OCTOBER 25, 2018
CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALERNATIVE
a near forgotten resting place ruth cofer cemetery is more than a “potter's field” BLACK OPAL CURSES ▪ COLLIN WADE MONK ▪ FRIGHTENING ASS FILM FESTIVAL
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 15, ISSUE 43 • OCTOBER 25, 2018
BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher James Brewer, Sr. FOUNDED 2003 BY ZACHARY COOPER & MICHAEL KULL
EDITORIAL Managing Editor Gary Poole gary@chattanoogapulse.com Assistant Editor Brooke Brown City Editor Alex Curry Music Editor Marc T. Michael Film Editor John DeVore Contributors David Traver Adolphus • Adam Beckett Rob Brezsny • Jessie Gantt-Temple Matt Jones • Cody Maxwel Ernie Paik • Rick Pimental-Habib Michael Thomas • Brandon Watson Editorial Interns Allan Duggar • Ethan Palmer Cartoonists Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow
ADVERTISING Director of Sales Mike Baskin mike@brewermediagroup.com Account Executives Rick Leavell • Cindee McBride Libby Phillips • Ivan Roshell Danielle Swindell
CONTACT Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Fax 423.266.2335 Email info@chattanoogapulse.com Website chattanoogapulse.com Facebook @chattanoogapulse THE FINE PRINT: The Pulse is published weekly by Brewer Media and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on music, the arts, entertainment, culture and local news. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publisher may take more than one copy per weekly issue. The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors. Contents Copyright © 2018 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.
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A Near Forgotten Resting Place Ruth Cofer Cemetery is on the side of a hill near Silverdale. It’s behind a roadside stretch of woods close to the mall. The land surrounding the cemetery is overgrown in kudzu vines and a tall black iron gate blocks the road to the place.
NORMALPALOOZA
NormalPalooza is back for its 16th year of fun and excitement. The annual fall festival has built a foundation as an exciting staple of Chattanooga’s Northside neighborhoods.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Playing “Southern-fried gothic astro-honk,” Collin Wade Monk was a seasoned Nashville rock performer in the late-‘80s to mid-‘90s, backed by legendary local bands.
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THE HISTORICAL CURSE OF THE BLACK OPAL
There has been a movement of stones in my life recently and I don’t mean of the kidney persuasion.
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FRIGHTENING ASS FILM FEST
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like October was halfway gone before I realized what month it was. There’s just not enough time to enjoy it properly.
22 MUSIC CALENDAR
28 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
14 ARTS CALENDAR
25 MUSIC REVIEWS
29 JONESIN' CROSSWORD
15 HALLOWEEN GUIDE
27 NEW IN THEATERS
30 GAME ON!
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CITY LIFE · BETWEEN THE BRIDGES
NormalPalooza Fall Festival 16th annual festival highlights the Northside neighborhoods
By Alex Curry Pulse City Editor
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With an emphasis on the arts and a partnership with local museums, the students are immersed in a world of opportunity that could otherwise be evasive.”
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ORMALPALOOZA IS BACK FOR ITS 16TH YEAR OF FUN and excitement. The annual fall festival has built a foundation as an exciting staple of Chattanooga’s Northside neighborhoods. Normal Park Museum Magnet School hosts the fundraiser with the goal of spreading community engagement with its educational institutions and raising funds for the advancement of the school. All in the community are welcome and encouraged to attend a day full of arts, culture, music, and progress. As a zoned magnet school, Normal Park has been an exceptional educational powerhouse representing the importance of critical thought and experiential learning. Strong parental involvement has propelled the school to the forefront of Hamilton County’s public-school system. With an emphasis on the arts and a partnership with local museums, the students are immersed in a world of opportunity that could otherwise be evasive.
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NormalPalooza helps raise funds to continue this community-wide education for Chattanooga’s future leaders. This event provides funding for related arts teachers at Normal Park and for other supplementary educational resources. “We want to correlate community involvement into the process of educating our youth,” says Tara, a parent and one of the leading organizers of the event. “We have such a strong sense of parental involvement at the school, and it all comes together at NormalPalooza.” NormalPalooza 2018 will host a plethora of performances by both students and community artists. The event will take place on the school football field and will be Halloween themed. Costumes are encouraged and a con-
test will be held to celebrate the most exciting and innovative efforts. The event kicks off on October 27th at 10 a.m. with various performances from the Normal Park student body and the day will wrap up around 4 p.m. with headliner Trent Williams & The Menagerie. Other performances from Buddy Shirk, Uncle Lightnin’, and Br. B & The Ease will intermingle with a Kid’s Zone worthy of epic proportions. Gladiator jousting, a 3-hole putt putt course, a spider web mountain, a 28-foot-tall slide, and that’s just a taste of what’s in store for the young and young at heart. Local eateries will be available to fill tummies after rockin and rollin to live music. Some of Chattanooga’s favorite eateries like Tikiz shaved ice, Adelle’s Creperie, Corndog, INC., Fiamma Pizza, Kenny’s Smokehouse, and Good Dog will be ready to appease any appetite. Armbands will be available this year at normalpark.kindful.com. Families can also reserve cabanas at this year’s event, offering groups a place to park their belongings and hang out during the day’s festivities. In addition to the Kids Zone, live music, and food vendors, a plethora of local artists and artisans will set up booths to share their custom jewelry, handcrafted gifts, and arts and crafts. Support from countless businesses and organizations make NormalPalooza possible, but some run the extra mile. Brewer Media, Webb Family Orthodontics, Dr. Todd Cockerham of University Surgical, The West Village, Embark Project Services, Fiamma Pizza, and 5 Guys help make the work of this award-winning school possible.
Nightmare On Station St. It’s Halloween fun for everyone this Saturday
Cons ider This w ith Dr. Rick “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring…all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” — Leo Buscaglia
Everyone loves a good Halloween party. Most of the ones that I have attended have been at someone’s house, whether it be a friend or a family member. Now for just a second let’s imagine a Halloween party where an entire street gets shut down. You can stop imagining because it’s a reality this Saturday on Station Street and it’s going to be a blast. Nightmare on Station Street will offer Halloween fun for everyone that attends. To start off the festivities will be plenty of entertainment going on up and down the street.
Have you ever seen someone breathe fire? Maybe I’m just a shutin, but personally I can say that I haven’t. Lucky for me at Nightmare on Station Street there will be fire breathers, stilt walkers, and numerous different types of jugglers. There will also be a costume contest for anyone that wants to participate and a reenactment of the “Thriller” music video. That’s just the beginning too, as after the event begins there will be a live performance from Chattanooga’s favorite band, The Com-
municators at Songbirds South stage. They will be performing hits from the ’90s including Snoop Dogg’s album Doggystyle. The show begins at 9 p.m. and costs $20 to get in. Nightmare on Station Street kicks off at 7 p.m. on Saturday and the fun won’t stop all night. And while the street is closed off to traffic, Station Street’s restaurants such as Stir and The Terminal will be alive and ready to serve. So if you are looking for some exciting Halloween fun head down to Station Street this Saturday! — Ethan Palmer
While in a store recently, I watched a young mother as she struggled with her very unhappy and vocal son, who appeared to be autistic. I saw a few people roll their eyes or whisper. But one person walked over to the mom, touched her sleeve and softly asked, “Can I help?” When the mother thanked her but shook her head, the stranger said simply, “You’ve got this, mom.” The relief and appreciation on the mother’s face were unmistakable. Her son soon settled down, as did she. I could feel how much she appreciated this stranger’s kindness. And who knows how she might have gone on to pay it forward. Consider this: Slow down. Be intentional. Be kind. And choose the energy you wish to bring to a situation. — Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.
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Annual Fall Buying Guide, Part III So you’ve had too many children Family Size recommendations
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David Traver Adolphus Pulse columnist
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Regardless of your lack of filial devotion, you’ve still got those children and spidergoatdogs (I presume you threw some spider, or at the very least scorpion in there) to transport.”
David Traver Adolphus is a freelance automotive researcher who quit his full time job writing about old cars to pursue his lifelong dream of writing about old AND new cars. Follow him on Twitter as @proscriptus.
