The Pulse 15.45 » November 8, 2018

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

THE MIGHTY MUSHROOM EXPAND YOUR PALATE AND ENTICE YOUR TASTEBUDS WITH TASTY FUNGI

IN THE KITCHEN WITH

BEN PARK

TOUCHING BASE WITH THE FLYING SQUIRREL’S NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF

TURNING WOOD

INTO ART INSIDE THE CHATTANOOGA WOODWORKING ACADEMY

THE WORDS OF

MICHAEL CRUMB SPOKEN WORD POETRY TO MAKE YOU THINK

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 15, ISSUE 45 • NOVEMBER 8, 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 Rob Brezsny • Jessie Gantt-Temple Matt Jones • Sandra Kurtz Tony Mraz • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib Alex Teach • Michael Thomas 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.

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Contents Copyright © 2018 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.

8 4

The Mighty Mighty Mushroom Becoming a first generation farmer and learning to live off the land has been quite a struggle. As my culinary skills rank up there with my agricultural ability, I have killed several cactuses and burned hard boiled eggs on more than one occasion.

IN THE KITCHEN WITH BEN PARK

10

THE WORDS OF CRUMB

20

Every once in a while, you’re strolling through your life of knowing everything and everyone and you’re comforted by your pedantic ways.

14

It has been my pleasure to write about more genres of music than most people are aware exist. Suffice it to say, there ain’t much that hasn’t been covered.

TURNING WOOD INTO ART

If you look around the corner from the Choo Choo on Market Street, you can find the Chattanooga Woodworking Academy.

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN A DARK THEATER

If it weren’t for events like the Frightening Ass Film Festival, Chattanooga might be hard to take.

5 CONSIDER THIS

16 MUSIC CALENDAR

19 JONESIN' CROSSWORD

7 SHADES OF GREEN

18 MUSIC REVIEWS

21 NEW IN THEATERS

19 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

23 ON THE BEAT

12 ARTS CALENDAR

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • THE PULSE • 3

CITY LIFE · BETWEEN THE BRIDGES

In The Kitchen With Ben Park Touching base with the Flying Squirrel’s new Executive Chef

By Alex Curry Pulse City Editor

“

Ben is infatuated with developing an understanding of the immensely complicated socio-political history and definition of Southern food.”

E

VERY ONCE IN A WHILE, AS YOU’RE STROLLING THRough your life of knowing everything and everyone and you’re comforted by your pedantic ways, a new individual or ideal or idiosyncrasy comes along and disrupts your understanding of the workings of life to your very core.

Recently for myself, that fateful twist was meeting Ben Park.

Not long ago, Ben took the helm of the kitchen at one of Chattanooga’s favorite culinary and imbibing establishments, the Flying Squirrel. Truth be told, I had been trying to find a time to sit down with Chef Park for quite a while.

He isn’t easy to pin down, and after an hour with Chef, it’s easy to see why.

His mind speeds through the day at a hundred miles an hour.

While some people are wondering which Netflix show to binge next, he’s pondering the best way to incorporate local immigrant farmers produce into Chattanooga’s restaurant sourcing

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scene.

While others are on shopping trips to the mall, Ben is infatuated with developing an understanding of the immensely complicated socio-political history and definition of Southern food.

His initial influence potentially a mystery forever, Ben found comfort in an otherwise vacant kitchen from a young age. His introduction to cuisine wasn’t out of beloved family recipes or culinarily-clad caretakers. He cooked out of necessity, a leader in his kitchen from the beginning.

After coming up through some serious kitchens, including St. John’s and Easy Bistro, as well as an extended stint

in the culinary powerhouse of Chicago, Chef developed a multifaceted skillset of technique and prowess.

Now, after learning and growing in Chattanooga’s best kitchens, it was time for Ben to take the reins with endeavors that would fulfil his creative desires.

“I want to carry the same quality products, but do that plus fun,” says Ben. “Sometimes the actual food can be lost in the process.”

His belief that “food is the strongest identity of a culture” comes out as he shares his excitement about his new role at the Squirrel. After leaving Easy Bistro in 2017, he and his partner Chloe Wright started a roving supper club named MouthGremlin, setting up pop-up dinners across the city to raving success in the more underground culinary scene.

Now at the steering wheel of both projects, Ben hopes to continue his goal of exploring the region's vast greatness.

“Our proximity to extensive farmers and purveyors is amazing. David Chang comes to Tennessee to source his ham. Anson Mills is just a few hours away. Countless farms producing incredible products of all kinds are on our doorstep. It’s time that we embrace it and push Chattanooga’s culinary scene to its destiny of being a world class culinary destination.”

Almost immediately, Ben presents himself as a gastro-visionary. But it’s when he starts talking about his obligations to society that his own potential and greatness shines.

“It’s important to hold yourself as a teacher once you have the ability. Share your knowledge and skill and the entire system gets better because of it.”

Partying In The Alley

Cons ider This w ith Dr. Rick

Passageways 2.0 set to reinvent East 7th Street

“Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

Transforming something that was once an eyesore into something innovative and unique is an extremely difficult task. For a long time, the alley that is located off of East 7th Street has been a place to avoid. I mean, it was just a dingy alleyway to be fair.

Not anymore thanks to the Passageways 2.0 team. Passageways 2.0 consists of a group of designers and artists that are passionate about transforming spaces, such as alleyways, in Chattanooga into vibrant spots for the whole community.

This Saturday Passageways 2.0

will have a grand opening of their new project along with an epic block party. The project, titled City Thread, consists of a long singular yellow tube that forms different shapes as it stretches itself down the alley.

This tube is a sight to behold and it has so many different types of uses for the community such as general seating, mini-stages for concerts, large group gatherings, and even movie screenings. The whole idea behind City Thread is for people visiting the alley to interpret and use the sculpture in a multitude of unique ways.

Starting at 4 p.m. this Saturday, Passageways 2.0 will be celebrating the opening of City Thread with a block party.

Spinster, Courtney Reid, and WARSAW will be performing live music throughout the entire party.

There will also be a dance routine performed by the famous Pop Up Project.

Other activities include food trucks and a variety of local vendors. This is a family friendly event and it is free for everyone. Just make you register in advance at eventbrite.com to secure your spot in the alley. — Ethan Palmer

It can be so easy to lose our present moment in the busy-ness of the day. Sometimes we fill up before our feet even hit the floor, with a million things on the “to do” list.

Work, groceries, school, kids, bills, the house, the yard, the car…on and on. Others need us. Deadlines beckon. We become lost in the eternal swirl of doing.

Where did the day go, we wonder…

Consider this, another type of “to do” list: 1. Count my blessings 2. Practice kindness 3. Let go of what I can’t control 4. Listen to my heart 5. Be calmly productive 6. Rest 7. Listen to the universe 8. Breathe There. Doesn’t that feel better?

— Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

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COLUMN · SHADES OF GREEN

Protecting Steep Slopes Is Vital How to manage stormwater runoff in a responsible way

D Sandra Kurtz

Pulse columnist

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We need strong stormwater regulations to assure our waters stay clean as vacant land for building becomes less available.”

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

ID YOU KNOW THAT WATER flows downhill? Did you know when you shake up a jar of muddy water and let it sit still, eventually the mud sinks to the bottom?

