The Pulse 14.47 » November 23, 2017

NANCY PACKARD QUILTS · RUSTY HOLLOWAY JAZZ · ( IN ) JUSTICE LEAGUE

NOVEMBER 23, 2017

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

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VOL. 14, NO. 47 • NOVEMBER 23, 2017

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WHERE THE BARTENDERS GO

If you make your way up the narrow winding staircase off Houston Street, you’ll find Wes Black every weekend shaking drinks and taking orders behind a high top bar that’s quickly becoming Chattanooga’s worst kept secret.

ZACK SNYDER DOES INJUSTICE TO DC

In general, the DC Extended Universe has been remarkably underwhelming. It’s confusing, given that DC comics has two of the most recognizable and popular superheroes ever created.

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HISTORY THROUGH THREAD AND FABRIC

A brief investigation will reveal that Chattanooga has an incredible quilting scene, filled with hundreds of active quilters, many of them organized into quilting clubs and societies.

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THE JAZZ JOURNEY OF RUSTY HOLLOWAY

“Over the years whenever I was asked, ‘How’s the jazz in Knoxville?’—meaning ‘How good is it?’—I would always reply with a smile, ‘Have you heard Rusty Holloway?’” said saxophonist Alan Wyatt.

ALSO INSIDE

Human beings are an incredible species. We dance, laugh, play, evolve, think, and come up with some extraordinarily brilliant ideas. For most, exclusive and potentially prosperous ideas die just as abruptly as they are born due to a multitude of obstacles, a lack of know-how, or resources to help them thrive.

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

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CONSIDER THIS

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MUSIC REVIEWS

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AIR BAG

24

THE LIST

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NEW IN THEATERS

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

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ARTS CALENDAR

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JONESIN' CROSSWORD

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MIXOLOGY

25

THE COMIX

MUSIC CALENDAR

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GAME ON!

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Startup Chattanooga

Adam Beckett has been writing professionally for over a decade throughout the Southeast and has produced many articles that have been featured on major news networks, online sites, magazines and newspapers.

Jen Sorensen’s weekly political cartoon appears in alternative newspapers around the country, as well as in magazines and websites such as Ms., The Progressive, and Daily Kos. Jen’s work has won several awards, including the Herblock Prize.

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BEGINNINGS ∙ CITY LIFE

Where The Bartenders Go Wes Black keeps things classic at The Fix Cocktail Lounge

By Kelle J. Bostian

BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher & President Jim Brewer II FOUNDED 2003 BY ZACHARY COOPER & MICHAEL KULL

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Gary Poole Assistant Editor Brooke Brown Music Editor Marc T. Michael Film Editor John DeVore Contributors David Traver Adolphus Adam Beckett • Rob Brezsny Matt Jones • Tony Mraz Ernie Paik • Rick Pimental-Habib Michael Thomas • Brandon Watson Editorial Interns Kelley J. Bostian • Jessica Manning Cartoonists Max Cannon • Rob Rogers Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow

ADVERTISING Director of Sales Mike Baskin

Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Rick Leavell Cindee McBride • Libby Phillips John Rodriguez • Logan Vandergriff

CONTACT

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

The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors.

Contents Copyright © 2017 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.

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Pulse contributor

F YOU MAKE YOUR WAY UP THE narrow winding staircase off Houston Street, you’ll find Wes Black every weekend shaking drinks and taking orders behind a high top bar that’s quickly becoming Chattanooga’s worst kept secret: The Fix Cocktail Lounge.

Wes is the kind of guy you would expect to be serving cocktails at a private celebrity party somewhere in North Hollywood. He’s tall, exuberantly friendly, and rocks a neatly tucked man-bun that perfectly fits the dimly lit ambience of the casual cocktail scene.

“What can I get ya?” he asks, this week’s drink list is written beside the bar on a giant thematic chalkboard where the “Frackin’ Whiskey Coke” catches my eye more than anything else. “I want to try the Sarah’s Secret,” I reply, a cocktail that’s become nothing short of an urban legend around town.

The “secret” of the “Sarah’s Secret” is that Wes Black is far from new to the local bartending scene. He got his start casually bartending about five years ago at Local 191, found out he loved the art of cocktails, and quickly moved to Easy Bistro to expand his bartending arsenal.

From there, Wes helped open the bar at Feed Table & Tavern. In April of 2016, he was approached by a former bartending colleague about a new cocktail lounge opening right above the Bitter Alibi off Houston Street. Again, he helped to open another bar, but this time it was his specialty—a cocktail lounge.

“Everyone that knows me knows my style of bartending is laid back and fun,” Wes admits, noting his primary objective at the end of every night is to get people drunk regardless of how pretentious they think their cocktail palates actually are.

He often likes to play with fire, use silly straws, and even invite patrons to challenge

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“In 2017, Wes took home the ‘Judge’s Choice’ award at the Chattanooga Bartender Brawl using the same basic philosophy that has made his work at The Fix so unique.” his abilities by proposing ridiculous cocktail ideas that he usually delivers on.

“The whole idea of The Fix,” Wes begins explaining, “is so people can try something new in a casual setting.”

Of all the bartenders in town, Wes takes the phrase “trying something new” to the next level. Most of his signature drinks, like the Coco-Loco (cold brew, aged rum, and a secret coconut syrup), come from a laid back approach to cocktail creation where putting a new spin on each and every serving always yields a fantastic result.

In 2017, Wes took home the “Judge’s Choice” award at the

Chattanooga Bartender Brawl using the same basic philosophy that has made his work at The Fix so unique. His notoriety for thinking differently about cocktails has spread quickly around the bar scene since he joined The Fix a few years back.

On any given night, you’ll often catch a bartender from one of the many well-to-do cocktail lounges stopping in to get a quick drink from Wes. It’s the only place in town where they can get their minds off the overpriced Mint Juleps and Gin & Tonics they’ve been serving all week. And Wes Black, happy to fix anyone exactly what they might be craving, can do just that.

Consider This with Dr. Rick

EdiToon

by Rob Rogers

“A mistake should be your teacher, not your attacker. A mistake is a lesson, not a loss. It is a temporary, necessary detour, not a dead end.”

The Rickmobile Comes To (burp) Chattanooga “Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody’s gonna die. Come watch TV?” – Morty Smith If you haven’t seen the first three seasons of Rick and Morty at this point, you should probably stop reading this and go download an Adult Swim streaming subscription immediately. If you have, then you understand just how amazing the Back To The Future inspired duo known as Rick and Morty are, taking viewers through hair-raising, hilarious adventures in unimaginable alternate universes and timelines.

The late night animated series has

rightfully become the highest rated show in Adult Swim’s arsenal, earning the title of number 1 comedy series on television (among viewers under 35) following the debut of season 3. It’s spawned a VR game, created a movement of pickle-inspired Halloween costumes,

and even brought limited edition, 1998 McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce back into production.

Next Wednesday, the “Rickmobile” is stopping for a few hours at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo in continuation of its national tour, the Don’t Even Trip Road Trip. The mobile unit is a Rick and Morty lover’s dream, selling merchandise that isn’t available anywhere else and displaying a variety of props that finally brings the work of Rick Sanchez to our dimension.

