The Pulse 13.24 » June 16, 2016

JUNE 16, 2016

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

COVER STORY

THE ART OF THE LIVING CANVAS

SOME OF THE CITY'S BEST TALK ABOUT THE ALLURE AND ACCEPTANCE OF BODY ART

by Tony Mraz

MUSIC

ART

SCREEN

DALLAS HOLLOW

DANCE LOVE

A LOST WORLD

METALBILLY WEAVE

WARCRAFT

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CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Gary Poole Editorial Assistant Brooke Dorn

Contents

June 16, 2016 Volume 13, Issue 24

Music Editor Marc T. Michael Film Editor John DeVore Contributors Rich Bailey • Rob Brezsny Steven W. Disbrow • Matt Jones Tony Mraz • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib • Jenn Webster Editorial Intern Hillary Eames

Features

Cartoonists Max Cannon • Rob Rogers Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow

4 BEGINNINGS: Time to share your skills in our Short Short Story Contest.

Cover Photo J. Luesma FOUNDED 2003 BY ZACHARY COOPER & MICHAEL KULL

ADVERTISING

Director of Sales Mike Baskin Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Linda Hisey Rick Leavell • John Rodriguez Stacey Tyler • Logan Vandergriff

CONTACT

Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Website chattanoogapulse.com Email info@chattanoogapulse.com BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher & President Jim Brewer II 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 © 2016 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.

8

The Art of the Living Canvas

One of humanity’s greatest artistic traditions is seeing a major resurgence here in the Scenic City, where the ink is as beautiful as the vistas. The practice of tattooing has a rich history that permeates through every culture in the world.

10

Weaving the Dream of Dance

WEAVE is a relatively new dance company to Chattanooga, founded in 2013, that performs in a style fusing elements of ballet, hip hop, modern dance and jazz into a unique contemporary idiom. Nomadic for some time, they now have their own studio home on Brainerd Road.

14

Rockabilly Meets Metal

7 JUST A THEORY: Furthering our expanding understanding of the Universe.

11 ARTS CALENDAR 16 MUSIC CALENDAR 18 REVIEWS: Greenberger gathers together stories of the aged, Aaron & Brochu get unsettled with sounds.

19 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY 19 JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

Is it a large town? Is it a small city? What exactly is Chattanooga, relatively speaking? I came here from Louisville, Kentucky over twenty years ago and there is no question, Chattanooga is smaller than the place I left (about half the size, population-wise) but after two decades I don’t know that one could fairly call Chattanooga small.

20 SCREEN: Can a world-spanning, uttlery immersive video game make the jump to film success?

23 TECH TALK: Gig Tank startup plays matchmaker for talent and jobs.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JUNE 16, 2016 • THE PULSE • 3

BEGINNINGS

NEWS • VIEWS • RANTS • RAVES

UPDATES » CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM FACEBOOK/CHATTANOOGAPULSE EMAIL LOVE LETTERS, ADVICE & TRASH TALK TO INFO@CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Can You Write A Short Short Story?

Time to share your skills in our 7th Annual Short Short Story Contest Seven years ago, we here at The And now we are pleased to anPulse had an idea: let's start a connounce that we are soliciting new test to collect the best short stories works for our Seventh Annual Short written by local writShort contest. ers. With one caveat: The premise is it had to be a really simple: it can be any short story. As in, 500 topic, fiction or nonwords or less. fiction. The only reGARY POOLE If you've ever tried quirements are that it to tell a story in less than 500 words, be 500 words or less, must be origiyou realize it is quite a challenge. nal, and cannot have been previThat said, we were very pleased to ously published anywhere else. see dozens of writers submit a fanOnce you finish your story, all tastic collection of pieces, which you have to do is send it to us at made our job to pick the winners creative@chattanoogapulse.com much harder than anticipated. (we prefer .doc or .txt files, but This was a good thing. can open most common files).

WRITING

Deadline for entries is Wednesday, June 29th (though earlier is always appreciated to give us time to read everything without being snowed under, so to speak).

We have put together a team of judges—including past contest winners—that will read each submission. Once the votes are tabulated, we will publish the top three entries plus however many honorable mentions we can fit in print for that issue, which will be published in the July 7th issue of The Pulse.

And, yes, we will also be putting together a nice prize package for the winners.

Because we like giving stuff away.

Which brings me to advice time. Having been a writer and editor myself for nearly 30 years, I have picked up a lot of tips and tricks over the years. Some of which have even worked.

And the best advice I have ever been given is, “just write.”

Simply put, open your laptop, sit down in front of your desktop, pull out a pen and a stack of paper, or however you like to write, and start writing. Don't worry if it's any good, don't worry about grammar and suchlike, just write until you finish (and yes, finishing is just as important as starting). Once you finish,

then is the time to go back and edit for things like grammar—and also to see if your story makes any sense and is any good.

The next best piece of advice I've ever been given is to then have someone else, someone whose opinion you trust (and whom you trust to be honest with you), read it with a critical eye. In the professional writing world, these are known as “first readers” and are absolutely critical.

Lastly, the third best piece of advice I've received was to then submit the work. Stories are like children: once you've created them and let them grow, you need to set them free into the big wide world for all to meet and (hopefully) appreciate.

So, let's get writing. I look forward to seeing what you all have to share with us and our readers.

“Having been a writer and editor myself for nearly 30 years, I have picked up a lot of tips and tricks over the years. Some of which have even worked.”

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EdiToon

by Rob Rogers

Victoria Behm Tells the Raw Truth About Food Victoria Behm is a Certified Nutrition Specialist practitioner with a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Integrative Health, and she teaches graduate level nutrition and cooking courses online. Suffice it to say, Victoria Behm has gathered more about healthy eating than a lot of us will ever know.

Fortunately, Victoria Behm is sharing her wealth of knowledge this Thursday at the Chattanooga WorkSpace in her class The Raw Truth: Theory to Table.

According to Behm, raw foods are

cleansing, cooling, and full of live enzymes and healthy bacteria. Now that local fruits and vegetables are more readily available, it’s easier than ever to incorporate raw foods into our diet—and gain the multitude of health benefits therein, especially during summer months when we tend to be more physically active.

In her upcoming class, Behm will teach how to prepare summer-friendly raw meals, as well as discussing raw food’s multiple health benefits and when raw foods

IN THIS ISSUE

Tony Mraz Arts writer Tony Mraz joined our writing family last year and has become a regular (and valued) contributor. Tony is a Native American, meaning that he was born in the United States of America.

He spent the '80s growing up in Dalton before moving

should be avoided. Students will make gazpacho, tacos, and raw juice, then sit down to enjoy their creations.

“My big dream is to empower people to eat well, feel confident in the kitchen and to finally be able to live out their own amazing purpose,” Behm explains on her website. “I firmly believe that the food we put into our bodies...is the foundation of health and healing.” Behm believes that many of us weren’t taught how to properly nourish ourselves with whole and healthful foods.

She hopes to rectify the situation, starting this Thursday at 6 p.m.

— Hillar y Eames

Rich Bailey to Chattanooga in '95 to attend the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences.

The supreme quality of the education that he received from that school earned him a hefty scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute, where he studied for five years. After dropping out of college due to exorbitant tuition prices, Tony took long walks on the beach, ate lots of pizzas, and made a ton of art, music, and literature.

"Tech Talk" columnist Rich Bailey is a professional writer, editor and (sometimes) public relations consultant. After promoting insurance and Chattanooga professionally (but not at the same time), he freelanced from 2001 to 2012, which allowed time for

neat hobbies like getting bad publicity for neighborhoodthreatening institutions.

Despite leading a project to create Chattanooga’s first civic website in 1995 before even owning a modem, he is not much of an early adopter but avidly covers Chattanooga technology for The Pulse, as well as various arts and entertainment events here in the Scenic City. He splits his time between Chattanooga and Manhattan.