Did you ever pour water on a pile of dirt to create little ditches that the water runs down? Did you know the higher the angle of that dirt pile, the faster the water runs down to the ground carrying mud with it?

Of course you know. These first elementary science lessons can be applied on a large scale when talking about stormwater runoff.

It’s a problem locally when land is disturbed without doing something to control the erosion from torrential rainstorms especially on deforested steep slopes or paved areas. Such storm waters likely carry pollutants and sediment eventually degrading our streams and may flow into the downhill neighbor’s home.

We need strong stormwater regulations to assure our waters stay clean as vacant land for building becomes less available.

Excessive water is to be caught on the property on which it falls.

Chattanooga City Council recently held a public hearing seeking input to determine what development could or should take place on our steep slopes.

Other cities have such regulations.

For example, regulations in Gatlinburg, a Tennessee city with many steep slopes, state, “the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) shall also include a description of measures that will be installed to dissipate the volume and energy of the stormwater runoff to predevelopment levels.”

All SWPPP plans must be approved before any permit to build is issued. Chattanooga Water Quality Department has similar goals in their guidelines and regulations, but details as to how to make sure a developed piece of land holds its

stormwater as it did before the construction is more difficult to achieve on steep slopes. Each city and county creates its own requirements stronger or weaker based on state guidance.

Before there were greenways in Chattanooga, I was appointed by Mayor Gene Roberts to a Greenways Committee. We worked with the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance to figure out where and how to put greenways. The first question was “What Makes Chattanooga Chattanooga?”

What makes the City the way it is?

After discussion and citizen input, it was determined that what makes Chattanooga Chattanooga are steep slopes and stream corridors. Further, every time we ask people what’s important to Chattanooga they say scenic beauty—think those steep forested slopes and streams.

A little while after we had envisioned a greenway system with the Tennessee River as the spine, the President’s Council for Sustainable Development chose Chattanooga as one of the cities to propose sustainable development solutions. Several task forces were formed and I participated in the one for land use.

We created a matrix for development that identified lands as buildable, sensitive, or off-limits for development. One could build on sensitive lands, but there

were extra requirements that assured the sustainability of each piece of land.

Those had to do with requiring a higher percentage of open land on a parcel meaning more pervious surface for water to infiltrate, little or no timber cutting, and prevention of stormwater runoff and erosion. That plan is on a shelf somewhere.

Perhaps it’s time for an update.

I fear we are slowly eating away at the health of stream corridors due to filling of flood plains and wetlands resulting in erosion from development and flooding.

And we have done a very poor job of protecting our steep slopes partly due to builder pressure to develop lands harder to build on, namely steep slopes. Water quality and steep slopes are connected.

In order to keep Chattanooga looking like Chattanooga, steep slopes, in the sensitive category, should have especially strong regulations based on what is healthy for our natural resources now and in the future. Violations fines should be high enough so developers don’t figure in fines as the cost of doing business.

Yes, land for building is becoming scarcer, but that is no excuse to destroy the very essence of what makes Chattanooga Chattanooga and further damage an already threatened ecosystem. As the Standing Rock Sioux have reminded us ‘Water is Life’.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • THE PULSE • 7

COVER STORY

The Mighty Mighty Mushroom Expand your palate and entice your tastebuds with tasty fungi

B

ECOMING A FIRST GENERATION FARMER AND LEARNing to live off the land has been quite a struggle. As my culinary skills rank up there with my agricultural ability, I have killed several cactuses and burned hard boiled eggs on more than one occasion.

By Jessie Gantt-Temple Pulse contributor

If a legume is strong enough to survive my touch and grow to make it to the cutting board, it may most likely be last seen as something horribly inedible.

So you have to share in my excitement when I recently discovered that mushrooms are abundantly local and easy to cook. I thought having an opportunity to be in the woods was enough to brighten my day, but then add finding free table fare makes it even better.

Let’s just put this warning out there before you continue to read on: Do not start licking or ingesting wild mushrooms after reading this article.

Just don’t.

WILD IN THE WOODS Once on the scent, I asked my multi-talented friend Matt “Shiggy” Shigekawa if he would be open to lend his mushroom expertise and take me for a foraging walk through the woods on my property.

“I’m more of a drive-by shroomer,” he replied as this isn’t one of his services he provides and, after some hesitation and a few cups of coffee, we were in my untapped thicket.

As he does have several secret spots of successful foraging, that he would absolutely not share, he says he com-

monly knocks on doors or leaves notes asking for permission and sometimes leaves checks paying his scavenging score forward.

“I’ve only had one person not happy about my approach,” he smiles as he goes on to describe a phone conversation between he and a receiver of one of his notes. “Let’s just say we amicably agreed that I would not go back on his property.”

Matt does have a page called “Matt’s Foraging Adventures” to share his love of the search but mushrooms rank third for him in priorities.

His 10-year-old son Kashi comes first then his music and, with his femalefronted rock n’ roll band Ashley and The X’s just releasing their second album, the mushrooms can wait.

Although the wild forager scene seems to be growing in the area, Matt does hunt for some commercial purpose as he sells to restaurants like Easy Bistro, Main Street Meats, St. John’s and The Feed.

Whilst Matt has not had specific education regarding wild mushrooms, he continuously studies, cross references and meets with like-minded mushroom men like wildlife photographer Jim Pfitzer and Crabtree Greenhouse Manager Mike Barron.

“There are a lot of us (wild foragers) around,” he says while crouching down and smelling a mushroom.

“And it’s great that there are people

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connecting more with nature and wanting to explore their surroundings.”

He recommended the Facebook group ChattaFungi Hunting and ID for anyone looking to get help in identifying wild mushrooms. Started by Theo Sitzberger to help beginners become more conscious and less scared of wild mushrooms, there is a bit of scientific jargon but lots of pictures and engaging posts.

Theo does professional private property assessments to let land owners know what they can and will find. He is also going to be available this Saturday during a group Wild Mushroom Hike at Enterprise South Nature Park from 2-4 p.m.

Hen of the woods, lion’s mane, chanterelles, morels, and fingerlings are just a few edible species found around the scenic city. Honey mushrooms are another common discovery and although

edible, can cause an upset stomach, so be cautious.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Caution. That is the main theme with wild foraging—to take caution. Also do research and, according to UTC Biology, Geology and Environmental Science Professor Dr. Craddock, “never eat a mushroom until it has been positively identified as a universally accepted edible.” He repeated that sentence with an emphasis on never.

Dr. Craddock, well-known for his study of the American Chestnut tree, started teaching Mycology (scientific study of fungi) while researching the blight that is attacking his beloved tree.

He explained to me the correlation between the mushroom and the chestnut tree and that there is an ectomycorrhizal (ecto-my-co-rye-zal) fungi at the root of some plants that form a sym-

biotic relationship. In the case of the chestnut, the fungi nestled at the trunk is not creating a harmonious habitat and is therefore causing disease.

To be honest, Dr. Craddock did lose me a few times with his scientific terms but I stayed focused, asked him to repeat himself and spell some things out. I couldn’t help but be captivated by his passion behind the cause and I wanted to sign up right there for his course Kingdom Fungi: Mushrooms, Molds and Yeasts.

