Pines, Kapo 7 p.m.

Ross’s Landing 201 Riverfront Pkwy. riverfrontnights.com Jason Lyles 7 p.m.

Slick’s Burgers 309 E. Main St. slicksburgers.com Emerald Butler 7 p.m.

Edley’s Bar-B-Que 205 Manufacturers Rd. edleysbbq.com The Levitical Task, KOZA, Ten Year Flood 7 p.m.

The Spot 1800 E. Main St. spotvenue.co Shannon McNeal 7 p.m.

Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. 431 E. MLK Blvd. huttonandsmithbrewing.com Jill Colucci 7 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Forever Bluegrass

7 p.m.

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

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

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com ExLaws 7:30 p.m.

Gate 11 Distillery 1400 Market St. gate11distillery.com Tyson Leamon 7:30 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com 1964: The Tribute 8 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com Tourist Trap, Sammy David 8 p.m.

Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Sistren 8 p.m.

The Woodshop 5500 St. Elmo Ave. thewoodshop.space Soda Stereo Memorial Tribute 8 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Stringer’s Ridge 8:30 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Songs in the Round 9 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com SLZSLZ 9 p.m.

Mayo’s Bar and Grill 3820 Brainerd Rd. mayosbarandgrill.com Josiah & the Greater Good 9 p.m.

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com The Pickup Lions 9 p.m.

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

Sky Zoo 5709 Lee Hwy. (423) 521-2966 Behold the Brave, Psychic Dungeon, Chico 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Hit Town 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY8.11 Summer Music Weekends 8:30 a.m.

Rock City Gardens 1400 Patten Rd. seerockcity.com The Honey Badgers 11 a.m.

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

The Edwin Hotel 102 Walnut St. theedwinhotel.com Andy Dailey 11 a.m.

Westin Chattanooga 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com New Grass Express 11:30 a.m.

The Chattanooga Market 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Jeff and Hayden Noon 1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Danimal and Friends 12:30 p.m.

The Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St.

feedtableandtavern.com Lou Wamp & The Bluetastics 1 p.m.

The Chattanooga Market 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com The Briars 1:30 p.m.

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

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Lone Mountain Band 2:30 p.m.

Collegedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. publicmarkets.us 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

MONDAY8.12 Pop Evil 4 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Open Air with Jessica Nunn 6 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Anemic Royalty 7 p.m.

The Spot 1800 E. Main St. spotvenue.co Blues Night Open Jam 7 p.m.

Songbirds South 41 Station St. songbirdsguitars.co Open Mic Night 7 p.m.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 39

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR Fiddler’s Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 994-7497 Very Open Mic with Shawnessey Cargile 8 p.m.

The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com Black Magic Flower Power, Silver Tongue Devils 9 p.m.

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

TUESDAY8.13 Mahagi LaCure Noon City Hall 101 E. 11th St. (423) 643-6311 chattanooga.gov Mark Andrew 6 p.m.

1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Acoustic Bohemian Night 6:30 p.m.

Mexi-Wing 9 6925 Shallowford Rd. (423) 468-3366 Danimal 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com No Good Deeds 7 p.m.

Charlie’s BBQ & Bakery 2309 E. Main St. (423) 541-1500 Space Jam Open Mic with Xll Olympians 7 p.m.

Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Maria Sable 7:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Live Jam Session with Freddy Mc & Friends 8 p.m.

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

40 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Faux Bois 9 p.m.

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

WEDNESDAY8.14 Zech Dallas 6 p.m.

1885 Grill 3914 St. Elmo Ave. 1885grill.com Papa Sway 7 p.m.

River Drifters 1925 Suck Creek Rd. riverdrifterschatt.com Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Alan Shikoh 7 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Open Mic & Jam Night 7 p.m.

WanderLinger Brewing Co. 1208 King St. wanderlinger.com Gino Fanelli 7:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Priscilla & Little Rickee 8 p.m.

Las Margaritas 1101 Hixson Pike (423) 756-3332 Fable Cry, You Bred Raptors, Genki Genki Panic 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Rough Work 9 p.m.