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COLUMN JUST A THEORY

It's All About The Elements Expanding our understanding of the Universe

STEVEN W. DISBROW

“

As long as kids study chemistry, they’ll also learn about Tennessee and the great scientific research that is done here in our state.”

Steven Disbrow is a computer programmer who specializes in e-commerce and mobile systems development, an entrepreneur, comic-book nerd, writer, improviser, actor, sometime television personality and parent of two human children.

brewer media

Remember the Periodic Table of Elements? You know…the poster that hung on the wall of your chemistry class in high school and was covered with symbols like “H,” “Xe” and “Au”?

In case you don’t remember, the Periodic Table is a listing of all the elements known to man, and those elements make up everything in the universe around us.

Cars, stars, pickles and skyscrapers are all made up, in varying proportions, of the 118 elements found in the Periodic Table.

Stars, like the Sun, are made up mostly of hydrogen (H). Hydrogen is the simplest, lightest and most plentiful of the elements. Pretty much all of the hydrogen in the universe was created in the aftermath of the Big Bang, about 14 billion years ago.

Now, when I say that stars are “mostly” made of hydrogen, that’s because stars are actually making other elements all the time. You see, a star is really just a huge mass of hydrogen that collapses in on itself due to the massive amount of gravity of all the hydrogen. At the very center of this mass, the pressure and the heat are so intense that hydrogen atoms are fused together to make helium (He) atoms.

Those atoms are then fused together to make the other, relatively light ele-

ments that we see all over the universe— things like lithium (Li) and beryllium (Be), for example. This process is what is known as nuclear fusion, and the excess radiation it creates is the reason that stars shine.

Heavier elements are also created via this process, albeit in much smaller quantities, up to and including iron. Iron is the last element that stars create as a part of their natural life cycle. Once a star begins making iron, the iron settles in the core and it becomes more and more difficult for the star to create new elements through the fusion process. So, where do elements heavier than iron—like gold (Au)—actually come from?

Well, if a star is massive enough, it will eventually burn through all of its original hydrogen fuel and explode in what’s called a supernova. This insanely violent event is where stars form the heavier elements and cast them out in to the universe. Those elements are then swept up over millennia to form the non-stellar objects that we find out in the wider universe, like planets. Closer to home, those elements become rocks, cats, trees, and people. Yes, we are all literally made of star stuff.

But, if you remember your Periodic Table at all, you might remember that

beyond the elements that are cooked in stars or supernovae, there are actually some elements that were man-made, in the laboratory. How is that even possible?

Initially, some of these elements were created simply by slamming neutrons into uranium (U) atoms. If you shoot enough neutrons into a uranium atom, it will actually turn one or more of those neutrons into a proton, and ta-da, you’ve got a new element. (Remember, elements are distinguished from one another mainly by the number of protons in their nucleus. The more protons, the “heavier” the element.)

But, even that stops working after a while. So, to create even heavier elements, you have to fire atoms into each other. Do that, and occasionally, the protons will bind together and you get a new element.

That is, in fact, what an international group did a few years back, creating four new elements, with 113, 115, 117 and 118 protons in them. Recently, those new elements each had a final name assigned to them, marking their permanent addition to the Periodic Table of Elements.

Element 113 is now called nihonium (Nh), element 115 is called moscovium (Mc) and element 118 is called oganesson (Og). Best of all, because part of the team that created these was based in Nashville and Oak Ridge, element 117 is now called tennessine (Ts)!

So, as long as kids study chemistry, they’ll also learn about Tennessee and the great scientific research that is done here in our state.

Chattanooga’s Greatest Hits

everywhere. every day.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JUNE 16, 2016 • THE PULSE • 7

COVER STORY

The Art of the Living Canvas Some of the city’s best talk about the allure and acceptance of body art

By Tony Mraz, Pulse arts contributor

O

ne of humanity’s greatest artistic traditions is seeing a major resurgence here in the Scenic City, where the ink is as beautiful as the vistas. The practice of tattooing has a rich history that permeates through every culture in the world; the oldest verifiable tattoos were discovered on the skin of a Neolithic mummy in the Alps, but there is evidence of even more-ancient ink on Paleolithic clay figurines that were made 40,000 years ago.

Tattoos are present in historical accounts from the Americas, China, Japan, India, Egypt, Russia, and were developed independently by several indigenous island-dwelling peoples like the Maori. The word “tattoo” comes from a Polynesian word “tatau”; though tattooing was forbidden for many westerners by the Book of Leviticus, in Samoa it is a cultural tradition and rite of passage.

Here in Chattanooga, tattoos are a means of selfexpression, beautification, and a way to broadcast one’s social identity. There are more tattoo studios than ever before, and the level of talent and skill exhibited by local tattoo artists is becoming internationally known. We had a chance to catch up with Brandy Burgans, a local tattoo artist who is currently traveling and inking people in Europe.

Originally a long time client of Jesse Britten, beginning in 2004, after college Burgans had an office job that she hated, so she coped with the stress of that by getting tattooed. As the job got worse and worse, she in turn began getting more and more tattoos. It reached a point where they could not be easily covered on her arms. Knowing that Burgans had an extensive background in art, Britten asked if she would be interested in an apprenticeship in 2007.

So Burgans began the apprenticeship right away, and quit the dead-end job six months later.

Burgans considers Britten to be one of her major influences to this day. “He inspired me to do what it took to one day open a private studio, and work by appointment only,” she explains. “Locally, my influences are Tim Warner and Lynn Buckner. They both bring a uniqueness to the table that you won’t find in an average tattoo shop. Tim’s background is in photo realistic oil paint portraiture. His work is outstanding, in both painting and tattooing. Lynn is 8 • THE PULSE • JUNE 16, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

not only a super talented painter and tattooer, but he has to be one of the most zen people I have ever met - he can brighten anyone’s day! Tim Pangburn, owner of Art Machine Productions in Philadelphia, and Tony Olivas, owner of Sacred Heart in Atlanta, are also major players who have inspired me, tattooed me, and personally guided me.”

As to her technique, Burgans uses a variety of brands that she feels work best for her style of tattooing. She speaks highly of the bright, bold colors of Eternal Ink and Fusion Ink. They are solid healers and stand the test of time when cared for properly (always use sunscreen). “As far as equipment goes, my preferred machine and daily driver is a Cheyenne Hawk Thunder,” she says. “Rotary machines are changing the face of tattooing as we know it. As for process, slow and easy wins the race. I found that when I started really taking my time with pieces, it reflected in my work almost immediately—no more rushing to cram in four to five tattoos a day. I’ve actually gained more clients by slowing down—I was worried that if I couldn’t fit everyone in when they wanted that they would go to someone else, but it turns out they appreciate the extra attention and care.”

To Burgans, tattooing is sacred, and humility as a tattoo artist is essential. She says she feels “absolutely honored” when someone wants her to permanently adorn them. Whether it’s a custom original design of hers or a flash piece, she feels it is a really big deal to hold that amount of someone’s trust in her hands.

“I never understood why tattooers would shame

Photo by Colleen Keough Petree

clients for their ideas, or give an excuse or inflated price because they didn’t want to do the piece,” she says. “That being said, I’m probably not going to tattoo a significant other’s name on you—I will kindly tell you why it may not be the best idea, and then offer alternate options. Kindness and humility are key in this industry—you have to stand out in every aspect of daily living, even beyond your art and tattoo work.”

What Burgans loves best is tattooing bright, bold color pieces. She notes that she has really developed a passion for fine-detail black and grey work as well. “I have fallen in love with doing intricate designs, and pointillism,” she explains. “I love staying challenged. I have a constant thirst for new techniques and processes.”