He currently teaches the Mycology class at UTC. however it is a senior level curriculum and therefore he does not recommend it for novice mushroom hunters. “National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms”, “Mushrooms Demystified”, “A Field Guide to Southern Mushrooms”, “Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States”, and “North American Mushrooms” are several books he suggests for every mushroom forager to study identification.

Continuously training to identify and taking an expert on your explorations are a few bits of advice Dr. Craddock gives to anyone interested in pursuing the fungi quest. He light-heartedly says that he will be more than happy to identify your harvest if you stop by his office but he will charge you half of your find, especially if they’re chanterelles.

WHEN FUNGI TAKE FLIGHT “Elm oyster and lion’s mane are some of my favorites,” said John Lawton, owner and head mushroom man at Possum Bottom Farms who sells gourmet and medicinal mushrooms year round to restaurants and at the Main Street Farmers Market.

Again, as I thought I was a lover of all things mushrooms, my mind was blown at the beauties locally available.

With a vast array on his table, shiitake was the only one that was familiar to me so I went out of my comfort zone

line to include mushroom compost as well.” They will soon have fruiting kits for sale which is like a mushroom log but John has found these get better results.

Declared as a full circle farm, John and Susan are eager to educate their consumers about their process and always willing to talk mushrooms at the Main Street Farmers Market on Wednesdays.

THAT’S A CAP

“

You can still experiment with the fungi family in other ways than simply straight off the stove top.” and chose the mushroom that had more cowbell, the blue oyster.

“We have recipes to help you be more comfortable,” John’s wife, Susan said as she handed me a card. “I put our mushroom powders on everything except peppers or tomatoes or onions.” Susan chuckled as she admittedly fessed up that she does not like mushrooms either. But she shows that you can still experiment with the fungi family in other ways than simply straight off the stove top.

John said the first year they started growing mushrooms, they had so much shiitake and oyster that they had to figure out something to do with it and thus began the powders. Before attempting to farm the fungi, they dabbled in hay and tomatoes but they wanted a crop that no one else was really producing.

Today, they cultivate almost forty species of mushrooms.

“I’ve been growing organic on my mom’s farm in Georgia since I was 10 years old,” he added as we toured their growing rooms. “A greenhouse doesn’t work as the temperatures have

to be closely monitored and so we are expanding our indoor grow rooms within our hanger.”

That’s right, an airplane hangar redesigned to house multiple grow rooms as well as their rare Aeromot “Super Ximango” launching glider plane. Possum Bottom Farms in Whitwell is technically still a licensed airport and both John and Susan are licensed pilots who actively get air time.

Their mushrooms are picked and delivered the same day (not by plane) in one of their stunning silver Subarus, which average about 200,000 miles and they are looking forward to adding more. Bread & Butter, St. John’s, Kenny’s Southside Sandwiches, Hummingbird Pastaria and Pruett’s Market are consistent carriers of Possum Bottom’s fresh fungi.

“We have the capacity to pick 700 pounds a week and would love to deliver to more grocery stores and restaurants,” he said. As long as they are given ten to twelve days’ notice, they can meet most requests.

“Our future goals include expanding our availability as well as our product

Considered neither a fruit or vegetable, these beneficial fungi are delicious and a healthy way to lower calories and sodium in cooking. Even if you don’t like mushrooms, like Susan from Possum Bottoms Farms, you can find ways to ingest them and still reap the benefits.

According to Nutrition Today, there are over 2000 kinds of edible mushrooms so it saddens me to think that, before this article, all I knew was the button, portobello and shiitake.

Reishi, also known as the “mushroom of immortality” and turkey tail are two medicinal varieties that are immune boosters.

Both are usually boiled then their essence is used in teas or oils. Lion’s Mane can help neuro disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis. Any of the oyster varieties are linked to decreasing cholesterol and the shiitakes help with anti-inflammatory.

Any way you slice it, although there is a cap, there seems to be no end to the local availability and growing interest to the mysterious mushroom.

Dreaming of wanting to be a writer since she could remember, Jessie Gantt-Temple moved here three years ago from the Carolinas with her husband, and has found roots on her farm in Soddy Daisy.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Turning Wood Into Art Inside the Chattanooga Woodworking Academy

Capturing The Human Spirit It’s easier to paint a scene of nature or take a photo of a sunset than to place a personality or character into a frame.

Capturing the human spirit is a tall order for all artists. Like Faulkner once said, “This spirit, or heart at conflict, is what interests us most.”

This Friday, Southern Adventist University brings world renowned painter Harry Ahn to Chattanooga to showcase his portraits that embody the conflicted human spirit.

His works are like the project Humans of New York, except Ahn uses the brush and easel to portray the rural, the poor, the wealthy and the all-too-human.

Ahn’s accolades in the art world are numerous. He’s won the International Portraits Competition, the Portrait Society of American Members Competition, and has had over fifty solo exhibits around the world.

A quick search of Ahn’s work shows a cast of warm faces and people from all walks of life. There are cowboys, musicians, laborers: all strangers that evoke an intriguing sense of compassion.

The exhibit’s opens at 6 p.m. at the John C. Williams Gallery in Brock Hall at the university in Collagedale and will remain open till December 13. For more information on this event, call (423) 236-2732.

— Allan Duggar

By Tony Mraz Pulse contributor

“

The academy is designed for people who are serious about woodworking and want to make it their life’s work.”

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I

F YOU LOOK AROUND THE CORNER FROM THE CHOO Choo on Market Street, you can find the Chattanooga Woodworking Academy. In just a decade, this institution has become one of the best craft schools in the region, and probably the country.

The school was founded in 2008

by Bill Carney, a well-known craftsman and furniture builder who built a nationwide furniture business with his bare hands.

When students leave this fouryear program, they are a journeyman, they have a diploma, and they have the confidence to go into any wood shop and most likely be the best worker there—because they’re

trained, they have the skills, and they know how to do everything.

They know about lumber, about trees, and about sawmills, and as Carney notes, “Knowledge gives you power, and you can turn that into a living.”

Recent graduate Will Peebles exemplifies this. “The school has really done a lot for me. Before I came here, I was delivering pizzas. Now I

build high end furniture.”

One of his pieces can be seen in the academy’s showroom, a gorgeous writing desk done in the Chippendale style, with immaculately carved balland-claw feet, that retails for around $10,000.

The academy is designed for people who are serious about woodworking and want to make it their life’s work.

“If you’re going to dedicate four years of your life to this school, then I’m going to dedicate four years of my life to you,” Carney explains. “My goal here is to prepare people to support themselves with their hands, to make a good honest living doing this kind of work, hand woodworking. I have been able to do that in my life; I have been able to support myself, send my kids to private schools and college, to own some rental property and some land— and that all came from my hands.”

Soon-to-be graduate Matt McKee tells us, “Woodworking is something that I never thought I would want to do—but the second week here, I fell in love with it. I’ve been getting better every year, learning new things, learning new tricks to get things done faster and better. I’ve had a lot of help from the school, and a lot of support from Bill, who is always trying to push us in the right direction.”

This is McKee’s last semester, but he will be back next year to help out with

“

Woodworking is something that I never thought I would want to do— but the second week here, I fell in love with it.” projects that come in the door, and mentor new students.