The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse. com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

ERNIE PAIK’S RECORD REVIEWS

New Music From Magma, Seth Graham

Magma Zëss: Le Jour Du Néant (Seventh)

Seth Graham Hint (Mondoj)

L

“Zuehl”, which inspired several French and Japanese bands (most notably the ferocious Japanese outfit Ruins) but also created its own language, Kobaïan, and sci-fi mythology which initially concerned people who escaped Earth to seek refuge on the planet Kobaïa.

Prog-rock fans might be Magma’s most receptive audience, but the group’s style leans heavily on dramatic choral movements (think “O Fortuna” from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana) more in the realm of opera and classical music.

Complicating matters further, Magma also is inspired by saxophonist John Coltrane and avant-garde jazz, with some solos being delirious, free-jazz flights and some vocal passages with jazzy scat-esque singing.

This may sound like it could be a ridiculous mess—and

ately, this writer’s two most frequently uttered phrases are, delivered with wildly varying degrees of sincerity depending on the situation, “Everything’s going to be okay,” and “We’re doomed.”

In line with the latter sentiment is the new album Zëss from the French progressive rock band Magma, which according to band founder and percussionist/vocalist Christian Vander is “the story of the end of everything...absolute oblivion, like a dreamless night”; its translated subtitle Le Jour Du Néant means “the day of nothingness,” and with its elegant, apocalyptic intensity, it delivers on its promise.

While Zëss is about the end of time, it also marks time, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Magma and its unique creative vision. Magma not only made its own genre,

surely it has provoked more than a few “WTF” reactions— but it’s music that is so well orchestrated and executed that one can’t deny its purity of vision.

Although Zëss was first conceived in 1977 and first performed live in 1979, it took over 40 years for Magma to complete the project and record a studio version, accompanied by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. A minimal bass line and piano riff acts as the railroad track for much of the album, while spoken narrations and odd scatting set the scene.

The album unfolds over 38 minutes, with mounting intensity with vocals and strings in tight unison and brass counterpoint; finally, the crowded piece reaches its maximum capacity as a climax is reached, suddenly shifting to a peaceful cool-down coda, as if to say, “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s all over.”

D

ayton, Ohio musician Seth Graham is also known as a co-founder of the record label Orange Milk, and this writer has a high amount of confidence that in the future, at least one doctoral candidate will submit a dissertation about a musical aesthetic (and consistent visual aesthetic, on cover art) currently promoted

by D.I.Y. tape labels like Or-

ange Milk, Hausu Mountain, and Haord Records.

This critic has previously described the aesthetic as the aural equivalent of the insane, glitchy Adult Swim television show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! While there’s great variation between the artists in this broad category, generally this material can be weird, playful, intense and sometimes obnoxious, changing constantly and seemingly for people with short attention spans; there’s a heavy use of electronics and samples, sometimes going into vaporwave (retro ‘80s new wave elevator music) territory.

Knowing that, hearing the new EP Hint from Graham is a bit of a surprise, since there’s a prominent use of space in it, where he doesn’t feel the need to cram a million ideas into every second, and it’s actually released on the Polish label Mondoj, rather than his own.

Graham’s music has been called “blue-collar musique concrète”, referring to the music form that emerged in mid-20th-century France using pre-recorded sounds and taperecording technology, and perhaps the “blue-collar” aspect of it means that Graham intentionally doesn’t employ the compositional rigor, along the lines of modern classical music, that musique concrète forebears like Pierre Schaeffer,

Luc Ferrari, and Pierre Henry used.

About Hint, Graham has said, “I wanted the creation of tracks to be pure joy, by not overthinking and collaborating with friends,” and knowing this, his collage of varied sounds seems to capture the intuitive nature of improvised music, where split-second decisions are made, but using the methodical processes of a computer-based editing system.

One collaboration is “Pierre / Ruby”, with the Austin, Texas musician More Eaze (a.k.a.

Marcus Maurice), and it’s an oddly nourishing track with swelling strings and pizzicato plucks, plus an auto-tuned, fluttering voice that resembles GLaDOS from the video game Portal.