It’s a once in a (burp) lifetime event, Morty. — Kelley J. Bostian

Whether it's about the burnt sweet potatoes for a holiday dinner, or a choosing a new major, a new career, a new partner—big or small, mistakes are simply opportunities, and they are important ones.

Much of life is trial-and-error, and the errors are there to help guide us onto a new, productive path. War wounds will heal, you'll take a deep breath, gather your wits, and try something else.

A Thanksgiving dinner from years ago comes to mind. The oven stopped working, unbeknownst to anyone, and we ended up with a dining table full of side dishes and no bird. We made bologna sandwiches. We laughed then, and still laugh about it.

Consider this: It is said that happiness in life lies in always having a “Plan B”.

And maybe a C. And a D. And...

— Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

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COLUMN ∙ AIR BAG

Orphan Automotive Deals Many vehicles that won’t see 2018 are in the bargain bin now

David Traver Adolphus Pulse columnist

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N AN AVERAGE YEAR, 15 OR 20 vehicles appear and disappear. Some are market failures that only lasted a few years; others may have been around for a while and are just at the end of their natural lifespan.

They’re not all good, but with some exceptions (like the Viper) they tend to be cheap, since even the freshest of them was probably manufactured many months ago.

As we’ve mentioned in previous years’ editions of Orphan Deals, some of the really unpopular ones may still be hanging around in the spring and available for a song; but if you really want one, the next month or two is your prime hunting. If you need a brand new car at used car prices, put these on your list.

VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG Once a relatively affordable and interesting ute, Bratislava, Slovakia’s, finest VW product has ballooned out to a $50,000plus luxo oddball—thus its imminent demise. Today you find asking prices $10,000 below MSRP and VW is offering 0.9 percent 60-month financing, a clear indication they want them gone.

BUICK VERANO At a $21,065 MSRP, The Littlest Buick wasn’t exactly pricey, but now they’re advertised at $15,994 and buick.com shows promotions on the more expensive trims of more than $10,000 off. They crammed

Volkswagen Touareg

a lot of higher-end features onto the bargain Chevy Cruze platform to make the Verano, so if that appeals to you, you’re not going to get more for less.

HYUNDAI AZERA Another misfit sedan makes the list, this one more substantial than the Buick. If fact, it was Hyundai’s top model until last year, but now this large, handsome $35,000 car is a sad and lonely $25,000 car, brand new. That is an amazing amount of car for the money—you get a 293hp V-6 and a laundry list of safety and luxury features with, again, telltale 0.9 percent financing.

MITSUBISHI LANCER Mitsu’s doing everything it can to stay relevant in the US market, and that means dropping their compact sedan after a 15 year run.

They sticker starting at $17,795, but dealers are dropping them like they’re hot to the tune of under

“If you really want one, the next month or two is your prime hunting. If you need a brand new car at used car prices, put these on your list.” $13,000. They also come with one of the best warranties available, with many dealerships even throwing lifetime warranties at them just to get someone to buy them.

NISSAN QUEST WIth the end of the Quest line, Nissan is out of the minivan business here, ceding their duties to the recently soft and puffy Pathfinder. There are unsold Quests from 2014 still on lots, albeit not many of them, but there are more 2016s hanging around at $10,000 under invoice. That gives you a $21,000 minivan, which can compete with a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna on features, at a 30 percent discount.

INFINITI QX70 The big, 325hp SUV from Nissan’s luxury brand was a contender in its day, swoopy and curvaceous in the era (2003) of boxy trucks.

Once hot selling, it’s become a niche vehicle as smaller crossovers now dominate the market. Limited supply means they haven’t really crashed in price, but the top-trim AWD models can be found far under the $47,650 sticker, although those left are probably loaded up with options.

David Traver Adolphus is a freelance automotive researcher who recently 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.

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COVER STORY

Startup Chattanooga How the Scenic City became a home for truly innovative entrepreneurship

By Adam Beckett Pulse contributor

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UMAN BEINGS ARE AN INCREDIBLE SPECIES. We dance, laugh, play, evolve, think, and come up with some extraordinarily brilliant ideas. For most, exclusive and potentially prosperous ideas die just as abruptly as they are born due to a multitude of obstacles, a lack of know-how, or resources to help them thrive.

It is a wonder how many people have thought up and/or spoken about solid gold ideas that could be the next big thing, ideas that could help the economy as well as produce a selfsufficient lifestyle for the idea holder.

Ideas that could potentially change the world, or that could send an infinite ripple throughout space and time, only they never substantiated due to the fact that they simply did not know how to breathe life into them.

Ideas can reap monumental results with some vision, passion, a little luck, a lot of hard work, and some legitimate resources that can help them flourish. Unfortunately for many, due to the lack of any of those things, stellar ideas form like balls of sand, and crumble just as quickly as they were formed.

Where it is possible for people to successfully grow ideas into valid opportunities and business singlehandedly, the people that manage to make it happen make up just a minuet fraction of the population. It can be, and mostly is a very daunting task.

Fortunately for us here in the sce-

nic city, Chattanooga has a virtually unlimited amount of businesses that function solely to help grow small businesses, has become a hub for startup groups, and has formed into a mecca for developing entrepreneurs, small businesses, and ideas.

Over the last decade, Chattanooga has been on the rise in terms of popularity, success, and exponential growth. It is no secret that Chattanooga is an extraordinarily beautiful city with endless views, a direct portal to mother nature, and a rich historical background it just, for whatever reason, was waiting on that “thing” to happen, that would change the whole game. That “thing” that could level the playing field and reinitiate its mark in history.

That “thing” which Chattanooga can thank for happening is Electric Power Board (EPB) for exclusively bringing the fastest internet in the world to Chattanooga in 2010, for blowing the doors open to potential tech startup companies, and opening thousands of other doors in the process.

Chattanooga is the first city in the

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Western Hemisphere to offer 10-gigabit per second fiber-optic internet to all residents and businesses. At hundreds of times the speed of the national average, the Gig opens the door to endless ways of learning, exploring, and conducting business for everybody.

According to a 2015 study by the University of Tennessee, the cuttingedge internet system helped attract abundant new business to the region, adding approximately $865.3 million to the local economy since 2010, and developing at least 2,800 new jobs.

Where the boom is certainly wonderful for the tech community, others definitely continue to thrive because of it as well.

Booms create jobs, which bring in people, needs, demands, markets, and endless opportunities for the locals to step in and fill more needs while opening more doors, and creating more jobs. It is a beautiful cycle that seems as if many people are unfa-

miliar with. Too many people are blind to the opportunity that is currently engulfing Chattanooga. The time is right now for people to flourish in this glorious city, that was once again placed on the map by its tech boom.

This city is full of diversity, and there are very many extraordinarily skilled people that are full of ideas, potential, and ability, but many of them have no clue how to unleash their capabilities in a way that can benefit their selves, families, or the city.