“Bill has always extended a helping hand to graduates who want to make use of the shop,” he says. “We don’t have to go out and find our clientele—they all come here looking for fine woodworking, repairs on chairs or tables, new pieces of furniture, or custom jobs. It’s a good place to be to start building a clientele, and meeting some other woodworkers.”

Carney is proud of his students and speaks highly of McKee, telling us how he enjoys watching him grow as a craftsman.

“He’s got sawdust in his veins, and he’ll never get it out,” he says.

There is a lot of one-on-one instruction at the academy, and if a student is doing something that Carney wants everybody to learn about, the students will gather around to watch. He founded the school in 2008, and has graduated two classes of successful students.

“We don’t just make the best furniture in the county, or the state,” notes Carney. “We make the best furniture

in the country. I’m an artist who found my expression in wood, that is my medium—I don’t do it in stone, or metal, or paint.”

“I have always been dedicated to the highest quality,” he continues. “When I went into business, I decided I was going to do the very best work, and use the very finest materials—I wasn’t going to get into the cheap business, I was going to get into the high end business.”

Carney explains how his good reputation helped him when he started this school.

“I have never carried a briefcase, and I work in my overalls. When you acquire a craft that not everybody has, it gives you a certain amount of respect in the world. If you do good business, and you’re honest, and treat people fairly, you can be successful.”

A lot of it comes from hard work, and a lot of it comes from luck. But Carney believes anyone can create luck with hard work.

“The harder I work, the luckier I get.

Success comes in overalls.”

THU11.8

FRI11.9

SAT11.10

Melinda Kingsley and Sherry Collins Hogan Artist Reception

Ruby Falls Lantern Tours

Santa’s Arrival Parade

Come out and meet two amazing local artists and see their newest works.

6 p.m.

Reflections Gallery 6922 Lee Hwy. reflectionsgallerytn.com

Experience Ruby Falls the way it was first discovered in a unique and informative underground jaunt.

8:30 p.m.

Ruby Falls 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. rubyfalls.com

You don't have to be an overgrown elf to relive the excitement of the arrival of the North Pole's most famous resident.

11 a.m.

Hamilton Place Mall 2100 Hamilton Pl. Blvd. hamiltonplace.com

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • THE PULSE • 11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR An Evening With Dacre Stoker

THURSDAY11.8 Beginner Handlettering 10:30 a.m.

Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Behind the BigPicture 5:30 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org CIVIQ, Florence Williams: The Nature Fix 5:30 p.m.

The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 664-4837 thecamphouse.com Melinda Kingsley and Sherry Collins Hogan Artist Reception 6 p.m.

Reflections Gallery 6922 Lee Hwy. (423) 892-3072 reflectionsgallerytn.com Opening Night: Land, Air, Water We Doing?

6 p.m.

The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 682-8234 taphousechatt.com “The Human Spirit” Art Exhibit 6 p.m.

John C. Williams Gallery Southern Adventist University

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4881 Taylor Cir. (800) 768-8437 southern.edu Spectrum Silent Auction Cocktail Party 7 p.m.

Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org An Evening with Dacre Stoker 7 p.m.

UTC Derthick Hall 615 McCallie Ave. (423) 425-4111 utc.edu Two Stacks Card Game Kickstarter Party 7 p.m.

Oddstory Brewing Co. 336 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 682-7690 oddstorybrewing.co 7th Annual ChaTech CxO Auction 5 p.m.

Stratton Hall 3146 Broad St. (423) 667-4332 strattonhall.com Killer Beaz 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Alcoholics Not Anonymous Comedy Open Mic 8 p.m.

Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd.

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

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

FRIDAY11.9 Out On 8th 5 p.m.

West Village 802 Pine St. (423) 424-1831 westvillagechattanooga.com Strolling Down Broadway 7 p.m.

Collegedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. choralartsofchattanooga.org Killer Beaz 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Improv “Movie” Night: Thriller!

8 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 Improv Showdown 10 p.m.

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

SATURDAY11.10 Touch A Truck 9 a.m.

Warner Park 1100 McCallie Ave. touchatruckchatt.com Santa’s Arrival Parade 11 a.m.

Hamilton Place Mall 2100 Hamilton Pl. Blvd. hamiltonplace.com Red Wolf Feeding and Talk Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org UTC Mocs Football vs. Mercer 1 p.m.

Finley Stadium (423) 266-4041 Finleystadium.com Passageways 2.0 Grand Opening Block Party 4 p.m.

Passageway Alley 10 E. 7th St. rivercitycompany.com Spectrum: Gala & Live Auction 6 p.m.

Hunter Museum of American Art

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR Pauly Shore: One Night Only

10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Autumn in West Village 6 p.m.

West Village 802 Pine St. westvillagechattanooga.com Killer Beaz 7:30, 9:45 p.m.

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

First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Whose Line Chattanooga 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY11.11 Chattanooga Market 10 a.m.

First Tennessee Pavilion 1826 Carter St. (423) 648-2496 publicmarkets.us Moments in Time Artist Reception Noon First Christian Church

650 McCallie Ave. (423) 267-4506 firstchristian-chat.com Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Musical 2 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423_ 757-5580 tivolichattanooga.com Free Fiddle School 2 p.m.

Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 994-7497 “A Wrinkle in Time” 2:30 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com “Long Christmas Ride Home” 2 :30 p.m.

Barking legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org “Over the River & Through the Woods” 2:30 p.m.

Back Alley @ The Mars Theater 117 N. Chattanooga St. (706) 996-8350 bapshows.com Comedian Pauly Shore: One Night Only 7, 9:15 p.m.

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

MONDAY11.12 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

TUESDAY11.13 Wake Up & Run 6 a.m.

Fleet Feet Sports 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 771-7996 fleetfeetchattanooga.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 “Loosen the Bible Belt” Comedy Tour 7 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400 jjbohemia.com

WEDNESDAY11.14 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 Handcrafted Happy Hour 4 p.m.

Stone Cup Café 208 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-4282 avarts.org Preparing a Balanced Diet for Your Pet 5:30 p.m.

Chattanooga Workspace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com Naughty Knights Chess Meetup 7:30 p.m.

The Bitter Alibi 825 Houston St. (423) 362-5070 thebitteralibi.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • THE PULSE • 13

THE MUSIC SCENE

The Words Of Crumb Spoken word poetry to make you think

A Rockabilly Prodigy When I was sixteen, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I think that is a pretty common feeling that most high schoolers feel at that point in their life. You are just trying to figure out who you are and what you’re good at.

McKinley James is not like most high schoolers. His father, Jason Smay, was a drummer for such bands as Los Straitjackets and the JD McPherson Band and McKinley spent his youth surrounded by music and began his training on the organ at age 7.

However, it didn’t take long for him to realize that his true passion was playing the guitar.

Since his infatuation with the guitar began, McKinley James has skyrocketed into becoming one of the best young rockabilly musicians in America. He began playing his unique music at local clubs in Rochester, New York and since then, his career has taken off like a jet plane.

His extraordinary talent and unmistakable style has also paved the road towards his first EP, titled Live in Nashville, which was released in October of 2016. Snag a chance to see this young star playing at Tremont Tavern this Friday at 9 p.m.

For more information on the event visit mckinleyjames.com. — Ethan Palmer

By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor

“

There is a strong element of classical beat poetry with underlying jazz themes, but there’s quite a bit more here to unpack.”