EY, IT HAPPENS. I DON’T judge, I had too many children. Or maybe it’s dogs, or goats, or the hellish dog-goat hybrids you’re breeding. Either way, you need some room to schlep them around to your dark Satanic soccer games and/or rituals. You might even be the kind of person who occasionally visits their parents and drives them somewhere from time to time, although given your track record I sincerely doubt it. After all, mom just carried you inside her body for nine months, no biggie. No reason you should take her out for dinner once in your miserable life, if you’re not too busy with whatever it is you do instead of seeing your mother, presumably a weekend-long Fortnite and mescaline bender. Regardless of your lack of filial devotion, you’ve still got those children and spidergoatdogs (I presume you threw some spider, or at the very least scorpion in there) to transport, which means the BMW coupe I talked you into buying last month isn’t going to cut it. Our Family Size category is blind to anything but having room and a roof— no pickups allowed until next month. New Pick: Buick Regal TourX, $32,000 Was a car nerd ever not going to pick a wagon? The Buick is the sole surviving American station wagon, and it’s a lot more like a gorgeous Volvo than any Family Truckster. Most of them seem to be on lots in the top Essence trim level; all of them have AWD and a 250hp 2.0-liter turbo four. Yes, you VW loyalists can get into an
Alltrack for $5,000 less, but you won’t get the same level of features or exclusivity that come in a Buick. Plus, the ‘18s are starting to get heavily discounted. Used Pick: 2011-2015 Toyota Sienna, $18,000-$22,000 There is only one used minivan worth buying, because aside from the Sienna (and the Buick Terraza), minivans are as reliable as your uncle when Boone’s Farm is on sale—I’m looking at you, Honda Odyssey transmissions. The Sienna, however, particularly the 2011-’15 Sienna, is so reliable it drags the entire segment upwards. Unless you don’t like your minivans boring, it’s the only one you should consider, used or new.
fast and special, a complete engine, transmission and suspension package that cut laps a hair behind Dodge’s own Viper. Your significant other doesn’t need to know it’s anything other than a very expensive, very loud used wagon. Affordable Pick: 1998-2011 Lincoln Town Car, $7,000-$10,000
Performance Pick: 2006-2008 Dodge Magnum SRT-8, $18,000$20,000
“But Dave, all of these are 20 large and up. I can swing at most $150 a month.” Then you, my friend, need a Town Car. It’s hard to convey just how much room there is inside one, but it’s a lot. The other thing you won’t know until you drive one is what a great freaking car it is. They’re built like tanks, go forever and never break down. Find one that’s been in private ownership (not a limo) and you’ll own it for the next 30 years.
Dodge briefly stuck their 425hp 6.1-liter Hemi into the Magnum Wagon, and sold about 4,200 of them, total. It was
(Just make sure you have the correct number of stick figures on your back window.)
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COVER STORY
A Near Forgotten Resting Place Ruth Cofer Cemetery is much more than a “potter's field”
By Cody Maxwell Pulse contributor
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It’s the final resting place of the city’s panhandlers and roadside preachers, old children dead of small pox, unclaimed prostitutes and faceless murder victims.”
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UTH COFER CEMETERY IS ON THE SIDE OF A HILL NEAR Silverdale. It’s behind a roadside stretch of woods close to the mall. The land surrounding the cemetery is overgrown in kudzu vines and a tall black iron gate blocks the road to the place.
A sign outside the gate demands that no living flowers be planted there. No tombstones are allowed. No monuments of any sort. Plastic flowers or momentos left on the graves will be gathered and discarded at the caretaker’s discretion. After sundown no one is allowed, but that doesn’t matter because no one ever goes there anyway. This cemetery is better known as Chattanooga’s potter’s field. It’s the final resting place of the city’s panhandlers and roadside preachers, old
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children dead of small pox, unclaimed prostitutes and faceless murder victims. Nursing home refuse and old convicts—any dead person without family or friends or (most importantly) money on their name is laid to rest in the potter’s field. Prisoners from the county jail down the road dig the graves. A local minister is found to donate his time and say a few words, the dirt is thrown back in the hole and that’s the end of lives such as those. The term “potter’s field” is the old
common name for such places in America. The term is of Biblical origin and in the New Testament refers to a place called Akeldama. Akeldama was a field near Jerusalem from which clay for the local potters was dug from the ground. After the field’s use for a source of this clay had come to an end such a place, already full of trenches and holes, would become a graveyard for strangers, the poor, and anyone else who could not be buried in the orthodox cemeteries. The Biblical scripture that gave rise to the name is Matthew 27:3-8 and refers to the thirty pieces of silver Judas Iscariot had been paid to betray Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane:
Then Judas, who had betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus was condemned to death, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And Judas cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for us to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, even unto this day. “Field of blood” may have been a little too graphic to fall into colloquial usage so these burial places of the poor and unclean became the potter’s field. In Ruth Cofer Cemetery there are no concrete benches or statues of mournful angels looking down. No cherubic stone children playing lyres. Marble arms of Jesus are not outstretched to welcome anyone. There are no tree-lined paths or any of the normal peaceful cemetery consolations. There’s nothing there but dry grass and bugs in the air. The emptiness of the place is disturbing. It lacks the sense of being hallowed ground. Forest Hills Cemetery at the foot of Lookout Mountain is a resting place for royalty by comparison. All those dead Luptons and Davenports have monuments that will last for centuries. But at the top of the hill there where the dry grass meets the woods, you can turn and look back towards Chattanooga. That old familiar slow rise and steep fall of Lookout Mountain is on the far horizon. In the foreground, at
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Going through everyday life we are completely unaware of most of the sounds that constantly assail us. But when a complete silence falls we become immediately uneasy. ” the bottom of the hill, are three white crosses that stand impossibly tall along the highway down below. A nearby church called The Crossing spent $700,000 to erect the massive icons. The Crossing Church erected the crosses to represent the itinerant preacher called Jesus who was betrayed by Judas Iscariot two thousand years ago. This itinerant man, who members of The Crossing now worship as God, stood atop another grassy hill not long before his death and said to a crowd of people gathered before him: Blessed are you poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are you that weep now: for you shall laugh. Blessed are you, when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company. But woe unto you that are rich! for you have received your reward. Woe unto you that are full! for you shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for you shall mourn and weep. It is unknown whether The Crossing is aware that the city’s potter’s field is so near their venue. It is very strange that there is no monument to
the Man who spoke those words in that poor place. There is nothing there that echoes those blessings. There is only a silence over the graves. It’s not the peaceful quiet of a quaint country graveyard or the majestic tranquility of the historically preserved Forest Hills Cemetery at the foot of Lookout Mountain. In the potter’s field it’s the silence of scared animals. Many animals become completely silent and motionless when a predator is near. While foraging across plains or in woods, for example, animals who move in herds make little sounds towards one another as they graze. They make their little familiar-voiced sounds to let the others know that all is well and they are not alone. A sudden silence amongst them impels fear. Silence means something has come that is threatening. Their terror does not arise out of a sudden animal shriek but because a still silence has fallen. Humans are no different. People who study us have found that when left in solitude and deprived of all sound we hum or sing or talk to ourselves. We do anything to hide from silence. Going through everyday life we are completely unaware of most of the sounds that constantly assail us. But when a complete silence falls we become immediately uneasy. The turn-key guards in the jail at Silverdale down the road know this very well. Cacophony in those cages is normal. A sudden silence amongst all the inmates means something is about to happen. This is the silence in the evening at the back of the potter’s field. In a house on top of the far-off mountain there once lived a girl named Marie. She went to the same fancy school as her friends up there. At home, her father was a drunk. Her mother didn’t know what to do about it so her mother did nothing. Marie enjoyed the things that come from up there but she got nothing from her family. She suffered accordingly but was always somehow
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COVER STORY the most beautiful girl on the mountain. One winter night, it snowed in Chattanooga. The mountain as always had more snow than the valley. Snow up there makes cozy warm coffee holidays and fairy tales of the morning. Marie woke and pulled back the curtains in her room as all children do on snowy mornings. Downstairs her father was drinking whiskey and her mother was somewhere. I was drinking with Marie one night and she told me a story of taking her bicycle out in the snow that morning. Bundled in her coat and scarf and halftied boots she rode in circles around the usual mountain paths. After a while, because no one was looking, Marie took a different path. She went pedaling down the old tree-lined sidewalks. No cars were out so she took her bicycle out onto the snowy mountain road. Marie laughed and said she was laughing the whole way down that road. She surely knew the trouble that was coming but down the mountain she went anyway, all the way down to the city where everything was different. What happened after that only Marie knows. Because when Marie told me this story she shook her head laughing and looked away. She didn’t tell anything else. With a faraway smile she said, “It was a dumb thing to do,” and
filled her glass up with wine again. Marie’s dead now. How or why doesn’t matter much. It was a quiet death. The house she lived in when she was a girl on the mountain is home to another family now. The new family seems to live a quiet life. They rake leaves in the fall and smoke comes out of the chimney in winter, the same as all their neighbors. Marie is at rest beneath a great maple or oak tree full of leafy life and singing birds somewhere, I’m sure. There’s surely a marble stone that says her name and memorializes the years she lived, and flowers. Marie is not buried in the potter’s field. But it’s a good place to remember her.