These individuals go through the rut of everyday life doing whatever they can do to earn money, slowly dying inside as their hidden talents lie dormant, not knowing that there are numerous alleys that are scattered throughout the city that lead to companies that are centered around helping them tap into their potential.

Where it can seem overwhelming for the average person to chase a dream, the surrounding difficulties are mere il-

COVER STORY lusions. Baby steps in the right direction will eventually lead a person to their destination. Will and determination are powerful entities, and can possess the capability to pave the way all on their own.

What people really need to understand is that these companies are out there looking for them. They are actively hunting local people with ideas, so that they can help that person grow their idea into a business that promotes jobs and economic growth. This is not a scenario description, this is actually happening every single day, all over the city.

For starters, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center is made up of certified business counselors, and offers free business consulting/low cost training services. Their services are implemented to assist dreamers, entrepreneurs, individuals, and small businesses in all aspects of business development; they help entrepreneurs realize the dream of business ownership and help existing businesses remain competitive in an intricate, ever evolving marketplace. Once a person makes contact with the center, they are swooped under their wing and guided toward success.

TSBDC helps with obtaining proper business licenses, drafting a functioning business plan, manufacturing assistance, financial packaging and lending assistance, exporting and importing support, disaster recovery assistance, procurement and contracting aid, market research help, 8(a) program support, healthcare guidance, finding lawyers, accountants, insurance agents; they help build dreams, and they stay with the person/people/company that is utilizing their services throughout the entire duration that the business is functioning.

Coinciding with the TSBDC is a seemingly endless list of companies that are built to help ideas, individuals, and small businesses succeed.

“Where it can seem overwhelming for the average person to chase a dream, the surrounding difficulties are mere illusions.”

Businesses such as Launch Chattanooga, Company Lab, Chambliss Startup Group, Edney Innovation Center, LampPost Group, Skuid, Push to Start, Chattanooga Renaissance Fund, StartupCHA, and dozens more, all aim to guide, grow, and sustain, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and start up groups alike.

A particularly helpful asset for startups, brought by local government and the Berke Administration, is the Startup CHA program. The program acknowledges the significance of entrepreneurs, and how they represent the backbone of the local economy, however, they also recognize that it can be difficult for the startup/small business community to be selected by the city due to the potentially complicated purchasing process that is intact.

According to the city’s website, Chattanooga.gov, the program is “modeled after successful initiatives found in cities throughout the country, Startup CHA offers local government and city infrastructure as a platform for startups to pilot their new products and ideas. A single point of entry for

entrepreneurs expedites the process and makes City Hall more business friendly, while helping the City provide the most effective and efficient services to our citizens.”

The program essentially is building a bridge between the often left behind small businesses, and the city government, which is a huge step for startup groups, as well as the system.

An often-overlooked powerhouse resource for entrepreneurs is the fourth floor of the public library downtown. The workspace has many tools for small businesses and dream driven individuals to get inspired and grow.

The Small Business Collection is a database that is powered by the fourth floor, and contains hundreds of full text periodicals. The database also provides insights, tips, strategies, and success stories for inspiration.

The fourth floor of the public library also has ample meeting, and co-working spaces with white boards, couches, projectors, and tables. The workspace also gives individuals access to enterprise level internet with the Giglab, as well as allowing them

access to expanding their branding and marketing horizons with the vinyl decal plotter, and screen-printing capabilities. It is a fantastic, one of a kind, public resource.

Showcasing the ascendancy of the startup community, which concluded last month, was the third year of Chattanooga’s annual Startup Week. Startup Week Chattanooga is a weeklong festival that hosts multiple events and happenings all over the city of Chattanooga, and is designed to highlight the local startup businesses. It is a remarkable event with enormous implications pertaining to the future of the city.

Astoundingly, the local startup community has a whole entire district devoted to it in Chattanooga’s Innovation District. Mayor Andy Berke stated that, “Chattanooga’s Innovation District is our place, where people from all walks of life come together to explore and collaborate, whether it’s within the realm of technology, art, recreation, commerce, or civic engagement.

Thinkers, starters, and doers—a bold place full of people working together to discover the next big thing.”

There are countless tools for small business success in this city on the rise. The sky truly is the limit. People that have ideas should pursue them is hopes to turn them into something substantial. People with ideas have the ability to change the world, and these local companies that are designed to assist them will do just that.

If a person with an idea goes one way with their idea and hits a roadblock, they simply should turn another way with it until they find the right help.

People grow ideas, which grow plans, that turn into flowers, that bloom jobs, and growth, development, love, and means to an end of mundane ruts, grinds, and struggles.

Grow and cultivate your ideas Chattanooga, change lives, help is available to lead the way.

Shine your light.

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FILM & TELEVISION

Zack Snyder Does Injustice To DC Justice League tries to serve two directors...and fails Glen Close in "Sea Oak"

Your Turn As Head Of Programming Amazon has over the past several years become a serious player in the original programming universe, giving us such acclaimed series as The Man In The High Castle, Mozart In The Jungle, Transparent, and The Tick.

One of the more interesting aspects of how they operate is giving viewers a chance to participate in deciding what shows to pick up. Thus, the “pilot season” where they present a single original episode and let viewers vote on which one(s) they want to see more of.

Airing right now on Amazon Prime are three new shows: Love You More, The Climb, and Sea Oak. Love You More stars Bridget Everett as Karen Best: a big girl with a big personality and a big love of Chardonnay, which occasionally, causes her to make some big mistakes with men. But the biggest thing about Karen is her big heart, a heart she uses to excel at her job as a counselor at a group home for young adults with Down syndrome located in an old brownstone in New York City.

The Climb stars Diarra Kilpatrick as an office assistant in Detroit seeks an extraordinary life and internet fame, with her best friend always in tow.

And Sea Oak in a genre-bending comedy starring the always amazing Glen Close as Aunt Bernie, a meek, working-class woman who dies tragically in a home invasion. Compelled by sheer force of dissatisfaction, she comes back from the dead full of rage, determined to get the life she never had.

Each show is different in tone and direction, but it’s interesting that all three a female-centric and star both established and up-and-coming talents. Give them a view and then let Amazon know your opinion. Just be sure to vote for Sea Oak, as we can never have enough Glen Close of the small screen. — Michael Thomas

Justice League

By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor

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N GENERAL, THE DC EXTENDED UNIVerse has been remarkably underwhelming. It’s confusing, given that DC comics has two of the most recognizable and popular superheroes ever created. Superman and Batman essentially created the genre—without Jerry Siegel, Joel Shuster, Bob Keane, and Bill Finger, comic books (and the movies that have come to dominated the film market) would look very different.

But other than Wonder Woman, the DCEU movies have largely been critically panned. This isn’t due to some film critic conspiracy against DC Comics—if there is one, I’ve been left out of the secret meetings entirely. Instead, the blame can be

placed at the feet of Zack Synder.

Synder isn’t a bad director, necessarily. It depends on what you look for in a film. He excels at creating cinematic moments, at crafting elegant and expressive scenes accompanied by a particular taste in music.

However, Snyder has little interest in story. Narrative focus is almost an afterthought in many Snyder films and as a result his outings in the DCEU have been more than a little messy and confusing.