14 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

I

T HAS BEEN MY PLEASURE TO WRITE ABOUT MORE genres of music than most people are aware exist. Granted, I haven’t done a piece on Bulgarian choral music (although I do have a copy of Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares which I HIGHLY recommend) but suffice it to say, there ain’t much that hasn’t been covered in the pages of our beloved Pulse.

And then there’s today.

The album du jour this time around is a spoken word project, the first such I’ve reviewed.

It is the culmination of a lengthy collaboration between Chattanooga’s poet laureate Michael Crumb and the always effervescent Jack Kirton.

Jack, along with Mark Crider on bass, Shaun west on drums, and Michael Kirton and Christian Williams on additional guitars, provide a haunting, ethereal soundtrack over which Crumb delivers the thought-provoking and enigmatic poetry for which he is known.

There is a strong element of classical beat poetry with underlying jazz themes, but there’s quite a bit more here to unpack.

Stream of consciousness and socio-political commentary are evident, as well as a wry sense of humor at times, but the magnum opus of the album has to be the six track cycle, “Blues in the Bardo”.

Michael’s poetry has always had the legs to stand on its own, but the marriage of music and poetry on the album, and in the “Blues in the Bardo” series, is masterful.

For that reason, it is very difficult

“

Crumb captures the flavor of [William] Burroughs without being derivative, while Kirton and company create a tapestry of sound that mirrors the poetry perfectly with Knoplferesque guitar work.”

when evaluating the pieces, to entirely separate one from the other, and comparisons to various artists have as much to do with the musical score as the poetry itself.

“Bardo 1” is a dreamy affair, a shoe-in for Music from the Hearts of Space, in which words and music start in a quiet and comfortable place, inexorably building to a crescendo that leaves you someplace different from where you started without the listener ever realizing that they were on a journey in the first place.

“Bardo 2” is the most purely spoken word entry in my opinion. There is a musical backing, but the words, a meditation on technology, philosophy and the nature of reality, is so engrossing that you have to listen to the track twice to really key in to the music at all, at least until the pieces reaches its finale.

“Blues in the Bardo 3 (blues

for William Burroughs)” is hands-down my favorite track, musically and verbally.

Crumb captures the flavor of Burroughs without being derivative, while Kirton and company create a tapestry of sound that mirrors the poetry perfectly with Knoplferesque guitar work.

“Bardo 4” shifts gears in to harder edged material musically, a la Henry Rollins, although Crumb is Crumb through and through. At times, Michael’s words evoke the spirit of Jim Morrison more than Rollins, albeit with significant more substance than Morrison ever had.

“Bardo 5” immediately brings to mind the spoken word of Tom Waits, minus Waits’ cigarette-and-whiskey voice which is for some, all that they take away from his work.

That is unfortunate as Waits and Crumb both have

a knack for painting pictures with words so it could be said that “Bardo 5”, the sole province of Crumb and his backing band, is a look in to what you may be missing in Tom’s work if all you can hear is that trademark voice.

“Bardo 6” is the proper conclusion of the series and the album, coming full circle to the quiet dreaminess of the earlier tracks.

For fans of spoken word and experimental music, this is a solid, meaningful album.

For everyone else, this may very well be the best introduction to a world of artistic expression that has otherwise remained inaccessible.

In either case, it’s a grand production and the first release of Kirton’s own “Oh Ruby” record label.

The album is currently available on Bandcamp or, as Kirton so eloquently puts it, from Jack’s car.

THU11.8 LANCO

A true up-and-coming country band from the sleepy little town of Nashville, this fivesome is poised for major stardom.

8:30 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com

FRI11.9 The Psychedelic Furs

One of the seminal new wave bands from the '80s, the P-Furs are back and better than ever with an always edgy sound.

8 p.m.

Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com

SAT11.10 Over Easy, Cosmic Shift

Get your Saturday night's dose of space fueled funk as two of the city's favorites reunite for one hot night!

9 p.m.

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

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • THE PULSE • 15

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR Randall Bramblett

THURSDAY11.8 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m.

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

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Nicholas Edward Williams 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Violinist SooBeen Lee 7 p.m.

Ackerman Auditorium Southern Adventist University University Drive southern.edu Toby Hewitt 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Bluegrass Thursdays 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

16 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

LANCO 8:30 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com Marcus King Band with Ida Mae 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 35 Station St. events.songbirds.rocks Open Mic Night 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com The Minks, Ghetto Blasters, The Ritualists 9 p.m.

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

FRIDAY11.9 Food Truck Friday’s: Piano in the Park with Tim Hinck 11:30 a.m.

Miller Park 928 Market St. connect.chattanooga.gov Preston Ruffing 6:30 p.m.

Westin Alchemy Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Courtney Holder 6:30 p.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble 7 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. theatrecentre.com Strolling Down Broadway 7 p.m.

Collegedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. choralartsofchattanooga.org Randall Bramblett 7 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. events.songbirds.rocks Hullender Family and Testimony Quartet 7:30 p.m.

Patriot Hall 320 Emberson St. cityofringgoldga.gov The Psychedelic Furs 8 p.m.

Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com Sleazy Sleazy 8 p.m.

Barley Taphouse 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Beatles vs. Stones - A Musical Showdown 8:30 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St.

thesignaltn.com Matt Downer 8:30 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com McKinley James 9 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons with The Afternooners 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 35 Station St. events.songbirds.rocks Whiskey Wolves of the West 9 p.m.

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Sinai Vessel, Advanced Bass 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Rick Byers Band 10 p.m.

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

SATURDAY11.10 John Carroll 6:30 p.m.

Lindsey Buckingham

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

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Heart Hunters 7 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Forever Bluegrass 7 p.m.

Westbound Bar 24 Station St. westboundbar.com GuitarChattanooga Presents: Duo R2 7:30 p.m.

Chattanooga State Humanities Theatre 4501 Amnicola Hwy. (203) 508-4359 Allen Stone 8 p.m.

Walker Theatre 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com Larkin Poe 8 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. events.songbirds.rocks Arlo Gilliam 8:30 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way

puckettsgro.com Nirvanna: A Tribute to Nirvana 9 p.m.

Songbirds South 35 Station St. events.songbirds.rocks The Bitterroots 9 p.m.

HiFi Clyde’s 122 W. Main St. hificlydeschattanooga.com Over Easy, Cosmic Shift 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Rick Byers Band 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY11.11 Hiroshi & Hiroki 11 a.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Carl Pemberton 11 a.m.

Westin Dorato Bar 801 Pine St. westinchattanooga.com Big Band Day 11 a.m.

First Tennessee Pavilion 1826 Carter St.

publicmarkets.us The Rightly So 1:30 p.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Veterans Day Concert 4 p.m.

Memorial Auditorium 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com Bluegrass Jam 4 p.m.

Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd.

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

Long Haul Saloon 2536 Cummings Hwy. (423) 822-9775 Mathis & Martin 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Dawes 8:30 p.m.

The Signal 1810 Chestnut St. thesignaltn.com

MONDAY11.12 Open Air with Jessica Nunn 6 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St.

granfalloonchattanooga.com Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m.

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

The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com Frostfang, Preymantha 9 p.m.