There’s a spot in Ruth Cofer Cemetery marked by very small stone bricks arranged in the shape of a cross on the ground. Years ago some person arranged the bricks this way to remember a bunch of children who died and were buried there. Nobody knows the names of the children. There are only numbers engraved on the small stones. No one can say what their laughter sounded like or what were their favorite games to play. Nobody remembers these children chasing leaves when they fell or their faces when they saw their first snowfall. There are no monuments or flowers allowed in the potter’s field. But they
couldn’t have been much different than Marie. Surrounded by nothing up there it’s good to remember her. Otherwise those children may have never existed at all. I sat on the hill at Ruth Cofer Cemetery and wrote this story. I sat there as darkness fell. Lookout Mountain disappeared in the dark and I saw the three white crosses down below become lit up in beams of artificial light. Car lights went up and down the highway. My fingers got cold after a while. I ran out of cigarettes, and cheap whiskey only makes you want more. There’s nothing there but the story is done. The story is that there’s nothing there. The itinerant preacher that Judas betrayed said: “You will have the poor with you always, but you will not always have me.” Sitting on the ground in the potter’s field, I knew that prophecy had come true. It started getting dark and I had to go before that tall black iron gate closed and locked me in the place. Chattanooga resident Cody Maxwell is a longtime contributing writer for The Pulse and is the author of “Chattanooga Chronicles” and “16 Cantos”. Reach him at codymaxwell@live.com
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Curse Of The Black Opal The fascinating history behind October's birthstone
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HERE HAS BEEN A MOVEMENT OF STONES IN MY LIFE recently and I don’t mean of the kidney persuasion. With several friends recently creating jewelry wrapped around allegedly healing stones, my curiosity was peaked especially since my birthday was approaching. By Jessie Gantt-Temple Pulse contributor
With the superstitious season upon us, October babies such as myself, may hold their mystical opal birthstones closer to their heart than others. As one who has steadily boasted that my precious is a gem that can only be worn by those born in October, I suddenly found myself wondering where did I get that from and what good does it do? First, like any good reporter, I Googled it and was surprised to see the story of the opal lore dated back centuries. Associated with the Black Death, 12 • THE PULSE • OCTOBER 25, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
the “curse of the opal” became legend during a time when unexplained illness and death was easily blamed on witches and magic. Story has it that a Black Plague patient was wearing an opal and the stone lost all color as soon as the patient passed on. It was the Romans that then brought the love of the opal back to life. Pliny the Elder, who wrote the first “Natural History of the World”, encouraged onlookers to embrace the stone. “For in them you shall see the living fire of ruby, the glorious purple of the amethyst, the sea-green of the emerald, all glittering together in an incred-
ible mixture of light,” he wrote. Other famous figures backed up the opal’s good fortune and desired it in their royal collection. Mark Antony (the Greek general, not Jennifer Lopez’s ex) banished a Senator because he wouldn’t give up his coveted stone to the ruler. Napoleon gifted his beloved Josephine with an opal as it was referred to as the “Cupid Stone” due to its complexion resembling the God Of Love. The reputation of the October stone was salvaged until 1829 when Sir Walter Scott wrote “Anne of Geierstein”. The main character’s mood changed the color of the stone until it was touched by holy water and lost all color. She was then accused of being a demon and died shortly afterwards. The opal market died shortly thereafter the publication and continued to do so due with help from the diamond mer-
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Associated with the Black Death, the ‘curse of the opal’ became legend during a time when unexplained illness and death was easily blamed on witches and magic.” chants. As opals gained popularity, other gem dealers became nervous about their up and coming competition therefore fueling the fears of bad luck. The bijou juju generally states that the black opal is lucky and the white opal is horribly jinxed. This may be because, according to the National Opal Collection, black opal is the most valued as the white opal is the most common. However, there are more varieties of opals than just black and white. Boulder opals, also known as “Painted Ladies”, are named appropriately as they are embedded in their host rock and usually include fragments of it. Matrix opal is like boulder, as it is encased in its place of origin, therefore more complicated to separate into a single stone. There is also precious opal, common opal, fire opal, cats-
eye opal, crystal, blue, pink, morado (Spanish for purple), and the list goes on. Many of the opals are named for their origin such as Andamooka opal or Lightning Ridge opal, both found in Australia. Over 90 percent of opals come from Australia but other countries do contribute such as Ethiopia, Mexico, Hungary, Indonesia, Brazil, Peru, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Czech Republic. Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Louisiana, California, Arizona, and Texas are a few states that produce as well. Danae Sweeton, owner and designer of local jewelry company Jasper In June, uses Mexican Fire opal (pictured) and Australian Boulder opal most often because they are natural. “As we source our stones with local and international lapidaries we have personally met through our travels,”
she notes. Danae reassures that they use only all ethically sourced, natural gems. Since Jasper In June has a stone and a birth month in their name, which is Danae’s favorite stone and her birth month, I was intrigued on how she felt regarding the October stone’s saga. “We believe in the holistic benefits, but don’t have any real superstitions with stones other than to clean them by the moonlight,” she said as she shined Moonstone, another one of her favorite stones and her birthstone. “This is not superstition though. Crystals can pick up energy around them and therefore need to be cleansed often.” She added that green stones, such as aventurine and jade, are said to be lucky and we both agreed that it is bad luck for anyone not to be adorned with jewelry.
Blood, Guts, And Eyeliner
For years now during Halloween, I’ve wanted to take my costume ideas and amp them up a notch. A facepainted Baseball Fury from The Warriors or a bloodspeckled Christian Bale from American Psycho were a few ideas. But I never had the drive or know-how to make these badass costume ideas come to life. The Chattanooga Workspace is offering the chance for us to take Halloween costume and makeup to the next level with the Halloween Makeup: Monster edition workshop. From 1 to 2:30 p.m. this Saturday, attendees will work with makeup artist Michelle Hatfield and considering her background,
makeup ideas won’t be limited to classic monsters. Hatfield has over 25 years’ experience in makeup in entertainment and has worked in numerous haunted houses and on film. Her prior work was heavily involved in creating cuts, bruises, and physical damage. If you’re anything like me and you procrastinate on a good costume, then a gnarly gash on your face or a lovely head wound will be sure to turn a few heads. Tickets for this event are $22 and can be purchased at Eventbrite.com. For information on this event and others go to thechattery.org or call Chattanooga Workspace at (423) 822-5750. — Allan Duggar
THU10.25
FRI10.26
SAT10.27
Milford Graves Full Mantis
Improv “Movie” Night: Zombie Movie
“The Last Five Years”
A portrait of renowned percussionist Milford Graves, exploring his creativity and relentless curiosity. 7:30 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org
Comedy and zombies go together as well as mashed potatoes and candy corn. Okay, bad analogy. Sorry. 8, 10 p.m. First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. improvchattanooga.com
Come out and see the critically acclaimed CTC production of a challenging look at a singularly odd relationship through time. 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. theatrecentre.com
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR THURSDAY10.25 Art Wise: Gallery Walk w/ Artists 6 p.m. Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Open Mic Storytelling Night: Startup Week Edition 6 p.m. Tomorrow Building 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 521-5013 tomorrowbuilding.com “The Last Five Years” 7 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Chattanooga Hockey Presents: “A” League Hockey 7 p.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. (423) 488-6846 chattanoogahockey.com Chris Franjola 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Milford Graves Full Mantis Documentary Screening 7:30 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org 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 Student Improv Showcase 10 p.m. First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com
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Festival of the Jack O’Lanterns
FRIDAY10.26 Food Truck Friday’s with Chattanooga Workspace 11:30 a.m. Miller Park 928 Market St. millerparkplaza.com Out On 8th 5 p.m. West Village 802 Pine St. (423) 424-1831 westvillagechattanooga.com Musical Chairs in the Park 6 p.m. Miller Park 928 Market St. (423) 265-3700 eventbrite.com “Devil’s Walk” 7:30 p.m. Back Alley @ The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. (706) 996-8350 BAPshows.com Chris Franjola 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com “The Last Five Years” 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Improv “Movie” Night: Zombie Movie
8, 10 p.m. First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Ruby Falls Lantern Tours 8:30 p.m. Ruby Falls 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com Red Shoe Society Annual Halloween Cruise 10 p.m. Southern Belle Riverboat 151 Riverfront Pkwy. (423) 266-4488 chattanoogariverboat.com
SATURDAY10.27 Farm Days 10 a.m. Old McDonald’s Farm 16705 Coulterville Rd. oldmocdonaldsfarm.net Scenic City Eggfest 10 a.m. Collegedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. (423) 899-6306 eldershardware.com Making Fall Paper Wreaths 10 a.m. Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Frightening Ass Film Festival 10 a.m.