The other collaboration is “Black / Yellow” with Koeosaeme (a.k.a. Japanese artist Ryu Yoshizawa), which is more along the lines of the expected Orange Milk madness, with a chaotic, in-your-face jumble of sounds, like scratchy violins, synthetic splatters, haunted voices, and sinister tones.

The EP ends with the calming and welcoming ambient track “Love”, and while Hint may not be as dense and manically overloaded as other kindred releases, it actually might be one of the best (i.e. not immediately off-putting) introductions to the aesthetic for newcomers.

Follow The Pulse on Facebook Follow The Pulse on Facebook (we’re quite likeable) (we're really quite likeable)

Follow The Pulse on Facebook (we’re quite likeable)

www.facebook.com/chattanoogapulse

www.facebook.com/chattanoogapulse Follow The Pulse on Facebook (we’re quite likeable)

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 41

www.facebook.com/chattanoogapulse

FILM & TELEVISION

Exploring A Targeted Marketing Monster The Great Hack takes a hard look at social media

The Unstoppable Dolly Levi One of the mainstays of American cinema through most of the mid-20th century was the extravagant movie musical.

And while there are a few musicals on the cineplex these days—the recent Elton John biopic Rocket Man, for example—it’s been a while since we’ve had an “OMG it’s a MUSICAL!” type of film for the entire family to enjoy.

Which is why it’s exciting to see one of the all-time greatest movie musicals back on the big screen this Sunday as Hello, Dolly! celebrates its 50th anniversary with a Technicolor masterpiece the way it was meant to be seen.

Matchmaker Dolly Levi, portrayed by the legendary Barbra Streisand, travels to Yonkers to find a partner for “half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder, an equally compelling Walter Matthau, convincing his niece, his niece’s intended, and his two clerks to travel to New York City along the way.

Directed by the one and only Gene Kelly, Hello, Dolly! won three Academy Awards and was nominated for a slew of other awards.

And while some modern critics have cast aspersions at the film, it’s a reminder of an almost forgotten era of big-budget mainstream movie musical extravaganzas.

See it this Sunday at 1 p.m. at Hamilton Place 8 and at both 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at East Ridge 18. — Michael Thomas

By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor

“

The world is filling up with problems that are too big to face, too polarizing to discuss, too terrifying to consider.”

42 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

L

AST YEAR, IN THE FILM SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, A character states: “If you show a person a problem and they have no idea how to control it, they just learn to ignore it.” In the wake of two different mass shootings within forty-eight hours, I can’t get this idea out of my head.

We can’t seem to grasp the gravity of these events, their causes, their solutions, or their impact on the psyche of the nation. Every time this happens, people retreat into their respective corners, shout the same talking points, and eventually forget about it for a time.

I know where I am on the issue. I know how my ideas are perceived.

I know bringing them up in mixed company brings about alienation.

So I try to leave it alone. I’m not convincing anyone of anything.

The world is filling up with problems that are too big to face, too

polarizing to discuss, too terrifying to consider. Climate change. White privilege. Social media. That last one didn’t seem scary when it first became popular.

Facebook was a place to learn about your friends, find a few new ones, and share pictures of your vacation. It’s still those things, but over the past fifteen years, it has also turned into something much more insidious. Our constant connection has opened a Pandora’s box of influence that has the power to subjugate democracies around the globe.

The Great Hack, a new documen-

tary film on Netflix, is an examination of just one scandal that shows the very real danger behind our constant connection to each other.

It’s no secret that data is the most profitable part of the internet economy. Every person in the world, assuming they are connected to Facebook or Google or Twitter, has an inherent value to advertising companies.

Our preferences and clicks and information, which are given away freely, allow advertisers to tailor campaigns specific to our tastes and convince us to buy certain products.

It seems harmless—we’ve been advertised to all our lives, and we’ve learned to ignore a lot of it.