Burgans and Britten both apprenticed at one of Chattanooga’s most prestigious studios, Standard Ink. Owner Amber Vickers explains that tattooing has been around for centuries but has progressed dramatically in the past ten

Bobby Tinker at work at Black Hand Tattoo

years. Newly developed machines, pigments, and healing processes have been game changers. The overall process has become much less traumatic to the skin, yielding tattoos that heal and age remarkably better than before. Also, many tattoo artists now are much more community minded and much more willing to share tips and advice with other artists. She feels this has been crucial to the advancement of the art of tattooing.

“We see people from all walks of life getting all sorts of tattoos,” Vickers says.

“It’s always interesting to hear their motivations behind their choices. It’s also great to watch clients interact with each other, finding a common bond with someone they may otherwise not have engaged. Tattooing as a whole has moved into the realm of fine art, and it has been unbelievable to watch. Every day I see work that pushes the boundaries of what was thought to be possible.

It’s been truly amazing to get to be part of that!”

She has had her shop open for 17 years on the North Shore. “We have artists that specialize in almost all areas of tattooing, from black and grey to bold color, from fine line to traditional,

“Make sure to be open minded when it comes to tattooers’ ideas about your design; most of us pride ourselves on giving you the best composition and design that you will enjoy the rest of your life.” realism to fantasy art,” Vickers explains.

“We offer private rooms, not booths, for our clients’ comfort. Our focus is not only on the art of tattooing, but also on customer service. We want each client to leave with not only a great tattoo that they are proud to wear, but an amazing experience as well. There are so many talented artists in Chattanooga now. It’s a great town for tattoo collectors!”

A few miles down the road from Standard Ink, in Red Bank, is another one of the area’s finest tattoo studios, Black Hand Tattoo. Owner Bobby Tinker’s work has earned him the reputation of being one of the best in the region.

Tinker apprenticed under DeMicheal Williams at Skin Graphix back in ‘99 but says his main influences right now are his “homies” that work in the shop with him: Nathan Harden and Trevor

Perez. “We feed off of each other’s creativity and help each other out a lot,” he elaborates. “In terms of composition and technique, I’d say some of the tattoo artists who have influenced my preferred style would be the legends of black and grey, Paul Booth, Tom Renshaw, and Jack Rudy. I remember drooling over their stuff in tattoo magazines when I first started out, and I tried to emulate their style in the beginning.”

He notes that everyone he’s worked with in shops or at conventions has influenced him in some way; he is always trying to soak up techniques from others as much as possible. Other non tattooers whose art inspired him include H.R. Giger, Jeff Soto, Aunia Kahn, and Daniel Martin Diaz.

As for Tinker’s specialty, he really enjoys black and grey realism, wildlife,

and horror themed tattoos—if he had to pick one style, he says horror would be it. “I also do a lot of illustrative color and tons of cover-ups,” he says. “I’ve been using Rotary machines for about six years now. To me they are much more efficient and their lighter weights allow me to do more in a shorter amount of time, so for the client that normally means less pain and better healing times.”

Tinker, who is highly respected throughout the Chattanooga body art scene, has some strong advice for people looking for their first (of twentieth) tattoo: always do your homework, check out studios and their health inspection scores, research what you want, and check out portfolios.

“Go out and meet with the tattooers—you don’t want to sit with someone for hours if you’re not going to enjoy their company,” he adds. “If they are booked out further than you like, don’t settle—I cover up a lot of bad decisions every week. Make sure to be open minded when it comes to tattooers’ ideas about your design; most of us pride ourselves on giving you the best composition and design that you will enjoy the rest of your life.”

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JUNE 16, 2016 • THE PULSE • 9

ARTS SCENE

Weaving the Dream of Dance A Conversation with WEAVE’s Bernadette and Travis Upton

Camelot in the Camelot Era Merging the ‘60s JFK era with King Arthur’s court The Lerner and Lower musical Camelot first premiered on Broadway in 1960, the same year John F. Kennedy was sworn in as President.

The play saw 873 performances, four Tony awards, and a multitude of fans, including Jack and Jackie themselves. Eventually, the Presidential era and the Arthurian reign became so closely connected that Kennedy’s presidency became known as the “Camelot era.”

Several years later, at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Scott Dunlap and George Quick entertained an idea for quite some time—a re-imagined staging of Camelot, set during the Kennedy presidency, Camelot in America’s Camelot era. This Friday, their dream will become a reality.

The show will take place in the early ‘60s “cocktail culture,” as Dunlap describes it, as made popular by its depiction in the hit TV series Mad

Men. Composer Tim Hinck has also re-imagined the score for a memorable trio.

The story will remain the same, with Guinevere encouraging her husband King Arthur to establish the Knights of the Round Table, and rumors gradually circulating of her and Lancelot’s affair. Dunlap explained that the themes of the show are naturally political—his King Arthur is “a leader in crisis wracked by scandal,” lending itself an easy transition into the American political atmosphere.

Characteristically, Camelot is a show that lends itself to bombastic scores and elaborate sets, but Quick and Dunlap have chosen to set their production into “the intimate setting of the Mildred M. Montague Circle Theatre,” Dunlap states.

Tickets are available online at theatrecentre.com — Hillary Eames

THU6.16

FRI6.17

SAT6.18

CLASSIC FILM

MASTERPIECE

WATER FUN

"The Gold Rush"

"Noises Off"

Full Moon Touring Kayak Paddle

See the Charlie Chaplin classic like never before.

2, 7 p.m.

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

The Ringgold Playhouse presents their latest comedy.

7:30 p.m.

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

Experience Harrison Bay up close and personal.

7:30 p.m.

Chickamauga Lake (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com

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W

EAVE IS A RELATIVELY NEW DANCE COMPANY TO Chattanooga, founded in 2013, that performs in a style fusing elements of ballet, hip hop, modern dance and jazz into a unique contemporary idiom. Nomadic for some time—WEAVE has offered classes and held rehearsals at Barking Legs, Scenic City Dance Studio, and the Massari-Wood Dance Center over the past several years—they now have their own studio home on Brainerd Road.

Arts JENN WEBSTER

“

It’s how dancing got started; people had to improvise dances before they were formalized into styles like ballet.”

Husband and wife team Travis Christian Upton and Bernadette Upton are the cofounders of the company. Travis, the conceptual director, is an entrepreneur whose ventures include a local entertainment website, an events company, and a photography/videography studio. He has also been involved with extensive nonprofit work.

Bernadette, the artistic director, is a dancer and choreographer who has performed professionally in Atlanta and has taught dance throughout the Chattanooga area. She also skilled in web design and the graphic arts.

We sat down with the pair to learn about their unorthodox approach to choreography, the partnership that makes WEAVE work, and their vision for the years ahead.

The Pulse: You perform in such diverse settings—Chattanooga WorkSpace, Palate 2 Palette, Roller Girls matches, and now your own concert space—what is a WEAVE show like?

Bernadette Upton: You’ll see a lot of styles blended. Within those styles, we take risks and challenge the way people think dance should look.

Travis Upton: Our core form is contemporary funk, which a combination of Bernadette’s styles and is absolutely unique because it is a created genre, a mixture of ballet, contemporary and modern. Our ballet is an abnormal style of ballet; most other studios in

Photo by Melody Hood Innamorata

Chattanooga teach classical variations of ballet. We also incorporate hip hop and urban jazz. We didn’t look to other programs or have a blueprint, and that worked in our favor.

Bernadette: All our dancers train in all styles, because they have to be ready for any choreography I throw at them.

TP: You two seem to do everything as a team. How did that work in terms of creating art and building a business?

Travis: All small companies have their own struggles. In our case, we were working together and lost our jobs unexpectedly when our employer went out of business. That same week, in June 2013, we got married and moved into our home in Highland Park, where we started WEAVE on the steps of 1000 S. Beech Street. We said, “We don’t have anything going on—let’s start a dance company!” We didn’t have any funding. The next week we were holding classes in Barking Legs, and our first auditions were that fall.