First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Nature of Art: Festival of the Jack O’Lanterns 11 a.m. Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Red Wolf Feeding and Talk Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Halloween Makeup: Monster Edition 1 p.m. Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Artful Yoga w/ Roenesha Andreson and Poet Erika Roberts 1:30 p.m. Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org UTC vs. VMI football 3 p.m. Finley Stadium 1826 Carter St. (423) 266-4041 gomocs.com Grand Opening and Halloween Celebration 5 p.m.
the Pulse
Halloween Guide The haunted Depot spooks and ghouls in downtown ringgold
Ghost Touring do you believe in ghosts? you should...
plus: haunted houses & halloween events WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO SEE, WHEN TO SCREAM
your weekly guide to chattanooga's favorite halloween events
Ringgold Haunted Depot By Allan Duggar Have you been scouring through every scary movie on Netflix and have found that you still want more? Want to carpe the diem and live it up this holiday season? Then head down to Ringgold’s Haunted Depot for a terrifyingly fun time. Here is just a little sample of what’s lying in wait for you in the haunted and historic train depot: like many haunted houses darkness plays a huge role, but this one is ridiculously dark. You have but your hands to feel your way along the pitch-black paths. At one point the hallways can induce claustrophobia and close in on you in surprising ways. Now imagine some blood-covered murder in that closed in hallway with you: awesome, right? While in line, the group ahead of
me was asked if they had a “sacrificial offering” to go first. They quickly ousted a young friend and made him lead the way. Being in front is bad enough but being at the back is worse. But the creatures at the Haunted Depot have you covered: halfway through you reverse directions. It’s disorienting. And it’s just thrilling to be disoriented in a room filled with clowns. Half the time the ghoulish guides in the depot show you the way ahead. Other times they lead you to deadend paths with people wielding powered cutting tools. This coming Friday and Saturday night are the last nights to catch this foreboding attraction. Tickets
to the Haunted Depot are $10 and sales last from 7 to 11 p.m. They can be purchased on site. But not only is there the depot, there is also a Haunted Hayride, a not-so-scary hayride for the faint of heart, and a fun ghost tour. Outside the depot is live music and food and drink venders serving hot drinks, tacos, nachos, and quesadillas. For more info, go to facebook. com/ringgoldhaunteddepot.
Chattanooga Ghost Tours By Ethan Palmer It’s a chilly Thursday night, the sun has just set and most people are getting ready for bed with some herbal tea and comfortable pajamas. Me on the other hand, I’m strapping on my boots, buttoning up my flannel, and getting ready to head to one of the scariest and top rated ghost tours in the country. I have lived in Chattanooga for quite some time now and I always recalled seeing signs for Chattanooga Ghost Tours. However, being the frightened little child I am, I never attended. This was my mistake because this particular ghost tour was one of the most entertaining things I have done in the city of Chattanooga. I went on the Murder and Mayhem Haunted History Tour, which leads 16 • THE PULSE • OCTOBER 25, 2018 • HALLOWEEN GUIDE • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
you through the downtown area of the city. What makes this particular haunted ghost tour so special? In my opinion it was the fantastic guides that were leading the way through the city, explaining some of the paranormal activity from the past. My guide, Jack, did an excellent job of scaring me while at the same time being super informative. When asked about why Chattanooga Ghost Tours is one of the top rated haunted tours in America owner Amy Petulla replied, “We have the best guides in the nation.” As creepy as the tour is, which is pretty darn creepy, the thing that really stood out to me was how much
I learned about this city that I have been living in for years. Not to give too much away, because you need to go for yourself, but a lot of weird and spooky things happened here. Chattanooga Ghost Tours is a must see attraction for anyone that visits or lives in Chattanooga. There are multiple different tours that you can book online at chattanoogaghosttours.com and ticket prices vary. Make sure to book early because they sell out fast!
Haunted Houses & Events Dread Hollow Thur-Sun & Halloween 321 Browns Ferry Rd. (423) 800-0566 dreadhollow.com Blowing Springs Farm Fri-Sun in October 271 Chattanooga Valley Rd. (706) 820-2531 blowingspringsfarm.com Rocktoberfest Fall Festival Sat & Sun in October Rock City Gardens 1400 Patten Rd. (706) 820-2531 seerockcity.com
(423) 894-8028 tvrail.com Acres of Darkness: Haunted Woods & Family Adventure Fri & Sat in October Audubon Acres 900 North Sanctuary Rd. (423) 892-1499 acresofdarkness.com Boo in the Zoo Oct. 26-27 Chattanooga Zoo 301 N. Holtzclaw Ave. (423) 697-1322 chattzoo.org
Ringgold Haunted Depot Oct. 26-27 155 Depot St. (706) 935-3061 cityofringgoldga.gov
Fall Hayrides & Campfires Saturdays in Oct. thru Nov. 3 Cloudland Canyon State Park 122 Cloudland Canyon Park Rd. (706) 657-4050 gastateparks.org
Escape Experience Chattanooga Daily through Oct. 31 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 551-3306 escapeexperience.com
Haunted Trail Oct. 26-27, 6 p.m. Enterprise South Nature Park 190 Still Hollow Loop (423) 893-3500 hamiltontn.gov/esnp
Chattanooga Ghost Tours Nightly through Oct. 31 57 E. 5th St. (423) 800-5998 chattanoogaghosttours.com
Mayfield Corn Maze, Pumkin Patch & Haunted Trail Daily through Nov. 3 257 Hwy. 307 E. Athens, TN (423) 746-9859 mayfieldmaze.com
Halloween Eerie Express Fri & Sat in October Tennessee Valley Railroad 4119 Cromwell Rd.