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

TUESDAY11.13 JDanimal 6 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Amanda Shires 7 p.m.

Songbirds South 35 Station St. events.songbirds.rocks Open Mic Jam Session 7 p.m.

Crust Pizza 3211 Broad St. crustpizza.com Live Jam Session with Freddy Mc & Friends 7:30 p.m.

The Granfalloon

400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Jackopierce 8 p.m.

Songbirds North 35 Station St. events.songbirds.rocks Lindsey Buckingham 8 p.m.

Walker Theater 399 McCallie Ave. tivolichattanooga.com Open Mic with Xll Olympians 8 p.m.

Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com Open Mic Night with Mike McDade 8 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Space Jam Music Open Mic 8 p.m.

Barley Taphouse 235 E. MLK Blvd. chattanoogabarley.com

WEDNESDAY11.14 No Big Deal 6 p.m.

SpringHill Suites 495 Riverfront Pkwy. springhillsuites.com 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 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

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • THE PULSE • 17

ERNIE PAIK'S RECORD REVIEWS

New Music From Corsano & Orcutt, Eartaker

Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt Brace Up! (Palilalia)

Eartaker Harmonics (Bedouin)

A

immediacy, but it benefits from being cleanly recorded, so that each detail has the opportunity to stand out boldly.

Corsano has performed with a wide variety of artists including Björk and saxophonist Evan Parker and is a member of the furious trio Rangda with Richard Bishop (Sun City Girls) and Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance).

Orcutt was in the riotous, noisy group Harry Pussy in the ‘90s before concentrating on a feral and unique improvisational approach on the acoustic guitar.

With Corsano, Orcutt plays

fter releasing three live albums, the ecstatically explosive drums/guitar duo of Chris Corsano and Bill Orcutt has released its first studio album, Brace Up! And while live albums can sometimes harness a wild energy and risk-taking—operating outside the safety net of a studio environment, without the luxury of do-overs—of course that doesn’t mean that studio recordings are by default more tame than their live counterparts.

Actually, Brace Up! sounds pretty much like a live album, going from its go-for-broke

18 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

the electric guitar, at times sounding like twisted blues, perhaps appealing to fans of Zoot Horn Rollo or Sonny Sharrock.

Corsano’s pounding is intimidating, with constant crests and waves of vigor, and Orcutt matches that strength level, as if the two were entangled wrestlers on fire, rolling around frantically.

On “She Punched a Hole in the Moon for Me,” Orcutt uses droning pedal notes to vaguely resemble an Indian raga, and sounding like he’s an animal possessed by a demon, Orcutt also sometimes vocalizes, seemingly compelled to howl along melodically.

Brace Up! has no intention to be subtle; like a fully opened firehose, it’s a constant release and sonic barrage with little patience for build-up periods.

The frenzied rustling of Brace Up! is perhaps like the aural equivalent of two cocaine-fueled burglars carelessly rifling through a victim’s house.

I

n the horror cosmos of writer H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu

Mythos, there are two possible fates for humans: either you die—probably in a terrible, painful way—or you go insane, when offered a glimpse of the universe’s soul-crushing indifference and incomprehensible complexity beyond your sheltered life.

The dark atmospheric doom-haze of the Japanese trio Eartaker could very well serve as some kind of arcane incantation in that world, particularly with the low, guttural, throaty doom-metal vocals of Diesuck.

Joining him are the producer Goth-Trad and the noise/ musique concrète artist Masayuki Imanishi on the full-length album Harmonics, which paints a picture of a shadowy, desolate world.

Harmonics can be broken down into its elements—synthetic buzzes on “Iron Trivet,” disorienting high-frequency tones and industrial beats on “Nue”—but there are also considerations about intensity and overall impact: not just volume or cluttered disorder, but some kind of artistry at work to harness these dark powers.

On “A Lady Who Experienced Necromancy,” the intentional clipping flaw on its beats is particularly disturbing to anyone who’s done sound engineering, amid the sounds of squeaky machinery and bursts of noise-sheets.

“Killing Stone” could be a scene involving the death throes of a hoarse Cookie Monster, strapped to a conveyor belt in a factory with sparks flying everywhere, and “Stupa” offers vocal gibberish and the unsettling, stuttering sound of what sounds like a car trying to turn over.

When in such drone/doom/ noise territory, how would Cthulhu gauge its quality?

Having a song that could kill someone might be impressive, but a more feasible goal might be having a song that could drive someone to insanity.

This writer thinks that Harmonics could have gone further in both the intensity and insanity departments, although its finest track comes at the very end; the squiggle sounds and sustained tones of “Black Mound” work well, lurching forth as the sound of gradual mental deterioration.

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I am not currently a wanderer or voyager or entrepreneur or swashbuckler. But at other times in my life, I have had extensive experience with those roles. So I know secrets about how and why to be a wanderer and voyager and entrepreneur and swashbuckler. And it’s clear to me that in the coming weeks you could benefit in unforeseen ways from researching and embodying the roles of curious wanderer and brave voyager and savvy entrepreneur and prudent swashbuckler.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “The best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.” That brilliant formulation came from poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Does it seem so obvious as to not need mentioning? Bear with me while I draw further meaning from it, and suggest you use it as an inspiring metaphor in the coming weeks. When it rains, Sagittarius, let it rain; don’t waste time and emotional energy complaining about the rain. Don’t indulge in fruitless fantasizing about how you might stop the rain and how you’d love to stop the rain. In fact, please refrain from defining the rain as a negative event, because after all, it is perfectly natural, and is in fact crucial for making the crops grow and replenishing our water supply.

(P.S. Your metaphorical “rain” will be equally useful.)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation,” writes activist and author Elif Shafak. “If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven’t loved enough.”

I bring this to your attention because you’re in a phase when your close alliances should be activating healing changes in your life.

If for some reason your alliances are not yet awash in the exciting emotions of redemption and reinvention, get started on instigating experimental acts of intimacy.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I suspect you will be an especially arousing influence in the coming weeks. You may also be inspiring and disorienting, with unpredictable results. How many transformations will you unleash?

How many expectations will you dismantle? How many creative disruptions will you induce in the midst of the daily grind? I hesitate to underestimate the messy beauty you’ll stir up or the rambunctious gossip you’ll provoke. In any case, I plan to be richly amused by your exploits, and I hope everyone else will be, as well. For best results, I will pray to the Goddess of Productive Fun, begging Her to ensure that the commotions and uproars you catalyze will be in service to love and kindness.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Gonzo

journalist Hunter S. Thompson wasn’t always a wild and crazy writer. Early in his career he made an effort to compose respectable, measured prose. When he finally gave up on that project and decided he could “get away with” a more uninhibited style, he described it as being “like falling down an elevator shaft and landing in a pool full of mermaids.” I foresee a metaphorically comparable development in your future, Pisces.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1994, Aries pop diva Mariah Carey collaborated with an associate to write the song “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” It took them 15 minutes to finish it. Since then it has generated $60 million in royalties. I wish I could unconditionally predict that you, too, will efficiently spawn a valuable creation sometime soon.