Bernadette: In the company, we have multiple roles. Travis is CEO and conceptual director. I’m our artistic director. We’re co-founders. I’m the webmaster and head instructor. Webmaster…[laughs]…hmm, maybe I should get paid!

Travis: We don’t separate our work life. Everything is woven together; we live and work together 24 hours a day.

TP Tell more about your classes.

What will people experience?

Travis: Our hearts’ desire is to impact people, to affect people in a positive way. We want to release the love of God to human beings through dance.

We’re holistic; we have a wide range of ages and ethnicities in our classes—one night I counted members of seven ethnicities in one class. We have straight dancers and dancers in same-sex relationships. We have many open-format classes where everybody can be together; adults and younger people thrive when they’re in class with each other.

Bernadette: Improvisation plays a huge role in class. It’s how dancing got started; people had to improvise dances before they were formalized into styles like ballet. We are creating artists…

Travis: …and the purest form of any art is the free flow of that art. Improv is letting out the stuff inside…

Bernadette: …and you are very carefree while you are improvising.

There’s no judgment. When I’m improvising, I feel like, “This is what dancing is supposed to be; this is what it will feel like in Heaven.”

TP: What is your vision for the future of WEAVE, in both choreography and the larger trajectory of the company?

Bernadette: When God wants to be present in a piece, the choreography flows from me. I am growing spiritually and as a choreographer, which is kind of the same thing in our world. The goal is for every piece to touch people, to flow from God to me to the dancers and to the audience.

Travis: WEAVE has been blessed with this new studio and performance space. We are expanding into an art gallery and looking to weave the arts together even more. For example, we could bring in a painter and see how the artist-movers affect the paintermover when they create their art in the same room. We might bring in a DJ who creates beats as artists paint and dancers dance. Our vision comes from Heaven; we don’t come up with it ourselves. We ask for revelation, vision and favor, and God has given it to us over the past three years.

WEAVE: A Conceptual Dance Company now has a studio and is offering classes at: 4413 Brainerd Rd. To learn more, visit WeaveDanceCompany.com, call (423) 954-0115, or email them at weavedanceompany@gmail.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JUNE 16, 2016 • THE PULSE • 11

ARTS CALENDAR THURSDAY6.16 Charlie Chaplin’s "The Gold Rush" 2, 7 p.m.

Heritage House 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474 chattanooga.gov Ooltewah Farmers Market 3 p.m.

Ooltewah Nursery 5829 Main St. ooltewahnursery.com Signal Mountain Farmers Market 4 p.m.

Pruett’s Market 1210 Taft Hwy. (423) 902-8023 signalmountainfarmersmarket.com St. Elmo Farmers Market 4 p.m.

Incline Railway 3917 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 838-9804 lookoutfarmersmarket.com Sunset Kayak Tour 5:30 p.m.

Outdoor Chattanooga 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Chatt Comix Co-op 6 p.m.

Infinity Flux Comics 3643 Hixon Pike (423) 591-5689 The Raw Truth: From Theory to Table 6 p.m.

Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St.

12 • THE PULSE • JUNE 16, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

"Noises Off" (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Photographic Society of Chattanooga: Steve Zigler 7 p.m.

St. John United Methodist 3921 Murray Hills Dr. (423) 344-5643 chattanoogaphoto.org Pop-Up Improv 7:30 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com L.A. Hardy 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2299 thecomedycatch.com The Ringgold Playhouse Presents "Noises Off" 7:30 p.m.

PULSE PICK: L.A. HARDY Storytelling and social commentary on everyday life situations make this “LA” comic a favorite everywhere he goes. The "Black Dad" is in the house!

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

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

FRIDAY6.17 Junior League of Chattanooga’s Designer Showhouse 10 a.m.

Designer Showhouse 526 S. Crest Rd. (423) 267-5053 jlcshowhouse.com Cambridge Square Market 5 p.m.

Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. chattanoogamarket.com Sam Club Private Eye in The Case of the Malted Falcon 7 p.m.

The Colonnade 264 Catoosa Cir. (706) 935-9000 colonnadecenter.org L.A. Hardy 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2299 thecomedycatch.com The Ringgold Playhouse Presents "Noises Off" 7:30 p.m.

The Ringgold Depot 155 Depot St. (706) 935-3061 cityofringgold.com "Camelot" 8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com

SATURDAY6.18 Find Your Park—Signal to the Next Generation 9 a.m.

Signal Point Park Signal Point Rd. (423) 752-5213 nps.gov Chickamauga Battlefield Bicycle Tour 9:30 a.m.

Chickamauga Battlefield 3056 Lafayette Rd. (706) 866-9241 outdoorchattanooga.com Junior League of Chattanooga’s Designer Showhouse

10 a.m.

Designer Showhouse 526 S. Crest Rd. (423) 267-5053 jlcshowhouse.com Brainerd Farmers Market 10 a.m.

Grace Episcopal Church 20 Belvoir Ave. (404) 245-3682 facebook.com/ brainerdfarmersmarket Chattanooga River Market 10 a.m.

Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (423) 265-0695 chattanoogarivermarket.com Northside Farmers Market 10 am.

Northside Presbyterian Church 923 Mississippi Ave. (423) 266-7497 St. Alban’s Hixson Market 10 a.m.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 7514 Hixson Pike (423) 842-6303 facebook.com/ stalbansfarmersmarket 118th Philippines Independence Day 11 a.m.

St. Jude Parrish Hall 930 Ashland Terrace (423) 580-4879 faagc.com Kiwanis Club Duck Race 2 p.m.

Ross’s Landing Riverfront Pkwy.

(423) 267-6568 kiwanischatt.org Sam Club Private Eye in The

Case of the Malted Falcon 7 p.m.

The Colonnade 264 Catoosa Cir. (706) 935-9000 colonnadecenter.org L.A. Hardy 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2299 thecomedycatch.com The Ringgold Playhouse Presents "Noises Off" 7:30 p.m.

The Ringgold Depot 155 Depot St. (706) 935-3061 cityofringgold.com Full Moon Touring Kayak Paddle at Harrison Bay 7:30 p.m.

Chickamauga Lake (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com "Camelot" 8 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com

SUNDAY6.19 Junior League of Chattanooga’s Designer Showhouse 10 a.m.

Designer Showhouse 526 S. Crest Rd. (423) 267-5053 jlcshowhouse.com Chattanooga Market

11 a.m.

First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. (423) 402-9957 chattanoogamarket.com World Wide Knit in Public Day & Fiber Arts Bash 12 p.m.

Chattanooga Public Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310 chattilibrary.org Artful Yoga: Restoring Into June 1:30 p.m.

The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Ready to Rock-Climbing at the Walnut Wall 5:30 p.m.

Riverfront Pkwy.

(423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com L.A. Hardy 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2299 thecomedycatch.com

MONDAY6.20 Red Bank Farmers Market 4 p.m.

Red Bank United Methodist 3800 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 838-9804 lookoutfarmersmarket.com Street Cycling 101 6 p.m.

Outdoor Chattanooga

ARTS CALENDAR

Designer Showhouse

200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com

TUESDAY6.21 East Brainerd Farmers Market 4 p.m.

Audubon Acres 900 N. Sanctuary Rd. (423) 838-9804 lookoutfarmersmarket.com

WEDNESDAY6.22 Middle Eastern Dance 10:30 a.m.

Jewish Cultural Center 5461 North Terrace (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com Main Street Market 4 p.m.

325 E. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com Collegedale Market 4 p.m.

Collegedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. (423) 648-2496 collegedalemarket.com Wednesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m.

Chattanooga Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com

Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JUNE 16, 2016 • THE PULSE • 13

MUSIC SCENE

Rockabilly Meets Metal, Gets Happily Engaged

Mixed Media Music Making Silversun Pickups headlines Track 29 Monday evening Visit Silversun Pickups’ website and you’ll be greeted with this photograph: the four-piece band, standing in an orange desert under a purple sky. Bassist Nikki Monninger, in a dress made of shocking-pink cellophane, holds a canister emitting blood-red smoke. Brian Aubert (guitar/vocals,) Joe Lester(keyboards,) and Christopher Guanlao (drums,) loiter nearby in striped jumpsuits.