ODDtober Fri & Sat in October
Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Post-Mortem Haunted Trail Fri & Sat in October Tri-State Exhibition Center 200 Natures Trail McDonald, TN (706) 339-4917 postmortem.myfreesites.net
Friday, Oct. 26 Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Big Chill Halloween Bash Saturday, Oct. 27 The Big Chill 103 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 267-2455 thebigchillgrill.com
The Haunted Barn Fri & Sat in October, Nov. 3 5017 McDonald Rd. McDonald, TN (423) 396-9790 thehauntedbarnchattanooga.com
Scary-Oke Contest Saturday, Oct 27 Sing It or Wing It 410 Market St. (423) 757-WING singitorwingitchattanooga.com
The Haunted Hilltop Fri & Sat in October & Halloween 8235 Hwy. 58 (423) 488-3956 thehauntedhilltop.com
Killer Prom Halloween Party Oct. 31, 8 p.m. Matilda Midnight @ The Dwell Hotel 120 E. 10th St. (423) 710-2925 matildamidnight.com
The River Maze Fri-Sun in October 1371 Hwy. 64 Cleveland, TN (423) 650-0710 therivermaze.com WinnepeSPOOKah! Fri & Sat in October & Thurs. Oct 25 Lake Winnepesaukah 1730 Lakeview Dr. (706) 866-5681 lakewinnie.com AquaScarium
Halloween Party & Ashley and The X’s CD Release Oct. 31, 9 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. (423) 531-2473 museum.songbirds.rocks Haunted Hunter Oct. 31, 7 p.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org
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18 • THE PULSE • OCTOBER 25, 2018 • HALLOWEEN GUIDE • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR 6 a.m. Fleet Feet Sports 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 771-7996 fleetfeetchattanooga.com Intro to Calligraphy 10 a.m. Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Tuesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m. Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com Paths to Pints along the Riverwalk 6:30 p.m. The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com
“Devil’s Walk” Chattanooga Event Center 2193 Park Dr. (423) 414-2815 chattanoogaeventcenter.com Autumn in West Village 6 p.m. West Village 802 Pine St. westvillagechattanooga.com “Devil’s Walk” 7:30 p.m. Back Alley @ The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. (706) 996-8350 BAPshows.com Chris Franjola 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Contra Dance for All! 7:30 p.m. Brainerd United Methodist 4315 Brainerd Rd. (423) 698-6951 brainerdumc.org “The Last Five Years” 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Nightmare on Station Street 9 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com
SUNDAY10.28 Frightening Ass Film Festival 10 a.m. First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Chattanooga Market 10 a.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1826 Carter St. (423) 648-2496 publicmarkets.us Farm Days 10 a.m. Old McDonald’s Farm 16705 Coulterville Rd. oldmocdonaldsfarm.net Free Fiddle School 2 p.m. Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd. (423) 994-7497 “The Last Five Years” 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Pumpkin Patch 3 p.m. Ridgedale Baptist Church 1831 Hickory Valley Rd. (423) 499-0994 ridgedalebaptist.org Chris Franjola
7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Horror Movie Marathon 8 p.m. Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 682-8200 chattanoogabarley.com
MONDAY10.29 Autumn 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. chattabrew.com Haunting Halloween Embroidery 6 p.m. Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com
TUESDAY10.30 Wake Up & Run
WEDNESDAY10.31 Middle Eastern Dance 10:30 a.m. Jewish Cultural Center 5461 North Terrace (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com Main Street Market 4 p.m. 522 W. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com Rapid Learning Kayak Skills + Roll Sessions 6 p.m. Chester Frost Park 2277 Gold Point Cir. N. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Haunted Hunter 7 p.m. Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 7:30 p.m. The Bitter Alibi 825 Houston St. (423) 362-5070 thebitteralibi.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • OCTOBER 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 19
THE MUSIC SCENE
Blast From A Musical Past Collin Wade Monk returns after 20 years
Photo by William Johnson
P
LAYING “SOUTHERN-FRIED GOTHIC ASTRO-HONK,” Collin Wade Monk was a seasoned Nashville rock performer in the late-‘80s to mid-‘90s, backed by bands including the Bongo Fury and the Ladyfingers. By Ernie Paik Pulse Contributor
However, after three albums and a chance at a record deal with Geffen Records, Monk walked away from music in 1997, due to the three Fs: family, finances and frustration. After moving away from Nashville, Monk eventually warmed his chops back up, busking as a solo performer in Chattanooga, and he recently released his first album in over 20 years, Et Tu Mary Sue. Monk took the time to answer some questions for The Pulse in advance of 20 • THE PULSE • OCTOBER 25, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
his October 26 show at Barking Legs Theater opening for Roger Alan Wade. “I grew up in a house where music paid the bills but was not viewed as an aspiration,” said Monk, when asked about his musical beginnings. “My father was a disc jockey with a depression-era viewpoint,” said Monk about his father Charlie Monk, the Nashville radio and music publishing figure. “Pre-Beatles AM radio was a hodgepodge, and he brought home whatever 45s were being discarded, without regard to quality. Whatever he didn’t want, my brother had first crack at, and then I got the dregs.”
“I didn’t see anybody play an instrument, except the dour old lady at church; so I thought the sounds coming out of my 1967 Kenner Close ‘N Play were magic, and that might still be true.” “As someone who is obsessive, I found one record and played it repeatedly: The Fireballs’ ‘Bottle of Wine,’” said Monk. “I guess that audio experience is something I am always chasing. Eddie Van Halen has his ‘brown sound,’ and mine tilts a little more towards beige.” “I learned to play the guitar because my brother did, but I never thought I would be any good; so I played bass in some bands,” said Monk. “Then I heard Mojo Nixon and Richie Havens around the same time. Man, did that look like fun!” “I do wish I had stuck to my guns in
“
This record could not have been made in Nashville, They already know what to play, and getting too far out of bounds is risky because someone might hear it and not call you for a job.” that period, but I let myself get convinced that I could get a record deal,” said Monk. “I played with some great musicians, but then I got married with kids; and as the great Tommy Womack said, ‘Nothing like a gig in Nashville to make you feel slightly unloved.’” “Then we moved to Chattanooga, and I didn’t touch a guitar for a year,” said Monk. “Met Bob Stagner and Steve Hickman, but still were just friends and neighbors for 10 years.” Last winter, Monk finally approached Stagner who is known for his drumming in the Shaking Ray Levis, Prime Lens and Roger Alan Wade’s band about putting together an album, and then Hickman—a recording engineer and keyboard player—was also enlisted for the project. “Steve and Bob complement each other to the high-
est degree,” said Monk. “They are as different as drums and piano. I think this record shows off the sum of their individual experiences.” On “Swim”: I wrote the guitar riff while I was busking because when I started, I was so self-conscious that I would just noodle on the guitar until I felt I could open my mouth. The lyrics are basically saying that if you want to know about a group of people, you have to go where they are, because if a large group of people that you don’t know shows up at your doorstep, and it’s not your birthday, there will be trouble. On “Tara”: This was written by Jim Ridley, the former film critic and Editor in Chief at the Nashville Scene. He was the best friend I ever had—to his credit, many people say that—and when he died sud-
denly a couple ago, I felt like I owed his memory something. Most people had no idea that he wrote songs as well. Memory eternal. On “Devilandme”: I just love the way it is all over the place but still cohesive. Evan Lipson is just spanking that upright [bass], and how many non-jazz records have drum solos anymore? Cody Dickinson from the North Mississippi Allstars said the drums on this record are “mental.” The lyrics speak for themselves. “This record could not have been made in Nashville,” said Monk. “They already know what to play, and getting too far out of bounds is risky because someone might hear it and then not call you for a job because the budget can’t absorb the risk. I actually had a musician once say that when he turned down a gig with me.”
Chilling With Seaux Chill
Chattanooga can be a tough place to grow up. Twenty years ago the city was not the same as it is today. There is one artist who struggled through the challenges and is doing his best to rise up through the flames, and his name is Seaux Chill. Seaux Chill is what Chattanooga is all about. With his unique blend of jazz, gospel, and hip-hop, he embodies a lot of what Chattanooga is all about. Songs like “Violet Dreams” and “Your Love” do a great job of showing off his style. Not only is Seaux Chill a talented lyricist and rapper
but he also is an excellent pianist. His first album, Freedom Avenue, dropped in 2017 so we can expect some more fresh beats coming from him soon. Seaux Chill also does his best to give back to the city he grew up in, constantly giving back through his nonprofit work. His volunteer efforts with the East Lake Expression Engine give local Chattanooga youth a chance to learn and study music. You can see Seaux Chill, for free, this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. on the lawn of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. — Ethan Palmer
THU10.25
FRI10.26
SAT10.27
The Cadillac Three
Drivin’ N Cryin’
RHPS
This longhaired trio of Nashville natives understood what makes country really cook, and it's not shiny suits and songs about solo cups. 8 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com
We once had someone email us asking why Chattanooga loves Drivin’ N Cryin’ so much. Duh. It's because they rock! 9 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com
If you know that the initials mean, you know what to expect. If you don't, well... come on down anyway and discover for yourself. 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • OCTOBER 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 21
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR
Collective Soul
THURSDAY10.25 Cat Man Smothers 2 p.m. Virgola Wine Bar 608 Georgia Ave. chattanoogawinebar.com Seaux Chill 5:30 p.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center (on the lawn) 200 E. MLK Blvd. jazzanooga.org James Crumble Trio 6 p.m. St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Toby Hewitt 6 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Gino Fanelli 6:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Naomi Ingram 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Hatcher Phillips Band 7 p.m. Southern Belle 201 Riverfront Pkwy. chattanoogariverboat.com Open Mic Night 7 p.m. Moccasin Bend Brewing Co. 3210 Broad St.
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bendbrewingbeer.com Brahms Symphony No. 1 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com Jesse James & Tim Neal 7:30 p.m. Mexi-Wing VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. (423) 296-1073 Fox Mountain Express 7:30 p.m. The Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Keepin’ It Local 8 p.m. The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com The Cadillac Three with Bones Owens 8 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Gov’t Mule 8 p.m. The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com Open Mic Night 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Escape-ism 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
FRIDAY10.26 Food Truck Friday’s with Rick Rushing & Hollie Berry 11:30 a.m. Miller Park 928 Market St. millerparkplaza.com Binji Varsossa 6 p.m. Cancun Mexican Restaurant 1809 Broad St. (423) 266-1461 Preston Ruffing 6:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Megan Howard 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Tim Lewis 7 p.m. El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Jesse Jungkurth and the Patron Haints 7 p.m. Edley’s Bar-B-Que 205 Manufacturers Rd. edleysbbq.com Jennifer Daniels 7 p.m. Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Jonathan Laird 7 p.m. The Tap House
3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com Rick Rushing and The Blues Strangers 7:30 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Collective Soul 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com Tryezz vs. XII Olympians 8 p.m. Barley Taphouse 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Pamela K. Ward Band 8:30 p.m. Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Drivin’ N Cryin’ with Rust 9 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Sparkle City Disco & DJ Burn One 9 p.m. The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com Silo Road 9 p.m. HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Over Easy, Antler Hopkins, SLZY SLZY, Juggernaut Stomp 9 p.m.