But there’s a sinister side to all this data collection, as revealed by the Cambridge Analytica scandal in the U.K. The Great Hack follows three people as they explore the very dangerous issues surrounding privacy: David Carroll, a professor on a quest to reclaim his data from companies like Cambridge Analytica, Carole Cadwalladr, the reporter for The Observer who broke the story about the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal, and Brittany Kaiser, a whistleblower and former American executive at Cambridge Analytica

“

If we don’t do something about Cambridge Analytica and companies like them, it’s possible that we will never had free and fair elections again.” who had access to the upper echelons of the company and worked for some of their most notorious clients, including the 2016 Trump campaign.

The findings of the documentary are far too complex to get into here. Cambridge Analytica had their fingers in dozens upon dozens of political campaigns around the world.

From Malaysia to the United States, the company had the capability of targeting political ads to specific individuals, those that are identified as able to be influenced, and bombarding them with specific emotional messaging that might cause them to support one side in a tight race.

The company went so far as to create what appeared to be an organic, grassroots campaign aimed at Malaysian youth to discourage them from voting. It worked. As I mentioned, the company was linked to the 2016 Trump campaign. It was linked to the Leave campaign for the Brexit vote. Sev-

eral of these techniques are revealed through actual recordings of Cambridge Analytica executives as they try to sell their company to new clients.

Brittany Kaiser, the whistleblower in the film, testifies under oath that the technology used is classified as “weapons grade” communications that was unleashed on the general public.

And yet, not much has been made of Cambridge Analytica and their exploits here in the states.

We’ve focused so heavily on the Russian manipulation of our elections that we’ve ignored other kinds, kinds that are just as concerning. Carole Cadwalladr even warns that if we don’t do something about Cambridge Analytica and companies like them, it’s possible that we will never had free and fair elections again.

It’s the very type of problem that seems too big to control. It’s not one that we can risk ignoring. Everyone should watch The Great Hack. Not enough will.

✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴

Dora and the Lost City of Gold Dora, a teenage explorer, leads her friends on an adventure to save her parents and solve the mystery behind a lost city of gold.

Director: James Bobin Stars: Isabela Moner, Q'orianka Kilcher, Benicio Del Toro, Eva Longoria

The Kitchen The wives of New York gangsters in Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s continue to operate their husbands' rackets after they're locked up in prison.

Director: Andrea Berloff Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Melissa McCarthy, Domhnall Gleeson, Tiffany Haddish

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 43

The List

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): It’s time for your once-a-year shout-out to your most audacious possibilities.

Ready? Go ahead and say, “Hallelujah!

Hosanna! Happiness! Hooray for my brilliant future!” Next, go ahead and say, “I have more than enough power to create my world in the image of my wisest dreams.” Now do a dance of triumph and whisper to yourself, “I’m going to make very sure I always know exactly what my wisest dreams are.”

ROB BREZSNY

The Scourge Of The Night Ask just about anyone if they snore and chances are they’ll say they don’t. Or if they admit to it, they’ll say they don’t do it very loudly or very often.

Fact check: unless you record yourself at night or have someone sleeping next to you, you likely have no idea.

Our friends at the Statistic Brain Research Institute put their nightcaps on and braved the overnight hours in the name of science.

• Percent of people age 30 and older who snore: 30% • Percent of people age 40 and older who snore: 40% • Percent of women who snore: 19% • Percent of people who say their partner snores: 59% • Percent of children who snore: 5.6% • Percent of people who snore who also experience sleep apnea: 28% • Average decibel level of a snore: 38 decibels Basically, lots of us snore. And chances are you do, too. And while we're on the subject of sleep, stop stealing the covers!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I am overjoyed that you’re not competing for easy rewards or comparing yourself to the mediocre crowd. Some people in your sphere may not be overjoyed, though. To those whose sense of self isn’t strong, you may be like an itchy allergen; they may accuse you of showing off or acting puffed up.

But freaks like me appreciate creative egotists like you when you treat your personality as a work of art. In my view, you’re a stirring example of how to be true to one’s smartest passions. Keep up the good work!