It’s a riot of color and texture, equal parts fuzzy and sharp, cloudy and clear, bleak and weirdly welcoming. It’s exactly what to expect upon listening to Better Nature.

Better Nature is the band’s first album in over three years, resulting in a project all four members enjoy.

“This record, I like it,” Aubert admitted in a recent interview. “Usually I’m like, well, we tried! But this one, it’s weird—we’re all digging it.”

In their defense, Better Nature is

an easy album to dig. Each track is its own work of mixed-media art, whether it’s the distorted, far-away bassline setting the stage for poplike vocals and show-stealing guitars in “Nightlight” or the call-and-response chorus laid like a lace tablecloth over the deep, window-rattling beats of “Circadian Rhythm.”

Undeniably present in every track is a newfound passion and energy.

While the band had previously focused on rehearsed perfection before stepping near a studio, Silversun Pickups opted for greener recording sessions, working towards a more communal creative process. Their effort is audible, and this Monday, it’ll be visible.

Silversun Pickups will be performing at Track 29 on Monday at 8 p.m., with indie rockers Bear Hands opening. Tickets are on sale at track29.co.

— Hillary Eames

THU6.16

FRI6.17

SAT6.1

SOME GOOD JAZZ

EURO FUNK FUN

AMERICANA FOLK

James Crumble Trio

Hank & Cupcakes

Tab Spencer

Want to get your toes tapping and fingers snapping with really good jazz? Have we got a treat for you!

6 p.m.

St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com

Boy, girl, bass, drums, clothes on, clothes off (within legal limits, of course). Things get rowdy...

9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co

A combination of Americana and Neo-folk music with lyrics set in a thoroughly modern setting.

10 p.m.

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

14 • THE PULSE • JUNE 16, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Soddy-Daisy’s Dallas Hollow defines “metalbilly” with style and substance

I

S IT A LARGE TOWN? IS IT A SMALL CITY? WHAT EXactly is Chattanooga, relatively speaking? I came here from Louisville, Kentucky over twenty years ago and there is no question, Chattanooga is smaller than the place I left (about half the size, population-wise) but after two decades I don’t know that one could fairly call Chattanooga small. There are many metrics by which one might judge such a thing.

Music MARC T. MICHAEL

“

The seeming dichotomy of the band is personified in Ward himself as his axe fairly drips with heavily saturated overdrive while his vocals are clear, distinct and melodic.”

One that matters to me in particular is that no matter how many bands I have written about (one to two a week for the last three years now) I never run short. There is always something new and interesting going on. And this week’s featured group is a great example of that. They’re called Dallas Hollow, they’re based out of Soddy-Daisy, and they’re not what you’d expect, no matter what you might think.

The band is essentially a power trio with Zach Ward on vocals and lead guitar, Jordan May on drums, and Nocona Watts on bass. On their social media profile the band has the good grace to give a nod to Devin Mallory as their promoter, as well as Travis Whittenburg, Noah Wulf and Shawn Smith, who are listed as “roadies, muscle and security.” Woe to the unscrupulous bar owner that tries to stiff this group at the end of the night.

The band self-describes as rockabilly and there’s no doubt that’s at the heart of it all, but I have to go

a step further and say that the searing distortion of Ward’s guitar and the bright, ringing pop of May’s snare lead me to dub it “metalbilly”. I was almost pleased at coining that term until 15 seconds of GoogleFu revealed that, alas, it’s already a thing. It may not be “my” word, but I stand by it as an apt description of the band’s sound.

Although there’s an EP in the works and a fair amount of live footage of performances from some familiar locales (including Ziggy’s Underground), to date the band has a single recording, the original tune, “Blue.” It was this tune that led me to the metalbilly designation because the song in terms of chords, structure, tempo and melody, is pure vintage. Played with different instruments (or rather, the same instruments with different tone) it could be a fine example of a “crooner tune” from the late fifties.

The contrast between every other element of the song, and the tone of

the instruments playing it is unexpected and surprisingly fresh and fun and it suggests great potential in the band’s upcoming release. The seeming dichotomy of the band is personified in Ward himself as his axe fairly drips with heavily saturated overdrive while his vocals are clear, distinct and melodic. It’s an interesting combination of flavors that makes me look forward to hearing the band’s upcoming disc.

The band has been together for right around two years which makes it a fairly young affair, though not green

by any means. As more gigging opportunities present themselves, I expect the fellows will not only refine their ingenious approach, they’ll push the boundaries even further, challenging conventional notions of vintage and metal.

An upcoming show at JJ’s Bohemia with Inaeona and Lion’s Daughter on July 11th is the perfect opportunity to hear what they’re all about. In the meantime, Dallas Hollow can be found in the usual places, including Facebook and Reverbnation.

Bloomsday Celebration Sunday at The Honest Pint “What is better than to sit at the end of the day and drink wine with friends, or substitutes for friends?” – James Joyce James Joyce, author of such classics as Finnegan’s Wake, Dubliners and the groundbreaking Ulysses, holds a place of distinction in Irish literature for that reason it has become tradition to celebrate and commemorate the man and his seminal work on Bloomsday, a name derived from the protagonist of Ulysses.

This Sunday, The Honest Pint invites you to its own Bloomsday celebration

featuring special menu items, an introduction to the works of James Joyce, selected readings and poems, a period costume competition (1900-1920,) a James Joyce lookalike contest and the music of the Red Rogues and the Molly Maguires. The event is from 6 to 10 p.m. with the costume judging to be held at 7:30 p.m.

Bloomsday 2016 is hosted by the Honest Pint and sponsored by Star Line Books, Chattanooga’s premier independent book store.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JUNE 16, 2016 • THE PULSE • 15

Thursday, June 16: 9pm Open Mic with Hap Henninger Friday, June 17: 9pm Fro & Friends Saturday, June 18: 10pm Tab Spencer Tuesday, June 21: 7pm

MUSIC CALENDAR

901 Carter St. Inside City Café (423) 634-9191

Salt N Pepa

Server/Hotel Appreciation Night $5 Pitchers • $2 Wells ! • $1.50 Domestics

Wednesday, June 22: 8pm Wednesday Blues Jam Happy Hour: Mon-Fri: 4-7pm $1 10oz drafts, $3 32oz drafts, $2 Wells, $1.50 Domestics, Free Appetizers

citycafemenu.com/the-office

THURSDAY6.16 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m.

St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Riverbend 2016 5 p.m.

Ross's Landing 100 Riverfront Pkwy. riverbendfestival.com Rick Rushing Blues Jazz N’ Friends 6 p.m.

Bluewater Grille 224 Broad St. bluewaterchattanooga.com Keepin’ It Local 8 p.m.

The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com Open Mic with Hap Henninger 9 p.m.

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

FRIDAY6.17 The Old Time Travelers, Amber Carrington 9 a.m.

Rock City 1400 Patten Rd. seerockcity.com Riverbend 2016 5 p.m.

Ross's Landing 100 Riverfront Pkwy. riverbendfestival.com

16 • THE PULSE • JUNE 16, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Chris Hale 5:30 p.m.

Cambridge Square 9453 Bradmore Ln. chattanoogamarket.com Jack Kirton, Chris Rich 7 p.m.

The Leapin' Leprechaun 101 Market St. (423) 777-9097 Karla Felicia Scaife 8 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.com Priscilla and Lil' Rickee 8:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Fro & Friends 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St.

PULSE PICK: RYAN OYER The Chattanooga songwriter has become well-known for insightful love songs wrapped in Beatlesque melodies. Acoustic indie rock with Britpop sensibilites.

Ryan Oyer Friday, 10 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com

citycafemenu.com Gracie and Joey 9 p.m.

Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com/chattanooga Winterhymn, Tesertday's Saints, Khaotika, DEAD DEADS 9 p.m.

JJ's Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Hank & Cupcakes, Caney Village, Kindroa 9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co Cranford Hollow 10 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St.

clydesonmain.com One Night Stand 10 p.m.

Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com Ryan Oyer 10 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com

SATURDAY6.18 The Old Time Travelers, AM Radio 9 a.m.

Rock City 1400 Patten Rd. seerockcity.com The Do Rights 12:30 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium Plaza 1 Broad St. chattanoogarivermarket.com Riverbend 2016 3 p.m.

Ross's Landing 100 Riverfront Pkwy. riverbendfestival.com Priscilla and Lil' Rickee 8:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Charlie's River 9 p.m.

Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com/chattanooga Hivelords, Choking, Lacing 9 p.m.

MUSIC CALENDAR

Here Come The Mummies JJ's Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Kishi bashi, Tall Tall Trees 9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co Menace From Earth Invades, Sam Killed The Bear, Tessa Lynn Plank 9 p.m.

Ziggy's Bar & Grill 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net The Armory 10 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Tab Spencer 10 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com One Night Stand 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY6.19 The Old Time Travelers, Highbeams 9 a.m.

Rock City 1400 Patten Rd. seerockcity.com Bitter Finest Ales 11 a.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St.

flyingsquirrelbar.com Rick Rushing & The Blues Strangers 12:30 p.m.

First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Open Mic with Jeff Daniels 6 p.m.

Long Haul Saloon 2536 Cummings Hwy. (423) 822-9775 Red Rogues, Molly Maguires 6 p.m.

The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy. thehonestpint.com Jamison Williams Trio 7:30 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.com Rock Europa, Super Shaker, I Can japan 9 p.m.

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

MONDAY6.20 Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Very Open Mic 8 p.m.

The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com Open Mic Night 6 p.m.

Puckett’s Grocery 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Open Air with Jessica Nunn 7:30 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Silversun Pickups, Bear Hands 8 p.m.

Track 29 1400 Market St. track29.co There's A Word For That with Natahan Bell & Friends 8 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.com Valley Maker, Sinai Vessel 9 p.m.

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

TUESDAY6.21 Feta de la Musique with Ryan Oyer & Friends Noon Miller Plaza 850 Market St. rivercitycompany.com Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Continental, Sunsap 9 p.m.

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

WEDNESDAY6.22 Noon Tunes with Danimal Pinson Noon Miller Plaza 850 Market St. rivercitycompany.com Lathim & Young 4:30 p.m.

Collegedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. collegedalemarket.com The Other Guys 6 p.m.

SpringHill Suites 495 Riverfront Pkwy.

(423) 834-9300 Wednesday Night Jazz 8 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Wednesday Blues Jam 8 p.m.

The Office @ City Café 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Priscilla and Lil' Rickee 8 p.m.

Las Margaritas 1101 Hixson Pike (423) 756-3332 Mea Culpa, Coma Vigil, Mudsex 9 p.m.

JJ's Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JUNE 16, 2016 • THE PULSE • 17

RECORD REVIEWS ERNIE PAIK

Telling The Tales of the Elderly, The Sounds Of Life and Nature Greenberger gathers stories of the aged, Aaron & Brochu get unsettled

Greenberger, Spring, Child, Hashimoto Take Me Where I Don’t Know I Am (PelPel)

F

or 37 years, David Greenberger has been asking senior citizens questions, often in nursing homes, and collecting their entertaining and touching responses and both clear and foggy remembrances, and he’s published many of them in his zine The Duplex Planet, with special care taken with regards to the grouping and presentation of the anecdotes.

He’s also collaborated with a variety of notable musicians—including Robyn Hitchcock and members of NRBQ and Los Lobos—to provide accompanying music as he recites

Hannah Aaron and Leo Brochu Bitter Lake (1980) choice responses.

While each track can stand alone, there’s a larger narrative at work with multiple voices; first, there’s the figurative voice of the interviewee, and secondly, there’s Greenberger’s own familiar voice—which one might recognize from his occasional commentaries on NPR—that doesn’t try to mimic others like an impersonator might.

With all elements taken together, Greenberger’s work is an epic contemplation about aging, triumphs and regrets, informed by valuable experience and colorful misadventures.

His latest, Take Me Where I Don’t Know I Am, employs the talents of composer and musician Keith Spring (a saxophonist for NRBQ), acoustic multi-instrumentalist Dinty Child and Keiichi Hashimoto, who supplies welcome brass accents.

Musically, this album is on the more accessible side of the spectrum of Greenberger’s collaborations, with easy-to-swallow, light genre pieces (funk, noir jazz, waltz, among others) and a few exceptions like the off-kilter “Digging into Embarrassment,” with a piano vamp and bendy guitar flourishes.

What’s notable about the album is how quickly it can change moods; “The Fires of Halloween” offers a wicked sense of humor—one second, the protagonist is setting fires and hiding in bushes with a baseball bat to attack his enemies, and the next moment, he’s talking about the love of his life, in a witch costume.

Then, there’s the absolutely devastating “My Hope,” conveying the crushing loneliness of a man about to turn 95 who has outlived his wife and siblings and simply wants to pass away.

The small details in “I’m Here” help make it one of the album’s most moving tracks, about a man living hand-to-mouth while attending

meat-cutting school; he sleeps in a YMCA on a punctured air mattress that leaves him waking up on the cement floor after it gradually deflates.

For this writer, the arrangements that seem to work the best are the ones with a minimalist tenderness, like a watercolor background, that contribute to an emotional payoff without being manipulative, balancing moments of levity and poignant storytelling.

T

he unsettling new album Bitter Lake from the Minneapolis duo of Hannah Aaron and Leo Brochu was created using a meticulous process; the twosome culled tape recordings over a year-long period—field recordings, found sound, live recordings of conventional instruments and contact microphones attached to objects, excerpts from old vinyl records—and cataloged everything.

They selected their favorite sounds and assembled them in different combinations, mixing in real-time, until they found good fits, making the four long tracks that comprise Bitter Lake.

The album, released on cassette and digitally, takes its name from the Great Bitter Lake in the Suez Canal; it’s known for being the location of the secret Quincy Agreement—se-

curing military support in exchange for oil—between FDR and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz, but the album doesn’t appear to have any blatant or subtle political message.

It’s all about casting shadows with an eerie mood, using whatever interesting sounds the duo could gather, including recordings of a dishwasher or the sounds of steam engine trains from an unusual old LP. The opening track “Mazar” has a spacious first half, instantly creating a haunted atmosphere, before its second half introduces backwards recordings and the first semblance of a melody—Aaron is the more melody-oriented artist, while Brochu leans toward the noisy side; the final minute seems to use junkyard field recordings with a disquieting amount of tape hiss.

The ten-minute “Saros” uses what sounds like microphone wind noise transformed to resemble a volcanic eruption; distinct settings are conjured by the noises, like the squeaky hinges in an abandoned house or a rough metallic beat in a spooky factory, and the track gradually becomes more chaotic.

“White Saxaul” is perhaps the album’s most striking track, although it starts with a somber keyboard tune, with some distortion hinting at threats; finally, the barricade is destroyed, leading to a barrage of harsh noise and terrifying scrambling—the screaming static and hissing will be a treat for noise lovers but unlistenable for others.

The closing “Dreary Chamber” disperses into abstraction but ends with the sobering sounds of a clock ticking, concluding an absorbing album with sonic scraps sewn into a disturbing patchwork.

The Best Sports Coverage in Chattanooga.

Period.

18 • THE PULSE • JUNE 16, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Free Will Astrology GEMINI (May 21-June 20): My long-term predictions for the next 15 months are a blend of hopeful optimism and a reasonable interpretation of the astrological omens. Here we go: 1. You will have an excellent chance to smooth and soothe the rough spots in your romantic karma. 2.