Thematically, Snyder has some interesting ideas but he never seems to capitalize on them. So when it was reported that Snyder had elected to step away from Justice League due to a family tragedy and the studio brought in Joss Whedon to reshoot key scenes, it made a lot of sense. But it seems that even the wit of Whedon couldn’t replace all

FILM & TELEVISION

“Narrative focus is almost an afterthought in many Snyder films and as a result his outings in the DCEU have been more than a little messy and confusing.”

✴ ✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴ ✴

of Snyder’s worse impulses.

Still, Justice League is miles better than Batman vs. Superman. It’s just that it has no heart of its own. The film is a blatant cover version of films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it misses a lot of notes along the way.

Justice League picks up not too long after the events of Batman vs. Superman. The Man of Steel (Henry Cavill) is still dead and great danger is afoot without his protection. The Caped Crusader (Ben Affleck) is doing his part to combat the appearance of this winged evil, bug-like Parademons from an unknown world, and he and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) undertake the great task of putting together a team of superpowered individuals from around the world: Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), the King of Atlantis, Flash (Ezra Miller), a speedy goofball, and Cyborg (Ray Fisher), a mostly ro-

botic football player.

For nearly an hour and half, the film treats audiences to the wonders of exposition, trying to do in one film what Marvel did in five. The results are about what you’d expect. Ultimately, the team comes together to fight Steppenwolf (played by a terrible CGI version of Ciarian Hinds), an otherworldly being hoping to reform the Earth to his liking using three magic boxes.

Beyond the generic storyline, the CGI in the film is by far the worst part.

It’s no secret that Henry Cavil was required to do his reshoots sporting a fancy mustache on behalf of Paramount’s latest Mission: Impossible film—it was removed during post-production and the results are unnerving.

The villain too is poorly designed and rendered.

Overall, the film has an unpolished, distracting look to It. None of this is

Coco Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to work out the mystery.

Directors: Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina Stars: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach

helped by the fact that Cavil’s Superman has the charisma of a canned ham. No amount of CGI can improve the writing. Even Joss Whedon was unable to write the story out of the corner it found itself in.

The jokes all fell flat—the audience I saw it with sat stone faced throughout most scenes. Not even Gal Gadot, who probably gave the best performance in the film, was unable to add any spark to the proceedings. Justice League is as paint by numbers as it gets.

This is to be expected, however.

Warner Brothers is more than aware of the DCEU’s reputation. They are attempting to fix the film by making it as audience friendly as possible. Whatever attempts at interesting themes were tried in previous films are abandoned here for an average superhero story.

I don’t know that anyone will be angered by the film, although there are definitely better ways to spend an afternoon. And so, the DCEU continues to limp along. It will probably do well enough internationally to warrant more films. Whether American audiences are interested in seeing them remains to be seen.

Darkest Hour During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide to negotiate with or fight against Hitler.

Director: Joe Wright Stars: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • THE PULSE • 11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

History Through Thread And Fabric Nancy Packard uses quilting to share local history

Do Something Different This Friday If you are anything like me, you don’t like the aggressive shoppers, crowded movie theatres, or constant barrage of online advertisements that seem to get worse every year the day after Thanksgiving. In fact, there’s a good chance you probably spend the entirety of the day sitting at home waiting out the craziness that has become an expected reality each Black Friday.

Look no further than the Bluff View Art District to deliver an alternative approach to Black Friday, hosting its annual Open House this year on the 24th in its cozy little nook right above the Tennessee River.

The district uses this annual Open House as an opportunity to show off its seasoned artisan culture, including district-roasted coffee blends, old-world style house made pastas and sauces, fresh oven-baked ciabatta and traditional loaf breads, and handmade chocolates and pastries.

But the Bluff View Art District has more to offer than just a delicious array of Italian cuisines and deserts, it’s home to a renowned sculpture garden and art gallery that features dynamic varieties of rotating local, regional, and national artists. Coming from someone who worked at the district his first few years of college, it’s a truly unique space that seems to come alive once a year during this annual open house.

Who knows, you might have such a good time at the Bluff View Art District that you’ll feel brave enough to take on the masses and fight for that discounted television you don’t need. Okay, probably not, but strolling through a little slice of Italy here in Chattanooga is a much better option than sitting at home and waiting it out.

— Kelley J. Bostian Black Friday Holiday Open House Noon Bluff View Art District 411 E 2nd St. (423) 265-5033 bluffviewartdistrictchattanooga.com 12 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

By Tony Mraz

Pulse contributor

A

BRIEF INVESTIGATION WILL REVEAL that Chattanooga has an incredible quilting scene, filled with hundreds of active quilters, many of them organized into quilting clubs and societies. These artisans are continuing one of humanity’s oldest art forms—the roots of the quilting tradition can be traced back over 5,000 years to Egyptian applique, piecing, and quilting.

These ancient methods of manipulating fabric are being used in a modern quilting movement that is yielding some of the most beautiful fabric art the world has ever seen. Local quilter Nancy Packard is a part of this movement, and her quilts are nothing short of astonishing.

She began her practice in 2003 in Lincoln, Ne-

braska under the tutelage of her sister-in-law, veteran quilter Sharon Packard. Her first piece was a throw quilt made with a tube pattern. Many quilters use patterns to organize pieces of fabric into a finished design—in this case, she cut strips of fabric, assembled them side by side, and then cut them again to create squares. These squares were then organized into the quilt, and stitched together with other pieces of fabric.

She immediately enjoyed the process, and did not want to stop. Speaking about her quest for a challenge, she says, “I don’t do anything easy.”

She joined the Modern Quilt Guild in Chattanooga, and began to learn from other quilters.

The guild is a family of quilters who help and teach one another. They helped Packard to make the transition from traditional to modern quilting.

They have weekly meetings and programs each

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“Packard’s most famous quilt is based upon the tornadoes that ravaged the Tennessee Valley in April of 2011.” month, where they teach different aspects of quilting, new techniques, from embroidery, to paper pasting, to slice and dicing, and everything in between. Their gatherings are fun for people who are interested in learning about quilting, or for experienced quilters.

She also taught herself by watching videos on YouTube, studying innumerable designs and patterns.

“I have always enjoyed looking at other people’s work to get ideas, and then turning them into my own designs,” she tells us, explaining her independent practice.

“I haven’t ever really had a master—I’ve learned from the work of other quilters, artists and sculptors, but I’ve always done my own thing. I started in the beginning with Civil War colors and patterns from that era. I have transformed my quilting style to impressionist and modern from the tradition-

al style. I love to design my own quilts, and watch them come to life.”

Packard’s most famous quilt is based upon the tornadoes that ravaged the Tennessee Valley in April of 2011. Every part of the quilt has symbolic meaning. The center represents the tornado itself, the ring of red represents the destructive force, the green patches represent the damaged foliage, and the black patches represent the power outages.

There are eight points radiating from the center that represent the smaller tornados that were caused by the storm. The stitching is meant to represent the intense winds, while the purple at the edges symbolizes the community’s support of the victims. The quilt took six months of working over 40 hours a week to finish.