Continue to have too much fun! I’m guessing that for now you can get away with doing just about anything you want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): During the next three weeks, I advise you to load up on copious amounts of caffeine from Monday at 8 a.m. until Friday at 6 p.m. Then drastically cut back on the coffee and consume large amounts of alcohol and/or marijuana from 6:01 p.m. on Friday through 6 p.m. on Sunday. This is the ideal recipe for success. JUST KIDDING! I lied.

Here’s the truth, Sagittarius: Astrological indicators suggest you would benefit from making the coming weeks be the most undrugged, alcohol-free time ever. Your potential for achieving natural highs will be extraordinary, as will your potential to generate crucial breakthroughs while enjoying those natural highs. Take advantage!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Let’s enjoy a moment of poignant silence in honor of your expired illusions. They were soulful mirages: full of misplaced idealism and sweet ignorance and innocent misunderstandings. Generous in ways you may not yet realize, they exuded an agitated beauty that aroused both courage and resourcefulness.

Now, as those illusions dissolve, they will begin to serve you anew, turning into fertile compost for your next big production.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I don’t presume you should or will gleefully embrace the assignment I’ll propose.

The task may indeed be too daunting for you to manage right now. If that’s the case, don’t worry. You’ll get another chance in a few months. But if you are indeed ready for a breathtaking challenge, here it is: Be a benevolent force of wild nature; be a tender dispenser of creative destruction; be a bold servant of your soulful dreams—as you demolish outmoded beliefs and structures that have been keeping a crucial part of your vitality shackled and latent.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Old rules and traditions about how best to conduct intimate relationship are breaking down. New rules are still incubating. Right now, the details about how people express their needs to give and receive love seem to be riddles for which there are no correct answers. So what do you do? How do you proceed with the necessary blend of confidence and receptivity? Can you figure out flexible strategies for being true both to your need for independence and your need for interdependence? I bring these ruminations to your attention, Libra, just in time for the “Transforming Togetherness” phase of your cycle.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I have cast a feisty love spell that will be triggered in anyone who reads the first line of this horoscope. And since you have done that, you are now becoming even smarter than you already were about getting the most out of your intimate alliances. You’re primed to experiment with the delights of feeling with your head and thinking with your heart. Soon you’ll be visited by revelations about any unconscious glitches that might be subtly undermining your togetherness, and you’ll get good ideas about how to correct those glitches. Astrological rhythms will be flowing in your relationships’ favor for the next seven weeks!

44 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Homework: Make a playful effort to change something you’ve always assumed you could never change.

FreeWillAstrology.com PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I estimate that about 25 percent of your fear results from your hesitation to love as deeply and openly and bravely as you could. Another 13 percent originates in an inclination to mistake some of your teachers for adversaries, and 21 percent from your reluctance to negotiate with the misunderstood monsters in your closet. But I suspect that fully 37 percent of your fear comes from the free-floating angst that you telepathically absorb from the other 7.69 billion humans on our planet. So what about the remaining four percent? Is that based on real risks and worth paying attention to? Yes! And the coming weeks will be an excellent time to make progress in diminishing its hold on you.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): When it came time to write your horoscope, I was feeling unusually lazy. I could barely summon enough energy to draw up the planetary charts. I said a weak prayer to the astrological muses, pleading, “Please don’t make me work too hard to discover the message that Aries people need to hear; just make the message appear in my mind.” As if in response, a voice in my head said, “Try bibliomancy.” So I strolled to my bookcase, shut my eyes, pulled out the first book I felt, and went to a random page. Here’s what I saw when I opened my eyes: “The Taoist concept of wu-wei is the notion that our creative active forces are dependent on and nourished by inactivity; and that doing absolutely nothing may be a good way to get something done.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): There’s an old Rosicrucian vow you might have fun trying out: “I pledge to interpret every experience that comes my way as a communication of God with my soul.” If you carry out this intention with relaxed playfulness, every bird song you hear is an emblem of Divine thought; every eavesdropped conversation provides hints of the Creator’s current mood; the shape that spilled milk takes on your tabletop is an intimation of eternity breaking into our

time-gripped realm. In my years of offering you advice, I have never before suggested you try this exercise because I didn’t think you were receptive. But I do now. (If you’re an atheist, you can replace “God,” “Divine,” and “Creator” with “Life.”)