You will outgrow any addiction you might have to frustrating connections. 3. Unrequited love will either be requited, or else you’ll become bored with the futile chase and move on. 4. You’ll be challenged to either refresh and reinvent an existing intimacy, or else get shrewd enough not to repeat past mistakes in a new intimacy. 5. You will have an abundance of good ideas about how to install the theme of smart fun at the heart of your strongest alliances.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Author Courttia Newland quotes the preSocratic philosopher Meno: “How will you go about finding the thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you?” In response to this riddle, Newland riffs on what it means to him: “Even more important than the journey itself, is the venture into the unknowable.

The ability to find comfort moving forwards without quite knowing where you are going.” I nominate these to be your words to live by in the coming days, Cancerian.

Have open-hearted fun as you go in search of mysterious and impossible secrets! I’m confident you will track them down -- especially if you’re willing to be lost.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Your homework is to write a story about the life you’re going to live between now and next April. The length of this predictive tale should be at least three pages, although it’s fine if you produce more. Here are some meditations to lubricate the flow of your imagination. 1. What three questions would you love to have answered during the next 42 weeks? 2. Of the numerous adventures that might be fun to explore, which are the two that would be most consistently energizing? 3.

What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your attitude or revamp about your life? 4. What new privilege will you have earned

by April 2017?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): According to an old Chinese proverb, if you want to get rich, you must have a nickname. My meditations on your future suggest that this curious formula may have some validity. The next 15 months will be a favorable time to attend to the groundwork that will ultimately increase your wealth. And your luck in doing this work is likely to be oddly good if you add a frisky tweak to your identity -- such as a zesty new nickname, for example.

I suggest you stay away from clichés like Ace or Vixen or Sharpie,

ROB BREZSNY

as well as off-putting ironic monikers like Poker Face and Stonewall.

Instead, gravitate toward lively choices like Dazzler, FluxLuster, Hoochie-Coochie, or FreeBorn.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): During the next 15 months, you will have an unprecedented chance to materialize a fantasy you’ve harbored for years. Essential to your efforts will be a capacity to summon more ambition than you ever have before. I’m not talking about the grubby self-promotion that typically passes for ambition, however. Arrogant self-importance and selfish posturing will not be part of your winning formula. Rather, the kind of ambition I’m referring to is a soaring aspiration that seeks the best and highest not just for yourself but for everyone whose life you touch.

I mean the holy hunger that drives you to express impeccable integrity as you seek to master the tasks you came to Earth to accomplish.

Get started!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): During the next 15 months, composting should be a primary practice, as well as a main metaphor. If you have been lazy about saving leftover scraps from your kitchen and turning them into fertilizer, now is an excellent time to intensify your efforts. The same is true if you have been lax about transforming your pain into useful lessons that invigorate your lust for life.

Be ever-alert for opportunities to capitalize on junk, muck, and slop.

Find secret joy in creating unexpected treasure out of old failures and wrong turns.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Have you ever made a fool of yourself while trying to fulfill your deepest yearnings? I hope so. If you haven’t, your yearnings probably aren’t deep enough.

Most of us, on multiple occasions, have pursued our longings for connection with such unruly intensity that we have made foggy decisions and engaged in questionable behavior. That’s the weird news. The good news is that now and then, the impulse to leave our safety zone in a quest to quench our deepest yearnings can actually make us smarter and more effective. I believe this is one of those times for you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): During the next 13 months, what can you do to enhance your ability to be the boss of yourself?

What practices can you engage in on a daily basis that will build your potency and authority and clout? How can you gain access to more of the helpers and resources you need to carry out your life’s master plan? These are excellent questions to ask yourself every day between now and July 2017.

It’s time to find or create your ultimate power spot.

Jonesin’ Crossword

MATT JONES

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The prison population in the U.S. is over two million, more than twice what it was in 1990. In contrast, Canada keeps about 41,000 people in jail, Italy 52,000, and France 66,000. That’s the bad news. The good news, at least for you and your tribe, is that a relatively small percentage of you will be incarcerated during the next 15 months.

According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Aquarians all over the world will specialize in liberation. Not only will you be extra ethical; not only will you be skillful at evading traps; you will also be adept at emancipating yourself from your own delusions and limitations. Congratulations in advance! It’s time to start singing some new freedom songs.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The English word “catharsis” is derived from the ancient Greek katharsis, which was a technical medical term that meant “purgation” or “purification,” as in flushing out the bowels. Aristotle converted katharsis into a metaphor that described how a drama performed in the theater could “clean out” the emotions of spectators. These days, catharsis may refer to any event that precipitates a psychospiritual renewal by building up and then releasing tension. I foresee at least one of these strenuous blessings in your immediate future.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The coming months will be a favorable time to boost your skills as a cagey warrior. I don’t mean you should push people around and get into lots of fights. Rather, the goal is for you to harness your aggressiveness constructively and to wield your willpower with maximum grace. In the face of fear, you will not just be brave, but brave and crafty. You’ll refrain from forcing storylines to unfold before they’re ready, and you’ll rely on strategy and good timing instead of brute strength and the decree “Because I said so.” Now study this counsel from the ancient Chinese statesman Zhuge Liang, also known as Crouching Dragon: “The wise win before they fight, while the ignorant fight to win.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Everything you do in the coming days should be imbued with the intention of enhancing the Flow.

It’s high time to identify where the energy is stuck, and then get it unstuck. You have a sacred mandate to relieve the congestion…to relax the tweaks…to unravel the snarls if you can, or simply cut through them if necessary. You don’t need to tell anyone about your secret agenda. Just go about your business with zealous diligence and unflagging purpose. If it takes more effort than you wished, so be it. If your progress seems maddeningly gradual, keep the faith.

“Shell Games””—from an outside perspective.

ACROSS 1 ___ of Maine (toothpaste brand) 5 Name associated with a philosophical “razor” 10 Some insurance options, for short 14 Stonestreet of “Modern Family” 15 “Star Trek” character that speaks Swahili 16 Little green guy of film 17 Maitre d’ handout 18 Get red, maybe 19 Google cofounder Sergey 20 Alternative rock band formed in 1984 that’s called Honolulu, Austin, and Chicago home 23 Treatment facility 24 “Rikki-Tikki-___” (Kipling short story) 25 Auth. submissions 28 Colonial critters?

31 Punk rocker with the backup band The Pharmacists 35 Scratcher’s target

37 Bovine Old Testament idol 39 Headwear banned by the NFL in 2001 41 “La ___” (Debussy opus) 42 Actor Killam of both “Mad TV” and “SNL” 43 Races, like the heart 46 Hourly wage 47 ___ fugit 48 Olympic skating medalist Michelle 50 “Feed me kitten food!”

51 Barks like a fox 53 Ornamental carp 55 Schoolroom furniture with a surface shaped like a “7” 63 River into which Ali threw his gold medal 64 Lost spectacularly, in slang 65 “... hit me like ___ of bricks” 66 Recurring “Seinfeld” character from Pakistan 67 Center square occupant Paul 68 Tony of “Veep”

69 Czech Republic river 70 Freight hauler 71 “Ye ___ Curiosity Shoppe” DOWN 1 Fill-in at the office 2 Cookie sometimes eaten inside-out 3 iPod Nano precursor 4 Gulf War missiles 5 The Little Rascals, alternately 6 Motherboard component 7 “We’ll tak a ___ kindness yet”: Burns 8 “___ you just the cutest thing ever?”