“After the tornadoes came through, I was really moved,” she says, explaining her moti-

vation for making the quilt. “I was in two different areas of the city when different tornadoes came through that day. My quilt shop that I use, Sew Bee It in Ringgold, got blown apart.

“Fabric from the store was found all over the place, in people’s back yards, covered with insulation, some of it still soaking wet. The shop had a sale on all of the fabric, and I bought and utilized that in the tornado quilt. The quilt means a lot to me, but I haven’t been able to keep it in my possession.”

The Tornado Quilt is on display at the Bernina Store on Shallowford Rd. and can be viewed during their regular business hours.

In addition to her other projects, Nancy also does commissioned works. She can take any photograph, and turn it into a quilt. She has done a number of wedding wall hangings and other subjects, from Harley Davidsons to chicken coops.

“The love I have for modern quilting has opened so many doors for me in my designing on fabric.”

To commission a quilt, contact Nancy Packard at chattayakmb@gmail.com

THU11.23 SportsBarn Turkey Trot

Burn off all the calories ahead of time before your Thanksgiving feast with an early morning run.

9 a.m.

Sportsbarn East 6148 Lee Hwy. sportsbarn.net

FRI11.24 Cheer at the Pier, Lighted Boat Parade, Fireworks

Local businesses team up for a holiday night of fun down on the riverfront.

5 p.m.

Ross’s Landing 201 Riverfront Pkwy. chattanoogacylceboats.com

SAT11.25 Lexi Engesath Book Signing

Local author will be signing her book “100 Things to Do in Chattanooga Before You Die”.

2 p.m.

Barnes and Noble 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd. arnesandnoble.com

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • THE PULSE • 13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

18th Annual Grateful Gobbler Walk

THURSDAY11.23 18th Annual Grateful Gobbler Walk 8 a.m.

Coolidge Park 150 River St. (423) 643-6311 gratefulgobblerwalk.org SportsBarn Turkey Trot 9 a.m.

Sportsbarn East 6148 Lee Hwy. (423) 266-1125 sportsbarn.net Thanksgiving Lunch & Dinner Cruises 11 a.m.

Southern Belle Riverboat 201 Riverfront Pkwy.

(423) 266-4488 chattanoogariverboat.com Ooltewah Farmers Market 3 p.m.

Ooltewah Nursery 5829 Main St. (423) 238-9775 ooltewahnursery.com Signal Mountain Farmers Market 4 p.m.

Pruett’s Market 1210 Taft Hwy. (423) 902-8023 signalmountainfarmersmarket.com

FRIDAY11.24 Scenic City Gobbler Soap Box Derby 7:30 a.m.

Redoubt Soccer Complex

14 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

6900 Bonny Oaks Dr. (423) 596-7726 soapboxderby.org Open House at River Gallery 10 a.m.

River Gallery 400 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033 river-gallery.com Chattanooga Market at Erlanger 10:30 a.m.

Erlanger Hospital Medical Mall 975 E. 3rd St. chattanoogamarket.com Beauty is Embarrassing Screening 11:30 a.m.

Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Black Friday Holiday

Open House Noon Bluff View Art District 411 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033 bluffviewartdistrictchattanooga.com Cheer at the Pier, Lighted Boat Parade, Fireworks 5 p.m.

Ross’s Landing 201 Riverfront Pkwy.

(423) 708-2708 chattanoogacylceboats.com Frank Serpico 6, 8, 10 p.m.

Palace Picture House 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com Claire Bloomfield 7 p.m.

Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St.

ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT Performing in the city for over 30 years, "The Funniest Man In America" loves Chattanooga and we love him. That’s why he’s made The Comedy Catch his second home.

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

facebook.com/frequencyarts Dunkirk 7 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 201 Chestnut St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org James Gregory 7:30 p.m.

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

First Draft Theater 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 843-1775 improvchattanooga.com Steve Mingola 9:45 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com The Long Game 10 p.m.

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

SATURDAY11.25 Scenic City Gobbler Soap Box Derby 7:30 a.m.

Redoubt Soccer Complex 6900 Bonny Oaks Dr. (423) 596-7726 Chattanooga Hungry Turkey Half Marathon & 5K 8:45 p.m.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Dunkirk Coolidge Park 150 River St. (423) 643-6311 tennesseeruns.com Thanksgiving at the Zoo 9 a.m.

Chattanooga Zoo 301 N Holtzclaw Ave. (423) 697-1322 chattzoo.org St. Albans Hixson Market 9:30 a.m.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 7514 Hixson Pike (423) 842-6303 Brainerd Farmers Market 10 a.m.

Grace Episcopal Church 20 Belvoir Ave. (404) 245-3682 Collegedale Christmas Market 11 a.m.

Collegedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. (423) 648-2496 chattanoogamarket.com Artist Demonstration with Mike Berry & Judy Klich 11 a.m.

River Gallery (423) 265-5033 river-gallery.com Farmer’s Market 11 a.m.

Nutrition World 6237 Vance Rd. (423) 892-4085 nutritionw.com Red Wolf Feeding and Talk Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org

Guided Canoe Trip 1 p.m.

Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Lexi Engesath Book Signing 2 p.m.

Barnes and Noble 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd.

(423) 893-0186 arnesandnoble.com The Last Full Measure 2 p.m.

Chattanooga National Cemetery 1200 Bailey Ave. (423) 855-6590 nps.gov Frank Serpico 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 p.m.

Palace Picture House 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com Dunkirk 7 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 201 Chestnut St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org James Gregory 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Steve Mingola 9:45 p.m.

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

SUNDAY11.26 Collegedale Christmas Market 11 a.m.

Collegedale Commons 4950 Swinyar Dr. (423) 648-2496 chattanoogamarket.com Frank Serpico 6, 8, 10 p.m.

Palace Picture House 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com Thrill After Thrill for the Holidays 2 p.m.

Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Free Fiddle School 2 p.m.

Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 994-7497 Jerry Harvey “Critter” 7:30 p.m.

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

MONDAY11.27 The Outrageous Sophie Tucker 7 p.m.

Jewish Cultural Center 5461 North Terrace (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com

TUESDAY11.28 Northside Farmers’ Market 3 p.m.

Northside Presbyterian Church 923 Mississippi Ave (423) 266-1766 Lookout Farmers Market 4 p.m.

Christ United Methodist Church 8645 E. Brainerd Rd. lookoutfarmersmarket.com Bitcoin Meetup 5:30 p.m.

Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com Sam Lubell + Greg Goldin on Never Built New York 6 p.m.

Glass House Collective 2501 Glass St. (423) 402-0565 glasshousecollective.org United We Dance: Move & Groove for the Read to Lead Academy 6 p.m.

The Bethlehem Center 400 E. Main St. (423) 266-1384 thebeth.org Tuesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m.

Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 643-7700 chattilibrary.com Frank Serpico 6, 8 p.m.

Palace Picture House 818 Georgia Ave. CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • THE PULSE • 15

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Ice On The Landing (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com Christmas Tree Lighting 6:30 p.m.

Southern Adventist University 4881 Taylor Cir. (800) 768-8437 southern.edu wellRED Comedy Tour 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Top Secret Tuesdays 10 p.m.