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Below are unheralded gifts possessed by many Geminis but not commonly identified by traditional astrologers: 1. a skill for deprogramming yourself: for unlearning defunct teachings that might otherwise interfere with your ability to develop your highest potentials; 2. a sixth sense about recognizing artificial motivations, then shedding them; 3. a tendency to attract epiphanies that show you why and how to break taboos that may once have been necessary but aren’t any longer; 4. an ability to avoid becoming overwhelmed and controlled by situations you manage or supervise.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In 1993, I began writing a book titled "The Televisionary Oracle". By 1995, I had generated over 2,000 pages of material that I didn’t like. Although I was driven by a yearning to express insights that had been welling up in me for a long time, nothing about the work felt right. I was stuck. But finally I discovered an approach that broke me free: I started to articulate difficult truths about aspects of my life about which I was embarrassed, puzzled, and ashamed. Then everything fell into place. The process that had been agonizing and fruitless became fluidic and joyful. I recommend that you try this strategy to dissolve any mental blocks you may be suffering from: dive into and explore what makes you feel ashamed, puzzling, or embarrassed. I bet it will lead to triumph and fulfillment, as happened for me.

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

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

EDITOONS

“Kickin’ It Around”—visualize your goals.

ACROSS 1 Door piece 5 “Good Eats” host Brown 10 Geometric art style 14 Miscellany 15 Jordan heard in “Toy Story 4” 16 Island WNW of Molokai 17 Speedometer locations 19 Sandpaper grade 20 Song starter 21 Oktoberfest snack 23 Language suffix 24 2006 Nintendo debut 26 High-priced Japanese beef 29 Part of the French Revolution noted for guillotines 34 Brad’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” costar 35 New Zealander, informally 36 Workout unit 37 Corner office occupant 40 Pageant wear

42 Kiddo 43 Waze, for one 44 ___ Bizkit 45 Intelligencegathering org.

47 Cheerleader’s equivalent to “jazz hands” 51 Willamette University locale 52 Positive vote 53 “Barry” network 56 Canadian beer orders 60 Word after trade or credit 62 Pro sports org. with teams whose names begin the four theme entries 64 Annual June celebration 66 Leave suddenly 67 Like almost all music 68 ___ noire (fearsome thing) 69 Overly ornate 70 “Thong Song” performer 71 Georgia used to be part of it

DOWN 1 “Hotel Artemis” star Foster 2 Alda and Arkin, for two 3 Title that’s usually abbreviated 4 1922 physics Nobelist Niels 5 GI’s address 6 “___ lizards!” (comment from Annie) 7 Oreg., formerly 8 “Ye” follower, sometimes 9 Fit like Russian dolls 10 Folded-over page corner 11 Tea flavored with bergamot 12 Life force 13 On loan 18 Ziggy Stardust’s alter ego 22 Two, to Tom Tykwer 25 Outfielder’s yell 27 Part of NYSE 28 Instinctive impulse 30 Golfer Ernie 31 Giraffe-like creature 32 Christmas tree type 33 Like some

country songs 37 Les Claypool’s instrument 38 “___ Gangnam style ...”

39 Tells a secret 41 Global currency org.

42 Steamrolled stuff 44 Life partner?

46 No-___ (gnat) 48 “Are you kidding me?”

49 Where Microsoft trades 50 Polishes 54 Bertie ___ Every Flavour Beans (“Harry Potter” candy) 55 “___ Majesty’s Secret Service” 57 Units with nos.

58 “Star Trek” counselor Deanna 59 Sardine containers 61 Celebrity chef Matsuhisa, or his restaurant 62 Pelicans’ gp.

63 Kids’ card game for two 65 “Xanadu” group, initially

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. 948 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 45

FOOD & DRINK · SUSHI & BISCUITS

Crimes Against Couscous Are you a dump-and-boil culprit? Stop it. Please. We beg you.