Bob Dylan and His Band JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Jason Lyles 9:30 p.m. The Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com VooDoo Slim 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SATURDAY10.27 Bluegrass Brunch Noon The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy. thehonestpint.com Binji Varsossa 6 p.m. Cancun Mexican Restaurant 1809 Broad St. (423) 266-1461 Danimal 6 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Jesse Jungkurth 6:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Flattop Boxers 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Brie Capone
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 Lew Card 7 p.m. Edley’s Bar-B-Que 205 Manufacturers Rd. edleysbbq.com Rachel Sumner and Ian Fitzgerald 7 p.m. The Tomorrow Building 818 Georgia Ave. tomorrowbuilding.com Magnificent Lions, Keeping Composure, Sunsap 8 p.m. Barley Taphouse 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Jon Scott 8:30 p.m. Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com The Communicators Present: Nightmare on Station Street 9 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Airshow
9 p.m. HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com RHPS 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com VooDoo Slim 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SUNDAY10.28 9th Street Stompers 11 a.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Jim Lees 11 a.m. Westin Chattanooga 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Gopher Broke 12:30 p.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1826 Carter St. publicmarkets.us James Hatem 1:30 p.m. Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com The Scarlet Love Conspiracy 2 p.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1826 Carter St. publicmarkets.us
Choro das 3 3 p.m. Memorial Auditorium 399 McCallie Ave. chattanoogamusicclub.org 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 Mathis & Martin 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com James McMurtry with Bonnie Whitmore 8 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Bob Dylan and His Band 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com The Molly Maguires 8 p.m. The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy. thehonestpint.com Mathias 9 p.m. Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com Daikaiju 9 p.m. CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • OCTOBER 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 23
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR
Lyle Lovett with Robert Earl Keen JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
MONDAY10.29 Open Air with Jessica Nunn 6 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Megan Howard 6:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Very Open Mic with Shawnessey Cargile 8 p.m. The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com Spoken Nerd, Mayor Iguana, Kindora 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
TUESDAY10.30 Danimal 6 p.m.
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Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Mark Andrew 6:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Bill McCallie and In Cahoots 6:30 p.m. Southern Belle 201 Riverfront Pkwy. chattanoogariverboat.com Open Mic Jam Session 7 p.m. Crust Pizza 3211 Broad St. crustpizza.com Scott Sharrard with Ben Sparaco 7 p.m. Songbirds North 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Annie Lindstrom 6 p.m. The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com Jam Sessions with Freddy Mc & Friends 7:30 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Lyle Lovett with Robert Earl Keen 7:30 p.m. Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave.
tivolichattanooga.com Open Mic with Xll Olympians 8 p.m. Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com
WEDNESDAY10.31 Noontunes: 9th Street Stompers Noon Miller Park 928 Market St. millerparkplaza.com No Big Deal 6 p.m. SpringHill Suites 495 Riverfront Pkwy. springhillsuites.com Shawnessey Cargile 6:30 p.m. Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Jimmy Dormire 6:30 p.m. Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Haunted Hunter with DGSM DJs, Fit of Body, Erika Glück 7 p.m.
The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. huntermuseum.org Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m. Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Jazz in the Lounge 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Priscilla & Little Rickee 8 p.m. Las Margaritas 1101 Hixson Pike (423) 756-3332 Ashley and the X’s CD Release & Halloween Party 9 p.m. Songbirds South 35 Station St. songbirdsguitars.com Genki Genki Panic 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Prime Cut Trio 9 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com
ADAM BECKETT'S RECORD REVIEWS
Glass Hammer Chronomonaut (Arion Records)
T
oday I get the honor of reviewing an album from a group that has far surpassed legendary status with its music career. Having completed now seventeen phenomenal studio albums since their beginning says an awful lot about the tenacity, endurance, and love for music that Chattanooga’s own Glass Hammer emits from its core. On top of the multiple studio album releases, they have four live albums, and ten “other” albums, which are a mix of different projects and collaborations; with special mention of Artifact One, a techno/dance project released by the original and long-term founding members Steve Babb and Fred
Jack Sawyer All My Friends Are Chemicals (jacksawyer.bandcamp.com) Schendel. Groups do not simply make over thirty albums, and not absolutely love it. I take my hat off and salute this group of warriors for the battle of music, bleeding hearts, and royalty of Progressive Rock and Roll. It is not the longevity that makes them so impressive, it is the pouring their blood, sweat, tears, and soul into it. Since their beginning, Glass Hammer has consistently been making music that is an extension of their heartbeat, and doing it like a group of ageless, timeless, never bland, always growing, changing, and rocking and rolling the whole way through.
Their October 2018 release of Chronomonaut marks their seventeenth studio album release since 1992, and a phenomenal accomplishment. Throughout the years, their albums have been potent and flowing. Due to so many various factors, it is hard to compare albums, and measure them as good, better, and best; for any artist/group. Each unique album tells its own story, has its own angle, and bids for its position in the top slot, standing alone as “the best”. With its short shelf life hot off the presses, Chronomonaut certainly has a diverse one of a kind sound, and really and truly could be their best work yet. The instruments coagulate to produce an unbelievably powerful sound and mix effortlessly with the ferocious lead vocals of Susie Bogdanowicz; the combination produces epic, howl at the moon type music. The guitar/Sax combination on “Twilight of the Godz” is fantastic, and the guitar solo an “Fade Away” make the tracks the standout songs of the album. Honorable mention goes to “Clockwork”, “A Hole in the Sky”, and “blinding Light”. If this album has somehow
bypassed your radar, hopefully this review will lead you to it. Calling Chronomonaut stellar would certainly be an understatement. It is a must have album for the collection of music lovers of all genres.
I
t is a fantastic time to live in the Scenic City, for the diversity of Chattanooga’s music scene is unmeasurable. I love the fact that local musicians are branching out, and hiking through unexplored wilderness with their music creation. It certainly makes for a bustling music scene, and an assortment of blissful tunes jamming through the airwaves. A prime example of music that is amazing, unique, and true to itself, is All My Friends Are Chemicals, by Jack Sawyer. The album is a timeless classic that is full of beautiful music, stellar vocals, and is not like any other kind of music that is currently being produced locally. It truly does stand alone, and it does so with some serious style and flair. It stands rocksteady in a league of its own, unshaken by the fact that it is not like everybody else. Kudos to Jack Sawyer for producing music that comes from
his heart and soul. The album is very well put together. The eclectic music easily flows and transitions into the next track, and each one is completely different from the next. The Indie Pop/Rock album in genre shattering. It starts of very cool, collected, and chilled with “Uptown Kids”, and “Easy”, before it lets lose, and dives right into some righteous funk in “Good Vibe Man”. All the songs on the album are excellent, however, the stand out tracks on the album are the trippy, electronic rock and roll track, “You Better Start Loving Me Again”, and the title track “All My Friends Are Chemicals”. The music scene is Chattanooga is thriving because of artists like Jack Sawyer. Extraordinarily talented musicians that break molds, and that do not make music to appease the masses. They make the music because it is the music that pours from their entire being. That is what it is all about folks, musicians rocking steady while maintaining their lane, and making meaningful, relevant music. Support this local music man. Your eardrums will thank you.
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • OCTOBER 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 25
FILM & TELEVISION
Freak Out With The Frightening Ass Film Fest Just in time for Halloween, lots of film horror
There Be Zombies Here! Celebrate 50 years of Living Dead by seeing the completely restored and remastered version of Night of the Living Dead on the big screen. This iconic film started the zombie genre and shaped modern horror movies as we know and love them today. Directed by horror legend George A. Romero, the film is a great story of independent cinema: a midnight hit turned boxoffice smash that became one of the most influential films of all time. A deceptively simple tale of a group of strangers trapped in a farmhouse who find themselves fending off a horde of recently dead, flesh-eating ghouls. Romero’s claustrophobic vision of a late1960s America literally tearing itself apart rewrote the rules of the horror genre, combined gruesome gore with acute social commentary, and quietly broke ground by casting a black actor (Duane Jones) in its lead role. For this special 50th anniversary event, audiences can see the stunning restoration of Night of the Living Dead, a product of the original filmmakers’ collaborating with the Museum of Modern Art and the George Lucas Family Foundation to restore the film from the original camera negative. Relive the glory and fear as never before this Thursday at 7 p.m. and again at 10 p.m. at East Ridge 18 or Hamilton Place 8. Just watch out for anyone hungry for brains.