Current planetary alignments do indeed suggest that such a development is more possible than usual. But because I tend to be conservative in my prophecies, I won’t guarantee anything close to the $60-million figure. In fact, your reward may be more spiritual in nature than financial.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): An interactive post at Reddit.com asked readers to write about “the most underrated feeling of all time.” One person said, “When you change the sheets on your bed.” Another extolled “the feeling that comes when you pay all your bills and you’ve still got money in the bank.”

Others said, “dancing under the rain,”“physical contact like a pat on the back when you’re really touch starved,” and “listening to a song for the first time and it’s so good you just can’t stop smiling.” I bring this to your attention, Taurus, because I suspect that the next two weeks will bring you a flood of these pleasurable underrated feelings.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer,” wrote Gemini author Henry Lawson. Do you have any methods for making yourself feel like you’ve drunk a few beers that don’t involve drinking a few beers? If not, I highly recommend that you find at least one. It will be especially important in the coming weeks for you to have a way to alter, expand, or purify your consciousness without relying on literal intoxicants or drugs. The goal: to leave your groove before it devolves into a rut.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Study the following five failed predictions. 1. “There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom.” —Robert Miliham, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1923. 2. “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” —Western Union internal

memo, 1876. 3. “Rail travel at high speeds is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia.” –Dionysius Lardner, scientist, 1830. 4. “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” —Ken Olson, president of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977. 5. “Most Cancerians will never overcome their tendencies toward hypersensitivity, procrastination, and fear of success.” —Lanira Kentsler, astrologer, 2018. (P.S. What you do in the next 12 months could go a long way toward permanently refuting the last prediction.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): German scientists have created cochlear implants for gerbils that have been genetically modified, enabling the creatures to “listen” to light. The researchers’ work is ultimately dedicated to finding ways to improve the lives of people with hearing impairments. What might be the equivalent of you gaining the power to “hear light”? I understand that you might resist thinking this way. “That makes no sense,” you may protest, or “There’s no practical value in fantasizing about such an impossibility.” But I hope you’ll make the effort anyway. In my view, stretching your imagination past its limits is the healing you need most right now. I also think that doing so will turn out to be unexpectedly practical.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here’s useful wisdom from the poet Rumi.

“Our defects are the ways that glory gets manifested,” he said. “Keep looking at the bandaged place.

That’s where the light enters you.”

Playwright Harrison David Rivers interprets Rumi’s words to mean, “Don’t look away from your pain, don’t disengage from it, because that pain is the source of your power.” I think these perspectives are just what you need to meditate on, Virgo. To promote even more healing in you, I’ll add a further clue from poet Anna Kamienska: “Where your pain is, there your heart lies also.” (P.S. Rumi is translated by Coleman Barks; Kamienska

by Clare Cavanagh.)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Artist David Hockney is proud of how undemanding he is toward his friends and associates. “People tell me they open my e-mails first,” he says, “because they aren’t demands and you don’t need to reply. They’re simply for pleasure.”

He also enjoys giving regular small gifts. “I draw flowers every day and send them to my friends so they get fresh blooms.” Hockney seems to share the perspective expressed by author Gail Godwin, who writes, “How easy it was to make people happy, when you didn’t want or need anything from them.” In accordance with astrological omens, Libra, I suggest you have fun employing these approaches in the coming weeks.

“Ride Share”— an inconvenient place to park.

ACROSS 1 Backtalk 5 Order on an order 9 Lion in the Narnia books 14 Feel certain 15 Barely grilled 16 Link’s “Good Mythical Morning” partner 17 Star of the BBC’s “Luther” 19 Shaw of the Big Band Era 20 Reconfigure a hard drive 21 Royal ball 23 Beliefs, for short 24 Morsel at the bottom of a fast-food bag 25 Citrus-flavored dessert (with something parked in the middle) 28 Portrayer of Ned on “Game of Thrones” 29 Word after bad or Dad 30 Quiz option 33 Chicken giant 36 Controversial agribusiness letters 39 Place for avians to thrive (with something

parked in the middle) 43 Tack on 44 “Stargate Universe” actress Levesque (OK, fine ... the mom from “Family Ties”) 45 No longer fooled by 46 Show starter?

48 Over again 51 “Darlin’” classic kids’ song (with something parked in the middle) 55 Biol. or anat.

58 “___ in every garage” 59 Conservational prefix 60 Rowan Atkinson character (or a clue for 28-Across) 62 Carl who hosted the original “Cosmos” 64 Modern urban vehicles whose brand names have been parked in the middle of the three theme entries 66 Supreme Court Justice Kagan 67 Internet explorer?

68 Part of 61-Down 69 Element tested for in home inspections 70 One-named Sao

Paulo-born athlete 71 Japanese buckwheat noodle DOWN 1 Flat-bottomed rowboat 2 Conjunctions seen with a slash 3 Word inevitably used in a stereotypical Canadian impersonation 4 Do the butterfly 5 Franklin with the 1982 album “Jump to It” 6 Jimmy Kimmel’s cousin who makes frequent appearances on his show 7 “Day” observed the last Friday in April 8 Bubble tea tapioca ball 9 “Altar” constellation 10 Piercing cry 11 Tutorial opener, maybe 12 “One Day at ___” 13 Big bomb trial, briefly 18 Business letter encl.

22 Actress Phillips 26 Blog post 27 ___ Lisa 28 “Hold on a ___!”

30 Gp. before the gate 31 Totally cool 32 In one piece 34 What a QB tries to gain 35 Great buy 37 Got together with 38 He-bear, to Hernando 40 Croupier’s collection 41 “What ___ About You” (mid-2000s WB sitcom) 42 Sudoku grid line 47 Monsieur de Bergerac 49 “I give!”

50 100 cents, in Cyprus 51 It fires electrodes 52 Florida city home to John Travolta 53 Freeze, as a windshield 54 Western law enforcement group 55 “___ evil ... “ 56 Native Trinidadian, maybe 57 Prefix for gram or Pot 61 Heat measurements, for short 63 Photog Goldin 65 Disney collectible

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. 909 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • THE PULSE • 19

FILM & TELEVISION

Things That Go Bump In A Dark Theater Finding catharsis in frightening ass films

Is It Really A Holiday Movie?

Every year around this time, various media sites start ranking the “best” holiday movies of all time.

Certain films always make the list: It’s A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol, and the perennial television marathon of A Christmas Story.

And these films are all well and good and cinematic treats along the lines of egg nog and holiday turkey.

But one film has been the center of the holiday movie debate since it debuted in theaters three decades ago: Die Hard.

Purists point out the theme has nothing to do with the holidays and therefore is nothing more (and nothing less) than a tightly written, acted, and directed action thriller.

Other point out the movie takes place during the Christmas holidays—on Christmas Eve, no less—and even has the classic reference of “I have a machine gun Ho Ho Ho” as a plot turning point.

Which is correct? We have no idea. All we do know is that this Sunday you have a chance to once again join Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman in their star-making turns as Det. John McLane and elegant thief Hans Gruber back on the big screen.

Holiday movie or no, “Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs...” this Sunday at 2 or 7 p.m. and East Ridge 18 or Hamilton Place 8 and relive the excitement. — Michael Thomas

By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor

“

The Chattanooga Film Festival and the Frightening Ass Film Festival are wonderful events for those of us that need to get away from everything.”