E Mike McJunkin Pulse columnist

“

Couscous is eaten by more than 100 million people worldwide and is a cornerstone of North African cuisine, but here in North America we’ve been misled and underinformed.”

Mike McJunkin is a native Chattanoogan who has traveled abroad extensively, trained chefs, and owned and operated restaurants. Join him on Facebook at facebook.com/SushiAndBiscuits

verything you know about couscous is wrong. Well, maybe not absolutely everything, but I think it’s safe to say that if your only exposure to couscous is dumping a box of white mystery-beads and a flavor packet into boiling water— most of what you know about couscous is wrong.

Let’s take a moment to figure out exactly what couscous is and why you should ignore the instructions on the side of the box to prevent these criminally negligent manufacturers from encouraging you to commit any further crimes against our beloved couscous.

Couscous is not a grain. Couscous is not (technically) pasta.

Couscous is eaten by more than 100 million people worldwide and is a cornerstone of North African cuisine, but here in North America we’ve been misled and underinformed. In spite of couscous being sold alongside the rice, quinoa, and other grains at the supermarket, it is not a whole grain. Although well-intentioned folks describe couscous as pasta since it’s made from ground semolina and water, it’s technically not pasta either.

So what is it?

Couscous is made by sprinkling semolina (a type of flour made from durum wheat, sometimes called “pasta wheat”) with water and rolling it to form small beads that are then sprinkled with dry flour and sifted to keep them separate.

Pasta dough is kneaded to develop gluten and build its resilience, in part so it won’t turn to mush when boiled. (More about boiling couscous in a minute.)

Couscous dough isn’t kneaded like conventional pasta dough, and the flour coating also means it’s not just simply a grain either.

Ignore the directions on the side of the box Yes, you read that right; ignore the directions on the side of the box. Pouring couscous granules into boiling water

46 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 8, 2019 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

and letting them soak for five minutes should be prohibited by law, except in cases of severe hardship or if you’re simply trying to demonstrate the perfect technique for ruining couscous.

Sure, soaked couscous will be edible; well-done steaks are “edible” too. But if you steam and fluff couscous the traditional way, the granules will absorb a lot more moisture, creating more volume, fragrance, and giving your couscous a dramatically softer texture— like millions of tiny jewels, instead of a plateful of lumpy, wet sand.

Any couscous you find in the supermarket can be steamed, even if it’s being sold as instant. Traditionally, Berber nomads would steam couscous in twigs and reeds that were woven together and placed over a pot of stew that was then served over or alongside the couscous.

If you’re a couscous connoisseur, you might want to invest in a couscoussière, a double-boiler that cooks the stew in a lower pan while steaming the couscous in the top pan.

If you don’t have a couscoussière lying around, you can use a stockpot and a colander as long as the colander fits snugly inside the pot so steam can’t escape around the edges (you want to make sure the steam rises through the couscous). Seal the space between the colander and the pot with damp cheesecloth, bread dough, or strips of wet paper towel rolled up and placed in the gap.

Couscous has a nutty, sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with stews, braises, and grilled or roasted veggies. As an introduction, search your favorite recipe site for “Moroccan couscous” and find a recipe that suits you—just whatever you do, for the love of God, don’t dump your couscous in water.

STEAMED COUSCOUS • 1 1/3 cups of couscous • 1 cup water + water for steaming • 1 Tbsp olive oil • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter • Salt Spread dry couscous out evenly on a large-rimmed baking sheet, carefully pour the water over the couscous and stir with your hands. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Using your fingers, break up the clumps that will have formed, then add a tablespoon of olive oil.

Place a sieve filled with the dampened grains over two inches of water, bring to a simmer, and steam with no lid for 15 minutes. Transfer the couscous back to the sheet pan and let it cool.

Again, break up any clumps and add another 1/4 cup of water. Return the couscous to the pot and steam for another 20 minutes.

Remove the cooked couscous from the pot and fluff it one final time, then add a tablespoon of butter, salt to taste, and serve.

Steamed couscous should quadruple in volume, giving you approximately 4x more cooked couscous than what you started with.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE PULSE • 47