By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor
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Luckily, if you’re like me, there is an option to help you cram as much Halloween into the last few days of October as possible. ”
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M
AYBE IT’S JUST ME, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE OCTOber was halfway gone before I realized what month it was. There’s just not enough time to enjoy it properly.
It might be because the first week or so of October felt like an extension of summer—the temperature maintained a balmy 85 to 90 degrees and the mosquitos fronted an all-out assault on anything with a pulse. Now though, the weather has turned and there’s a crispness to the air and finally I’m ready for a long month of Halloween activities. It’s really too bad that the month is more than half over. Luckily, if you’re like me, there is an option to help you cram as much Halloween into the last few
days of October as possible. It is the eighth year for the CFF’s Frightening Ass Film Festival, previously a one-day event that is now stretching over this weekend, Oct. 27-28. The FAFF will feature a collection of newer films with some definite classics, as well as a costume contest, a live séance, an after party with music by Psychic Dungeon, and the third year of Horror Show, an art installation in partnership with Swine Gallery and Artist Residency Chattanooga featuring local and regional artist like Zac Hol-
brook, Matthew Dutton, Jon Newman, and Sarah Manser. Just like every year, the films featured are spectacular. Here are a few I’m particularly excited about: One Cut of the Dead: In this Japanese film, a film crew sets out to make their own zombie movie in an abandoned water filtration plant, said to be the former home of military experiments. Then, real zombies show up. While this seems like pretty standard fare for a zombie movie, the beauty of this film is that it was done entirely in one take. That alone is worth your time. Scary Stories: Everyone of a certain age remembers Harold. It was the drawing – the distended belly, legs spread eagle with no feet, dripping some sort of dark liquid, eyes sunken and black. He was found in the third collection of the famous Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. This documentary tells the stories behind the stories, and effect they had on an entire generation of children. I was afraid to read these books. Chances are, so were you. Mandy: Starring Nicholas Cage in what was described by the Village Voice as “insanely violent and ethereally beautiful,” Mandy is this year’s “what did I just watch” film. By all accounts, this film fea-
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The FAFF will feature a collection of newer films with some definite classics, as well as a costume contest, a live séance, an after party with music by Psychic Dungeon.” tures incredible artistry and a baffling story. It’s not something to be watched alone in your room, but something to be experienced with a Halloween audience in love with genre film. The Eyeslicer Halloween Special: the folks at the FAFF bill this as “the cinematic equivalent of an acid trip down the Halloween aisle at Party City.” It features “an X-rated Halloween party hookup to a coming of age story set on the eve of Ted Bundy’s execution; from a documentary about pumpkin carving and misogyny to a supercut about the gendered dangers of the bathtub; from a cursed stand-up comedy set to a woman trapped inside a Red Lobster commercial; from a John Carpenter homage (featuring a cameo by Carpenter himself) to a sequel to The Eyeslicer’s now infamous Gwilliam.” I don’t know what most of that means, but by God, I want to find out.
Brainscan: Presented by the wonderful people at the Coin-Op, this film stars Edward Furlong and Frank Langella in a story about the connection between violent video games and real life violence. It’s not what you think, though. FAFF Are You Afraid Of The Dark-athon: Some of my favorite memories involve Halloween night Are You Afraid of the Dark marathons on Nickelodeon. It was something to set the mood before venturing out into a dark neighborhood searching for candy while dressed as a Ghostbuster. Hopefully, the FAFF can distill this in their four-part series. Weekend and day passes for the Frightening Ass Film festival can be found on chattfilmfest.org, as well as a limited number of individual film tickets that will become available a few days before the event. There’s not a better Halloween event in the area. Support local film.
✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴
Suspiria A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up. Director: Luca Guadagnino Stars: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton
Hunter Killer An untested American submarine captain teams with U.S. Navy Seals to rescue the Russian president, who has been kidnapped by a rogue general. Director: Donovan Marsh Stars: Ethan Baird, Jacob Scipio
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • OCTOBER 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 27
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY intoxication. You should instead be working hard to drum up support for your labor of love or your favorite cause. Very Important People will be more available to you than usual, and you’ll be wise to seek their input. Halloween costume suggestion: the Ultimate Fundraiser; Networker of the Year; Chief Hobnobber.
ROB BREZSNY SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “He believed in magic,” writes author Michael Chabon about a character in his novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. “Not in the so-called magic of candles, pentagrams, and bat wings,” nor “dowsing rods, séances, weeping statues, werewolves, wonders, or miracles.” Then what kind? Chabon says it’s the “impersonal magic of life,” like coincidences and portents that reveal their meanings in retrospect. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because now is a favorable time to call on the specific kind of magic that you regard as real and helpful. What kind of magic is that? Halloween costume suggestion: magician, witch, wizard. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.” Sagittarian author Jane Austen wrote that in her novel Northanger Abbey, and now I’m passing her message on to you, slightly altered. My version is, “If adventures will not befall Sagittarian people of any age or gender in their own neighborhood, they must seek them abroad.” And where exactly is “abroad”? The dictionary says it might mean a foreign country, or it could simply mean outside or in another place. I’d like to extend the meaning further to include anywhere outside your known and familiar world. Halloween costume suggestion: traveler on a pilgrimage or explorer on a holy quest. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): PR executives at a beer company offered to pay me a lot of money if I would sneak a product placement ad into your horoscope. They asked me to pretend there was a viable astrological reason to recommend that you imbibe their product in abundance. But the truth is, the actual planetary omens suggest the opposite. You should not in fact be lounging around in a haze of
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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “What kind of idea are you?” asks author Salmon Rushdie. “Are you the kind that compromises, does deals, accommodates itself, aims to find a niche, to survive; or are you the cussed, bloody-minded, ramrodbacked type of damn fool notion that would rather break than sway with the breeze?” I pose this question to you, Aquarius, because I think you could be an effective version of either idea in the coming weeks. If you’re the latter—the cussed, damn fool notion—you may change your world in dramatic ways. Halloween costume suggestions: revolutionary; crusader; agitator; rabble-rouser. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “There is no beauty without some strangeness,” wrote Edgar Allen Poe. Fashion designer Rei Kawakubo ventured further, declaring, “Strangeness is a necessary ingredient in beauty.” She also added another nuance to her definition: “For something to be beautiful, it doesn’t have to be pretty.” I’ll offer you one more seed for thought: wabisabi. It’s a Japanese term that refers to a kind of beauty that’s imperfect, transitory, and incomplete. I bring these clues to your attention, Pisces, because now is an excellent time to refine and clarify your own notion of beauty—and re-commit yourself to embodying it. Halloween costume suggestion: the embodiment of your definition of beauty. ARIES (March 21-April 19): In her poem “Shedding Skin,” Harryette Mullen compares her own transformation to the action a snake periodically carries out to renew itself. Since you now have an excellent opportunity to undertake your own molting process, you may find her thoughts helpful. (I’ve rendered them in prose for easier reading.) “Pulling out of the old scarred skin—old rough thing I don’t need now—I strip off, slip out of, leave behind. Shedding toughness, peeling layers down to vulnerable stuff. And I’m blinking off old eyelids for a new way of seeing. By the rock I rub against, I’m going to be tender again.” Halloween costume suggestion: snake sloughing its skin.