Palace Picture House 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com

WEDNESDAY11.29 Lookout Farmers Market 10 a.m.

Memorial Hospital 2525 Desales Ave. lookoutfarmersmarket.com Middle Eastern Dance 10:30 a.m.

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

Chattanooga Choo Choo 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000 rickmobile.com Main Street Market 4 p.m.

16 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

522 W. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com Fireside Stories: A HomeBound Book Donation Night 5 p.m.

Basecamp Bar & Restaurant 346 Frazier Ave. (423) 803-5251 basecampcha.com Ice On the Landing: ALS Give Back Night 5 p.m.

Chattanooga Choo Choo 1400 Market St. (800) 872-2529 iceonthelanding.com Green Drinks with the Chattanooga Zoo 5:30 p.m.

Chattanooga Zoo 301 N. Holtzclaw Ave. (423) 697-1319 chattzoo.org Frank Serpico 6, 8 p.m.

Palace Picture House 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com wellRED Comedy Tour 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Free Kittens Open Mic Comedy 8 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400 jjsbohemia.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse. com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

FOOD & DRINK ∙ MIXOLOGY

A History Of Booze Before 1492 Native Americans were familiar with alcohol well before Columbus

By Kelley J. Bostian

I

Pulse contributor

F THERE’S ONE THING THAT DEFInitely isn’t true about the folklore surrounding Thanksgiving, it’s that Pilgrims introduced alcohol to the Native Americans.

Wherever organic material has existed on Earth (which is literally everywhere), humans have found a way to turn it into alcohol.

And that includes the estimated 100 million Native Americans that lived and thrived in the America’s before 1492.

In fact, the process of making alcohol is so simple a caveman can do it. The predecessors of Pre-Columbus Americans likely trekked the Bering Strait sometime in the late Epipaleolithic age (15,000 B.C.) searching for warmer lands with nothing more than stone hunting tools and the ability to brew basic low gravity alcohol from grass.

Their passed down oral traditions and brewing knowledge trickled throughout time into the distinctly different cultures that sprouted throughout the America’s, where it is believed the first agriculture states began appearing sometime around 2000 B.C. The most famous of these ancient civilizations was objectively the Mayans, dominating the Mesoamerican (prehistoric central America) scene from roughly 1800 B.C. to 250 A.D. The Mayans did a lot of things wrong; sacrificing innocent civilians, sparking intense civil wars between their own city-states, and predicting the world would end in 2012.

But, through all their faults the Mayans had balché, a mead produced from the honey soaked bark of a leguminous tree.

Some archaeologist believe that Mayans consumed balché in enema form to maxi-

mize the effects, but accurate evidence of balché rituals and production were lost following the Spanish conquering of South America, who effectively banned the drink and burned the orchards from which it came.

Closer to home, Mississipian trade cultures flourished in what is now the southeastern United States. Complex mound cities formed next to riverbanks have been traced back to roughly 800 A.D., but cultural practices of larger tribes like the Creek, Cherokee, and Natchez continued well into the 18th century.

A lot of early anthropological evidence suggests these tribes foraged for wild berries and fruits to make tea-like ciders, most of which were extremely low in ABV content in comparison to post-colonial brews.

But if this berry-cider evidence were true and you currently live in Southeastern United States, it’s very possible the Creek and Cherokee tribes foraged for cocktail ingredients not far from where you’re sitting right now.

The Native American cultures that controlled the southwestern coasts and central plains on the other hand all had one thing in common—they were really good at growing corn.

Maize was central to the Apache, Iroquois, and Pueblo way of life; likely the first instance of purposeful genetic mutation in the western hemisphere occurring over a

“Across the pre-Columbus America’s, producing alcohol was an important part of everyday life just as it’s been for every other civilization throughout history.”

7000-year time span.

When tribes first came to the realization that maize didn’t spoil for a really really long time, chicha was the next logical step that took advantage of corn’s longevity value.

Chicha has the universal definition for mild, fermented alcohol made indigenously from maize or yucca root, taking many different names (tepache, tejuino, cauim or tiswin) depending on which culture

brewed it.

Across the pre-Columbus America’s, producing alcohol was an important part of everyday life just as it’s been for every other civilization throughout history.

Unfortunately, much of the practices and unique flavors specific to each individual Native American tribe were lost not long after 1492, and we can only speculate now as to how delicious each cultures drink of choice actually was.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • THE PULSE • 17

MUSIC

The Jazz Journey Of Rusty Holloway Legendary jazz bassist comes to Barking Legs Theater

By Ernie Paik

Pulse contributor Peewee Moore

A Local Outlaw Comes Back Home

“O

This Saturday make sure you come out to the Revelry Room and hear award-winning and highly acclaimed outlaw country singer/songwriter Peewee Moore.

Peewee’s roots run throughout our town as he was born on the outskirts of Chattanooga and started his music career right here as he played lead guitar back in the day for Chattanooga’s country music patron saint, Roger Alan Wade. Following his time with Roger, and with his first band The Tennessee Rounders, Peewee was able to cut his mold as a hard country, honky-tonking Outlaw.

He has spent years making a name for himself as an accomplished picker, and songwriter throughout the Southeast. Touring over 45,000 miles a year doing over two hundred one-night stands at honky-tonks, dance halls, festivals, and theaters.

Peewee is clearly a student of classic country as he has cleverly figured out how to move the classic sound of the late ’60s to the mid ’70s into his music today, while also keeping the music passionately relevant.

Peewee’s performance Saturday night will delight your ears, as his guitar skills send your mind flying through a harmonizing chord flow, while his vocals reach their sweet spot, creating his Outlaw charm. — Jessica Manning Peewee Moore Saturday, 9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 Station St. (423) 521-2929 www.revelryroom.co 18 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

VER THE YEARS WHENever I was asked, ‘How’s the jazz in Knoxville?’— meaning ‘How good is it?’—I would always reply with a smile, ‘Have you heard Rusty Holloway?’” said saxophonist Alan Wyatt. “From among the old guard in the Knoxville-area jazz scene, there were only a precious few that held the ‘keys to the kingdom’ in my opinion, but none more outlandish or fiercely virtuosic than Rusty Holloway. How he maneuvers effortlessly on such an unwieldy instrument is simply mind-boggling.”

Bassist Rusty Holloway made a name for himself not only as a world-class performer who has shared a stage with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan and Stan Getz but also as an influential educator who is adept in multiple genres, including classical, Rusty Holloway jazz, swing and bluegrass.

Having taught at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK), Holloway now resides Bellson to Chick Corea and the Brecker Brothers,” in New York, but he will reunite with a few of his said Wyatt. “Among his recommendations was to colleagues for a November 30 jazz concert at study jazz music at UTK with renowned jazz educaBarking Legs Theater. tor Jerry Coker, who wrote the first jazz improvisaAmong his sidemen will be Wyatt, who teachtion textbook in the 1960s.” es at the Lee University School of Music and has “While a jazz student at UTK, I couldn’t help played with a number of high-profile artists, like but feel intimidated around [Holloway], as we all Frank Sinatra, Jr., Natalie Cole and Doc Severwere, knowing that we were nowhere close to his inson; Holloway will also be joined by drummer level of skill or ability,” said Wyatt. “But even so, Keith Brown, Ben Dockery on piano and guitarist he was a great source of encouragement for me Shawn Perkinson. and several others, pushing us to new heights.”