9 Formal order 10 Prius, e.g.

11 Memento ___ 12 Norse counterpart of Ares 13 Ratted 21 ___-Locka (city near Miami) 22 Track meet component 25 In the ___ of (surrounded by) 26 Add fuel to

27 See-through scenery piece 29 Grant’s landmark 30 Aerodynamic 32 West Coast NFLer as of 2016 33 Bring bliss to 34 Humans ___ York (photo/interview site) 36 Time to drink cheap 38 Old West challenge 40 Astronaut’s pressurized garb 44 Blacktop makeup 45 Rest for a while 49 Head bob 52 Attendant of Bacchus 54 State where “Wayward Pines” is set 55 Cop or call lead-in 56 “If ___ $1000000” (Barenaked Ladies song) 57 Dig 58 “99 Luftballons” singer 59 Actress Conn of “Grease” 60 “Too many more to mention” abbr.

61 Gavel-banging word 62 Meniscus location

Copyright © 2016 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per3minute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 0784 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JUNE 16, 2016 • THE PULSE • 19

Bringing A World of Warcraft To The Big Screen Can a world-spanning, immersive game make the jump to film success?

I

’VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN AZEROTH. FOR THE UNinitiated, Azeroth is the world inhabited by the heroes of Blizzard Entertainment, a multimedia company that has dominated the market of real time strategy and massively multiplayer online role playing games. Blizzard has titles like Diablo and StarCraft under its belt, and while I’ve always found the gameplay of those games to be fairly repetitive, they are insanely popular around the world, to the point that there are actually professional StarCraft players who make money playing a nearly 20-year-old game.

Screen JOHN DEVORE

“

Taking an interactive experience and turning it into a passive experience is bound to be fraught with problems.”

20 • THE PULSE • JUNE 16, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

But of course, their flagship game series has always been Warcraft, starting first with three real time strategy games before expanding into the realm of MMORPG with World of Warcraft, an online sensation that at one point boasted 12 million subscribers worldwide.

Having spent the better part of two years exploring that world, I can say that the stories found throughout the series are at times impressively deep, if derivative of almost every fantasy trope ever written.

Given the success of the franchise, it makes sense that Blizzard would want to expand into film. Fans have been clamoring for it and, like comic book films, there is no shortage of stories to tell. Unfortunately, Warcraft the film is mostly awful.

Much of the issue with Warcraft is the writing—there is a good movie in there somewhere, it’s just really hard to find behind the stilted, wooden dialogue.

At times, the film is so by-the-numbers that it could be used as master’s course in film cliché. As derivative as the lore of

the games can be at times, it can easily be overcome by the user experience of playing the game. Users are far more forgiving when actively participating in a campaign, willing to ignore glaring absurdity and trite conversations in favor of advancing through the game. When passively viewed, however, the problems become more obvious.

The crux of the story involves a burgeoning war between humans (there are always humans in these stories, no matter what planet they might be from) and the warlike, beastly Orcs.

These Orcs have destroyed their home planet by accessing Fel magic, a demonic force that corrupts all that use it, and have set their sights on Azeroth for their new home using a Dark Portal.

Of course, not all Orcs follow the Fel—the noble Frostwolf Clan rejects the magic and secretly hopes to overthrow their leader Gul’dan through an alliance with the humans. None of this is terrible as an outline for a fantasy

like Dwarves and Elves (and Rastafarian trolls and Native American bipedal cows and Asianinspired Panda people, but I suppose the filmmakers had to draw the lines somewhere) and the renderings of famous locations and creatures and spells are Easter eggs for fans of the game, but for audiences with no prior experience with the games, all they are left with is a dull, CGI-wfilled mess.

Video games have not fared well in terms of crossing into the medium of film. Taking an interactive experience and turning it into a passive experience is bound to be fraught with problems.

Books are narratively similar and still often suffer problems in translating from page to screen. There is a wealth of video games that are genuinely powerful in terms of storytelling but thus far none have been able to successfully make the transition. Warcraft is just another casualty in the attempt to make that jump.

Still, For the Horde! and all that.

“The execution is so poor, with eye-rolling dialogue and relatively boilerplate action, that the film fails to elicit any emotions at all.” film—it works fine as an overall story.

But the execution is so poor, with eyerolling dialogue and relatively boilerplate action, that the film fails to elicit any emotions at all.

Another issue is with the casting itself. Beyond Travis Fimmell (Anduin Lothar) and Paula Patton (Garona), the cast do not appear to fit their parts. For major parts, like the king or the all powerful wizards, it’s as if they found actors that fit the people behind the keyboard rather than the heroes that the characters as supposed to be.

There is nothing wrong with the actors themselves—everyone does the best they can with what they’ve been given, but what they’ve been given just doesn’t work.

There are moments that are enjoyable—Azeroth is full of other races

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • JUNE 16, 2016 • THE PULSE • 21

COLUMN TECH TALK

Someone Fetch Me a Job Gig Tank startup plays matchmaker for talent and jobs

“

RICH BAILEY

The hiring manager gets to see all about that talent, and they already know at that point that the talent is interested in the job.”

Rich Bailey is a professional writer, editor and (sometimes) PR consultant. He led a project to create Chattanooga’s first civic website in 1995 before even owning a modem. Now he covers Chattanooga technology for The Pulse and blogs about it at CircleChattanooga.com

What if finding a job was as easy as finding a date online? You enter your criteria, let the algorithm do the heavy lifting, then check out potential suitors. The cute companies get your application, and the others never know you stuck your tongue out at them. No fuss, no muss, and employment nirvana soon follows.

That’s the idea of Fetch, a Birmingham-based startup participating in Gig Tank this summer.

“The pendulum has swung and talent is getting fed up with LinkedIn, Career Builder, Monster,” according to Fetch co-founder Jason Hutson. “Because when they put their resume out there, it’s either a black hole and they never hear from somebody when they apply for a job, or they get bombarded every day from recruiters saying they have the perfect job for them when they really don’t know who they are.”

Hutson describes the company as a talent-driven hiring platform, “basically eHarmony meets Match.com for employers and talent.”

“Our platform takes out the need for third-party recruiters by sending the matches only to the talent,” says Hutson. “Then they get to read all about the company, all about the job, see who

the hiring manager is. They’ve already been matched to the job which means their culture fits, their salary range fits, their location, their skill sets.”

Job seekers can say they’re not interested in the job, and the employer will never know they were looking.

“One of our taglines,” says Hutson, “is ‘You’re nobody until you choose to be somebody.’”

If the job seeker likes the job, a click sends a profile to the hiring manager.

“The hiring manager gets to see all about that talent, and they already know at that point that the talent is interested in the job and the company,” says Hutson. “They’re not clicking through a bunch of resumes where the skills match, but they don’t even know if that person is interested in the job or not.”

The platform opens up a chat between the talent and the company for direct communication or scheduling interviews. After the hiring manager or HR manager reviews the profiles of people who have been vetted by the platform and have said they are interested, interviews can be scheduled and an offer can be made through the platform.

Fetch’s fee structure is also a depar-

ture from traditional ways, in which a company would typically pay 20-30 percent of the hire’s annual salary to the recruiter upon hiring, with a 90-day replacement guarantee if the person leaves or is fired. Fetch charges a 17 percent fee paid monthly over a 24-month period. If the person leaves, the company simply stops paying the fee.

“So really our process is completely disruptive,” says Hutson. “Along with the process being different and protecting the talent, we’re offering a payment method that makes it affordable for companies who couldn’t afford recruiting in the first place, so now they can compete for that talent. Even startups can afford recruiting at these rates.”

Hutson and co-founder Shayne Morrow—who has started and sold two staffing companies—started Fetch in February with a soft launch focused on IT and creative professions in Birmingham. The company is already making revenue and has established a presence in several other Alabama cities.

Through Gig Tank, they hope to refine the platform and continue expanding in Chattanooga and other second-tier markets, such as Huntsville, Nashville, Austin and Mobile through brand ambassadors in each city. Then comes adding more vertical markets and expanding nationally.

“When we really narrow down that strategy, I think we’ll be able to pick it up and put it down in cities where we have no connection whatsoever,” says Hutson.

ALL NEW. ALL FOR YOU.

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