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I

F IT WEREN’T FOR EVENTS LIKE THE FRIGHTENING Ass Film Festival, Chattanooga might be hard to take. As I write this, over 10,000 people are flooding into the McKenzie Arena to take part in the president’s xenophobic/hate-themedia/lie-about-everything/why-is-he-doing-this-again rally tour, making sure to shout “Jesus loves you” at protestors on their way inside.

It’s a divisive spectacle, to be sure. It also makes it hard to focus on the task at hand.

Writing an article about movies seems trite at juncture in our country’s history—I should be lending my voice to the protest rather than shouting into the void. But then, at the same, it’s important to celebrate the good.

The Chattanooga Film Festival and the Frightening Ass Film Festival are wonderful events for those of us that need to get away from everything and watch something weird

and wonderful. While I wasn’t able to attend last week’s events, one of the benefits of writing for The Pulse is that I can sometimes bring the FAFF to my living room.

As such, I got a chance to screen two of the films shown at the festival: a charming little short called Heartless and a documentary on everyone’s favorite childhood book collection: “Scary Stories to tell in the Dark.”

Directed by Kevin Sluder, Heartless is an award winning short film loosely based on the Edgar Al-

len Poe short story “The Tell-Tale Heart.” In it, a young woman takes an upcoming presentation for work entirely too seriously and makes a few mistakes along the way. Who could blame her, though, when her office is made-up of mean girls and bro-culture?

The film does many things well, from effects to pacing to writing. If I had a criticism, it would be that the escalation is a little abrupt. “The Tell Tale Heart” has a slow burn sort of storytelling, while Heartless is more of a flamethrower.

But then, who can complain when the heroine of the film appears to be as talented a killer with mundane objects as Marvel’s Bullseye?

Overall, the film was no doubt an effective lead-in to the madness of the FAFF. Of the films at the festival, however, Scary Stories was the film that made me most excited. Like many elementary students around the country, the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” series is one of my most vivid memories.

Specifically, I remember the story of Harold, the scarecrow doll that comes to life after years of abuse, and “The Red Spot,” which solidified my fear of spiders and acne.

The documentary, directed by Cody Meirick, is a bit of an amal-

“

It gives us a chance to confront our own fears in the safety of a theater, surrounded by others doing the same thing.” gamation, combining an examination of the stories themselves and the impact they had on a generation of readers with background on the author and illustrator of the book, Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell, respectively.

Interviews with Schwartz’s children provide some insight into their father as a working author with a reporter’s instinct—”Scary Stories” was mostly a collection of folklore from around the world.

Unfortunately, Schwartz died just as the collection was gaining popularity among kids (and gaining notoriety for the gruesome nature of the stories).

Gammell, it seems, is just as elusive, in that he doesn’t grant interviews about his work. What’s left are remembrances of the stories, of their effect, of the school boards that tried to ban them, and the students who loved them intensely.

Over and over again, adults who remember these books report how they helped them learn to love reading, gave them a sense of ac-

complishment, and challenged their imaginations.

As a teacher, I can report that the stories are wonderful to use as a jumping off point for students in writing their own scary stories.

The documentary is a nice testament to the importance of these books, even if it is light at times on background information.

“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” gave young children an outlet for their darker selves, for their questions, and their fears. That’s something that frightening ass films do as well.

It gives us a chance to confront our own fears in the safety of a theater, surrounded by others doing the same thing. We can laugh at them, jump at them, scream at them, but they won’t get us while we’re there.

At some point though, we have to leave the theater and face what’s outside. And sometimes what’s outside is 10,000 smiling people in red hats. Maybe we can stay inside a little longer.

✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴

The Grinch A grumpy Grinch plots to ruin Christmas for the village of Whoville.

Directors: Yarrow Cheney & Scott Mosier Stars: Rashida Jones, Tristan O'Hare, Scarlett Estevez, Benedict Cumberbatch

The Girl in the Spider's Web Young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials.

Director: Fede Alvarez Stars: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • THE PULSE • 21

COLUMN · ON THE BEAT

To Observe And Report Officer Alex explains the role of cops at political rallies

T Alex Teach

Pulse columnist

“

The cops of course have the advantage of always being hated because the people on either side of the street invariably won’t like it if the cops don’t persecute the partiers or the party crashers.”

When officer Alexander D. Teach is not patrolling our fair city on the heels of the criminal element, he spends his spare time volunteering for the Boehm Birth Defects Center.

HERE IS AN UNSPOKEN PHEnomenon in police work that is only know to cops, and even then they don’t often realize it themselves.

It’s the dynamic of working security at a rally.

A “rally” by nature requires a group of people who are passionate as hell about something to come together and hold signs, make noise, and bathe in groupthink in general. Like minds just liking the hell out of each other in the absence of dissenting views.

The topic doesn’t even matter; it could be about a cause, a group, or an individual—so long as you’re in lockstep agreement about it, you’re in the club.

And where you have a passionate advocacy of a thing? You invariably have a group who feels the polar opposite.

If you disagree with people who love something you hate, you have to do something about that, lest you risk being “wrong.” And if the people that are wrong about this thing are in control, then you risk having to deal with it, and what kind of world would that be?

And so, you have to physically go out and oppose the people who are physically supporting a thing, and that is how a rally is formed.

Some people in support of a thing get a permit to gather from local officials, and even rent space to house this lovefest. This often forces the people not in support of the thing to have to stand outside which makes them even more irritated than they were in the first place, which therefore further underscores their need to be there and in the process making them even more correct about the thing than they were in the first place.

And if it’s raining, too hot, or too cold? Then they are victims in addition to being right about the thing they’re

22 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

opposing—and it’s not their fault.

So on one side of a street you have the people that love the thing, and on the other you have the people that hate the thing (including the people the people they can now see in plain sight who have the audacity to love something they hate), and in the middle? You have the cops who are ironically the ones they both hate when there’s nothing else to hate at the moment.

We now call this “America.”

The cops of course have the advantage of always being hated because the people on either side of the street invariably won’t like it if the cops don’t persecute the partiers or the party crashers (depending on your allegiance at the moment) so they’re perpetually prepared to be hated by any number of people or groups at any given time, which is an extremely useful skillset when being literally surrounded by haters.

But at a rally, the cops can at least take a few sips of water and socialize with one another since for once they’re not the target at the moment.

White Nationalists vs. Liberals (and

three to four Conservatives statistically), Occupiers vs. …I’m actually not sure, Tea Partiers vs. Socialists, Antifa vs. Conservatives (and the other Antifa members they accidentally bludgeon from time to time during their ironically fascist frenzies), Gay Rights vs. Homophobes…I’ve stood between them all at one time or another, and it’s always a relief.

My advice? Bring sunscreen, water, and make a mental note of where the closest restrooms are. Oh, and don’t throw things at the people you hate at the moment. You’re perfectly justified in doing so if they’ve made you unhappy of course (because “feelings”), but you run the risk of accidentally hitting one of the cops with your crumpled up job application, rock, or jug of piss, and then all manner of hell will be caused and nobody wants that.

We’re Americans. We define ourselves by what we hate, and associate only inside like-minded intellectual echo chambers. Embrace this—but trust me on the sunscreen (with a hefty emphasis on the pee-jug advice). Rally on, folks.

(Unless you disagree, of course.)

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 8, 2018 • THE PULSE • 23