“My pursuit of jazz began in the high school jazz In a distinguished career, Holloway recalled ensemble classroom of Edward Freytag, where I one of his career highlights as being the time he heard everything from Count Basie and Louie played with Dave Brubeck for his oratorio, “The

MUSIC

“My pursuit of jazz began in the high school jazz ensemble classroom of Edward Freytag, where I heard everything from Count Basie and Louie Bellson to Chick Corea and the Brecker Brothers.”

Light in the Wilderness,” with the UT Concert Choir.

“I got to play and hang with Dave for several days, which was absolutely unbelievable, but the real premium was to meet and hang out with Allan Dawson and Jack Six,” said Holloway, via email. “I ferried them around for the time they were here and hung on every word of wisdom.”

“Years later as I look back on this period of time, those two galvanized everything my teacher, Ed Meyer, was telling me about music, art and life,” said Holloway. “In terms of highlight, Ed was the single largest highlight, because he ultimately prepared me for everything that was to follow.”

“Around the same period, Gary Burton came to town for several days, and I met and hung with Tony Levin, Sam Brown and

Bill Goodwin,” said Holloway.

“By this time, my quest for music was, in my own mind, right up there with ‘The Odyssey.’”

In New York City, Holloway played extensively with distinguished artists including the Matthew Fries Trio, Eliot Zigmund, Rick Stone, Marvin Stamm, the Scott Reeves/Jay Brandford Tentet with Steve Wilson, John Carlini, and Bob Meyer (in the Voyagers), and he travels throughout the tri-state area for frequent collaborations.

As an instructor, Holloway teaches orchestral and solo bass performance, rhythm section technique and improvisa-

tion with a motivic approach for the development of melodies, and he beamingly speaks about his students who have received scholarships at some of the most esteemed music schools in the world, including the Berklee College of Music, the Eastman School of Music and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and others who have gone on to become successful professional players.

“Alan is an incredible player and person. Truly an old soul,” said Holloway about Wyatt. “He is as much Coleman Hawkins as Michael Brecker.”

“Though we’ve been in many professional settings together since [UTK], and enjoyed a close association over the years, I am nonetheless keenly aware of the need to be at the top of my game when I’m on stage with [Holloway],” said Wyatt. “He never fails to bring an intensity that can’t be squelched—the kind of intensity that causes everyone on stage to play better.”

Rusty Holloway Reunion Tour Thursday, November 30, 7:30 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347, barkinglegs.org

THU11.23 Battalion of Saints, Nobodys, The Cryptics

Nothing says Thanksgiving quite like a night of inyour-face rock-n-roll with serious attitude. Rock on!

8 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net

FRI11.24 MouthGremlin, Mathias And The Manifold

Kick off the holiday shopping weekend with a mix of art and music.

7 p.m.

Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St. facebook.com/frequencyarts

SAT11.25 Mdahts & Friends

Guaranteed to deliver a head knockin', crowd rockin', life lovin', positive hip hop show with a twist (and some cool friends)!

9 p.m.

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

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • THE PULSE • 19

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Shabti

THURSDAY11.23 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m.

St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Pete B 6 p.m.

Whole Foods Market 301 Manufacturers Rd. wholefoodsmarket.com Toby Hewitt 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Open Mic Night with Ryan Oyer 7 p.m.

Moccasin Bend Brewing Co. 3210 Broad St. bendbrewingbeer.com Bluegrass Thursdays 7:30 p.m.

Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Jesse James & Tim Neal 7:30 p.m.

Mexi-Wing VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. mexi-wingchattanooga.com Keepin’ It Local 8 p.m.

The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com

20 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Battalion of Saints, Nobodys, The Cryptics 8 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Shabti, Over Easy 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Open Mic Night with Jonathan Wimpee 9 p.m.

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

FRIDAY11.24 Nathan Farrow, Larry Fleet, Matt Thornton 5 p.m.

Phibbs Bar & Grill 96 Fieldstone Village Dr. Rock Spring, GA. (706) 375-5400 Binji Varsossa 6 p.m.

Cancun Mexican Restaurant 1809 Broad St. (423) 266-1461 MouthGremlin, Mathias And The Manifold 7 p.m.

Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St. facebook.com/frequencyarts Tim Lewis 7 p.m.

El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd.

PULSE MUSIC SPOTLIGHT A stylistically unique Americana band, American Watermelon has been been singing, performing, and playing as if they’d been together their entire musical careers.

American Watermelon Friday, 10 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com

thepalmsathamilton.com Mark Kelly Hall 8 p.m.

The Casual Pint 5550 Hwy. 153 hixson.thecasualpint.com Danimal 8:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Channing Wilson & Dave Kennedy 8:30 p.m.

Fireside Grille 3018 Cummings Hwy. firesidechattanooga.com DDS​, Deep Sleeze​, Pale Rider 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com DJ Tony Dub 9 p.m.

Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com Travis Kilgore 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Courtney Holder 9 p.m.

Puckett’s Restaurant 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Gino Fanelli 10 p.m.

The Social 1110 Market St. (423) 266-3366 American Watermelon 10 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Jahman Brahman Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com The PBR Band 10 p.m.

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

SATURDAY11.25 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 Tim Lewis 7 p.m.

El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Chancey 7:30 p.m.

Ceniza 9454 Bradmore Ln. cenizalounge.com Similar Implement 8 p.m.

Wired Coffee Bar 5707 Main St. thewiredcoffeebar.com Gino Fanelli 8 p.m.

The Casual Pint 5550 Hwy. 153 hixson.thecasualpint.com Roger “Hurricane” Wilson 8 p.m.

Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Danimal 8:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Arlo Gilliam 8:30 p.m.

Fireside Grille 3018 Cummings Hwy. firesidechattanooga.com PeeWee Moore 9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Mdahts & Friends 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Rushing Wind, Virginia Ave, Dying Whales 9:30 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Jahman Brahman 10 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Mark “Porkchop” Holder 10 p.m.

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

The PBR Band 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY11.26 Lily Rose 11 a.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Kristen Ford 1:30 p.m.

Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Monthly Jazz Jam 3 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Bluegrass Jam 4 p.m.

Fiddler’s Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd.

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

Long Haul Saloon 2536 Cummings Hwy. (423) 822-9775 Maria Sable 8 p.m.

Southside Social 1818 Chestnut St. thesouthsidesocial.com

MONDAY11.27 Open Mic Night

6 p.m.

Puckett’s Grocery 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com REK’s Fam-O-Lee Back to the Country Jamboree!

7 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Mathis & Martin 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Robert Earl Keen 7:30 p.m.

Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. tivolichattanooga.com Open Air with Jessica Nunn 7:30 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com Very Open Mic with Shawnessey Cargile 8 p.m.