Homework: What part of you is too tame? How can you inspire it to seek wilder ways of knowing? Write Freewillastrology.com TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Only the young and stupid are confident about sex and romance,” says 49-yearold author Elizabeth Gilbert, who has written extensively about those subjects. I agree with her. I’ve devoted myself to studying the mysteries of love for many years, yet still feel like a rookie. Even if you are smarter about these matters than Gilbert and me, Taurus, I urge you to adopt a humble and curious attitude during the next few weeks. The cosmos has prepared some interesting lessons for you, and the best way to take advantage is to be eagerly receptive and open-minded. Halloween costume suggestion: sex researcher, love explorer, intimacy experimenter. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “My way of learning is to heave a wild and unpredictable monkey-wrench into the machinery,” wrote Gemini author Dashiell Hammett. But I recommend that you use his approach very rarely, and only when other learning methods aren’t working. Most of the time, your best strategy for getting the lessons you need is to put lubricating oil into the machinery, not a monkeywrench. That’ll be especially true in the coming weeks. I suggest that you turn the machinery off for a while as you add the oil and do some maintenance. Halloween costume suggestion: repair person; computer techie; machine whisperer. CANCER (June 21-July 22): The great Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman was a Cancerian like you and me. One of the factors contributing to his success was that he put his demons to good use, “by harnessing them to his chariot.” He also testified that he gained control over his demons by taking long walks after breakfast. “Demons don’t like fresh air,” he said. “They prefer it if you stay in bed with cold feet.” I suspect that now would be an excellent time to adopt his advice. Halloween costume suggestion: walk your demon on a leash, or make it into a puppet, or harness it to your chariot. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Throughout the
Halloween season, I encourage you to fantasize extensively about what your dream home would look like and feel like if you had all the money necessary to create it. What colors would you paint the walls? Would you have carpets or hardwood floors? What would be your perfect lighting, furniture, and décor? As you gazed out your windows, what views would you see? Would there be nature nearby or urban hotspots? Would you have an office or music room or art studio? Have fun imagining the sanctuary that would bring out the best in you. Halloween costume suggestion: the ultimate homebody. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look,” writes novelist Jodi Picoult. That’s crucial for you to meditate on during the coming weeks. Why? Because your superpower is going to be the ability to find extraordinary things that are hiding in places where people have almost never thought to look. You can do both yourself and those you care for a big favor by focusing your intensity on this task. Halloween costume suggestions: sleuth, treasure hunter, private eye, Sherlock Holmes. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming.” Author Shauna Niequist wrote that. In accordance with the astrological omens, I endorse her perspective as true and useful for you. You’ve zipped through your time of fertile chaos, conjuring up fresh possibilities. When January arrives, you’ll be ready to work on stability and security. But for now, your assignment is to blossom. Halloween costume suggestions: beautiful creature hatching from an egg; strong sprout cracking out of a seed. 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
THE COMIX
“I’m Certain”—some hidden veracity. ACROSS 1 Countrified 7 Allison Janney sitcom 10 Haydn’s nickname 14 Fleecy fabric 15 Yoko who turned 85 in 2018 16 Racetrack shape 17 Get louder 20 “Gymnopédies” composer Satie (or “Jeopardy!” and crossword champion Agard) 21 Hesitant sounds 22 “Right Now (Na Na Na)” rapper 23 Considered groovy, man 24 Slo-___ fuse 25 AKA, in the business world 26 ___ in “Charlie” 29 Fountain reward of myth 32 Alpine cottage 35 Haven’t yet paid 36 Balletic bend 37 Varnish ingredient 38 Jim Acosta’s network
39 Golden Globes category 40 Solemn promise 41 Some people’s preferred pronoun 42 One not responsible for the bad news 43 Hit the mother lode 46 “Shameless” network, for short 47 Baby anteater 48 Noah’s ride 49 Suffix in geometry 52 Bread served with aloo gobi 54 Takeover try 55 Prefix meaning “one billionth” 56 Buddy cop show of the 1970s 60 Look sullen 61 “Jellied” British fish 62 “Certainly, Monsieur!” 63 March participants? 64 7-Across partner, maybe 65 Phrase before “Go!”
DOWN 1 “___ T for Teen” 2 Aboriginal name for Australia’s Ayers Rock 3 Parsley bit 4 Do horribly 5 Closely monitored hosp. area 6 Juliet, for one 7 Mineralogist with a scale 8 Number of times the Milwaukee Brewers have appeared in the World Series 9 Not fixed 10 Sport involving horses 11 Friendly, like some relatives 12 “Jackie Brown” actress Grier 13 It’s made with warm fermentation 18 “___: Ragnarok” 19 Adequate 24 Vitamin also known as PABA 25 Early morning 27 “Once upon ___ ...” 28 Clip hedges
29 1912 Nobel Peace Prize winner Root 30 Trio of trios 31 “Everybody gets a car!” impresario 32 “Mr. Show” costar David 33 “English Toffee” candy bar 34 Carpenter or Ride, e.g. 38 Dale’s cartoon pal 39 Pack of cards 41 Soundly defeated 42 Pointer, for one 44 They’ll look over W-2s 45 Something stored in the cloud? 49 Los ___, California 50 As scheduled 51 Like a game for the record books, perhaps 53 They can be fine or graphic 54 Like a worn tire 55 Night, in Nice 56 Getaway spot 57 Bunch 58 House support 59 Artist’s selection
Copyright © 2018 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents perminute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 907 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • OCTOBER 25, 2018 • THE PULSE • 29
COLUMN · GAME ON!
A Scary Game Of Crossroads Enjoy old school survival horror at your favorite intersections
D Brandon Watson Pulse columnist
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I’m digging into sour ground that borders on folklore study and creepypasta fodder and what I’ve unearthed is not for the faint-of-heart or weak-ofbladder. ”
When not vaporizing zombies or leading space marines as a mousepad Mattis, Brandon Watson is making gourmet pancakes and promoting local artists.
AYS ARE SHORTER, THE SHAdows clinging to the edges of the sidewalk are a bit darker. The season of death inches so near that you can feel its icy breath on the back of your neck. The veil between the worlds of the living and dead becomes thinner, and as we draw closer to Halloween those of us with a curiosity for games that border on esoteric ritual and insanity salivate with anticipation. I’m digging into sour ground that borders on folklore study and creepypasta fodder and what I’ve unearthed is not for the faint-of-heart or weak-of-bladder. But if you are up for the next level of gaming adventures to earn the brass balls achievement or bragging rights feel free to grab some friends, some salt, some sage, and saddle up to get wrecked by the forces of darkness. Many popular games that we so know and love whether it be traditional card games, throwing bones (dice), or even Chess have deep roots in history’s graveyard with early divination and the occult. Our early ancestors believed that certain rituals built around games of chance created new possibilities in reality with the help of supernatural forces; most of them evil of course. Maybe you experimented with paranormal games in your youth with Bloody Mary, Three Mirrors, or Light as a Feather. Games where conjuring beings from beyond created funny stories, soggy pajamas, and/or expensive therapist bills later on in life have been engrained into the thumbprint of human culture since the dawn of time. One of these games comes from our friends the Japanese and may have inspired the fortune cookie. There are no cards, candles, game pieces, or mirrors. Requiring two paths crossing each other anywhere in the world and pure macabre curiosity.
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Tsuji-Ura (SooJeera). The fascinating game of learning about your fortune from complete otherworldly strangers. All you need is a pocket comb, something to cover your face, and a 4-way intersection. You can bring friends just make sure one person initiates the game, the others are there only as bystanders. Also make sure your moral support doesn’t speak or look at who or what comes at you if you pull this off. The ritual is simple enough: stand at any intersection or crossroads at night, run your thumb across the teeth of the comb three times. Be sure to make the comb “sing” as loudly as possible then chant “Tsuji-Ura, Tsuji-Ura, grant me a true response” three times. Then you wait. A stranger will approach, as they do quickly hide your face, ensure the moral support covers theirs as well and ask the stranger to tell you your fortune. If they don’t respond, then simply wait for one that does but be sure not to show your face until after the stranger has passed. Allegedly many people have committed suicide after learning their fortune because the revelation was so horrifying it shattered their sanity. While this may sound like the start of a Japanese horror flick the hidden story to this Faustian game actually crosses over other mythologies and folklore together in creepy ways. Mysticism and crossroads go back a long way from Greeks leaving offerings for the witch goddess Hecate to sacrificial altars of criminals with Germanic tribes. The British staked the remains
of suicide victims through the heart at crossroads and leave them on display until legislation banned the practice in 1823. But the human fascination and fixation of crossroads as divining point still exist. Blues legend Robert Johnson was famed to have sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in order to obtain his success as a musician. In Vodou tradition, a shadow man called Papa Legba is said to connect humanity with the realms of the Loa standing at crossroads granting access to the spirit world. Just be careful should you challenge him to rock, paper, scissors or a quick game of Battleship. I can’t decide if being approached by a demonic spirit to tell me the future is scarier than seeing a group of people hiding their faces, strumming a comb, and chanting in Japanese. I’m willing to bet that crossroads divination games were our ancestors’ way of telling the kids to go play in traffic with the hopes that there would be one less mouth to feed by the end of the night. Either way I know what I’m doing at the intersection of East MLK and Houston St. on Halloween. Issues of The Pulse would make for amazing face covers.
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