The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com

TUESDAY11.28 Bill McCallie and In Cahoots 6:30 p.m.

Southern Belle 201 Riverfront Pkwy.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • THE PULSE • 21

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Sinai Vessel chattanoogariverboat.com Danimal 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Open Mic Jam Session 7 p.m.

Crust Pizza 3211 Broad St. crustpizza.com Mark Andrew 7 p.m.

The Tap House 3800 St. Elmo Ave. taphousechatt.com Sinai Vessel & Dead Testaments 8 p.m.

The Woodshop Rehearsal Space 5500 St. Elmo Ave. thewoodshop.space Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com

WEDNESDAY11.29 No Big Deal 6 p.m.

SpringHill Suites 495 Riverfront Pkwy. springhillsuites.com Old Time Fiddle & Banjo Show 6:30 p.m.

Fiddler’s Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 994-7497 Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar

22 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m.

The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com Open Mic Night with Courtney Holder 7 p.m.

Hush Lounge 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Soprano Jennifer Arbogast Wilson & Pianist Alan Nichols 7:30 p.m.

Chattanooga State Community College 4501 Amnicola Hwy. chattanoogastate.edu Joel Brothers 8 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Priscilla & Little Rickee 8 p.m.

Las Margaritas 1101 Hixson Pike (423) 756-3332 Jazz In The Lounge 8 p.m.

Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org 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

RECORD REVIEWS ∙ ADAM BECKETT

New Music From Peter Porker, Spaceface

Peter Porker Thank You (peterporker.bandcamp.com)

T

oday I am thankful for Peter Porker’s November release of his album titled Thank You. This album is full of vision, passion, and great sounding music.

While it is difficult to classify the particular genre, I will say it has an eighties style Stranger Things type feel about it, with a modern dance music twist; almost reminiscent of the popular American EDM producer/producer Porter Robinson.

The sound is true to itself and is its own entity, so I cautiously compare it simply as

Spaceface Sun Kids (spaceyourface.bandcamp.com)

a guide to help others understand what to expect out of the music; it by no means attempts to sound like either one of those things, it is pure, unadulterated music.

I love this album, and how intelligently it was composed.

The music drifts like the wind, and is fun to listen to. it is obvious that the artist put a significant amount of time, effort, heart, and soul into this amazing dance music album that comes from Bristol, Tennessee.

“What’s On The Radio?” is my personal favorite song

on the album, as it utilizes samples from Bobby Brown’s “Every Little Step”, and somehow holds a quadruple sound that blends old school hiphop, rhythm & blues, modern electronic dance music, and seventies funk.

The song instantly goes in the top five of the soundtrack to my life, skyrocketing over some truly classic music.

While “Kawaii Desu”, “Puddles”, and “Lost Control” are the shining tracks on the album, every song on the album is incredible. It is one of those rare albums that is master crafted from start to finish, and bypasses all dull spots along the way.

Sometimes scouring the depths of the regional music makes me wonder if people are actually even trying to make legitimate anymore, and other times I find artists like Peter Porker, which restore my faith in music.

I reiterate, today I am thankful for Peter Porker’s release of his album titled Thank You.

I

n an attempt to avoid the winter blues and to steer clear of anything even remotely depressing, this week my search for noteworthy Tennessee music brought me to the realm of Memphis, where I found the Psychedelic Rock album Sun Kids, by Spaceface.

I must admit that I was drawn in by the artistic album cover, yet, once the sound began to play was completely captivated by the music. After giving the album an honest listen in its entirety, I have determined that this album is excellent, and refreshing in many ways.

What I like the most about Sun Kids is its effortless glow and original sound. Spaceface does a fantastic job of simply creating good listenable music. After hours of scouring recent music, it was a breath of fresh air to accidentally stumble upon this classic, one of a kind masterpiece.

As the psychedelic rock sound is certainly the general

undertone of the album, the band does a fascinating job going above and beyond just that, the musical composition flows beautifully throughout.

There is a great mixture of sounds, and if I had to label it I would place it in the naturally good music category.

While gathering information about the band, have come to understand that the lead member, Jake Ingalls, plays guitar and synthesizer for the Flaming Lips. That fact does not make the album sound any better, but is a pretty cool fact.

The self-titled track “Sun Kids”, is the standout track on the album, and is accompanied by a super cool, trippy, 360 music video. Other outstanding songs are “Parachute”, “Cowboy Lightning”, “Timeshare”, “In the Clouds”, and “Spread your Head”.

This stellar album emits positive energy through the soundwaves and is perfect music for this time of year particularly, when it is dark at six o’clock.

You complete us.

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CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • THE PULSE • 23

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

The List

and extra sly.

Thanksgiving In America ROB BREZSNY

This Thursday, millions of Americans sit down together to celebrate gluttony and family (and some football, as well).

We asked our friends at the Statistics Brain Research Institute to dig into the holiday numbers.

• Total number of Turkeys that are consumed on Thanksgiving Day: 51,650,000 • Total U.S. spending on Thanksgiving dinner food: $2,983,000,000 • Average household spending on Thanksgiving dinner (2017 Estimate): $64.03 • Average household spending on Thanksgiving dinner last year: $59.18 • Average household spending on Thanksgiving weekend last year: $342 • Number of families that will travel for Thanksgiving: 39,000,000 • Number of places in the U.S. named Plymouth: 37 • Average cost per pound of Turkey (2017): $1.60 • Average cost per pound of Turkey (2016): $1.36 So eat hearty and enjoy your afternoon nap. You've earned it.

Source: statisticbrain.com/ thanksgiving-statistics/

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Journalist James A. Fussell defined “thrashing” as “the act of tapping helter-skelter over a computer keyboard in an attempt to find ‘hidden’ keys that trigger previously undiscovered actions in a computer program.” I suggest we use this as a metaphor for your life in the next two weeks. Without becoming rude or irresponsible, thrash around to see what interesting surprises you can drum up. Play with various possibilities in a lighthearted effort to stimulate options you have not been able to discover through logic and reason.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Let’s observe a moment of silence for the illusion that is in the process of disintegrating. It has been a pretty illusion, hasn’t it? Filled with hope and gusto, it has fueled you with motivation. But then again—on second thought—its prettiness was more the result of clever packaging than inner beauty. The hope was somewhat misleading, the gusto contained more than a little bluster, and the fuel was an inefficient source of motivation. Still, let’s observe a moment of silence anyway.

Even dysfunctional mirages deserve to be mourned. Besides, its demise will fertilize a truer and healthier and prettier dream that will contain a far smaller portion of illusion.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Judging from the astrological omens, I conclude that the upcoming weeks will be a favorable time for you to engage in experiments befitting a mad scientist. You can achieve interesting results as you commune with powerful forces that are usually beyond your ability to command. You could have fun and maybe also attract good luck as you dream and scheme to override the rules. What pleasures have you considered to be beyond your capacity to enjoy? It wouldn’t be crazy for you to flirt with them.

You have license to be saucy, sassy,

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A snail can slowly crawl over the edge of a razor blade without hurting itself. A few highly trained experts, specialists in the art of mind over matter, are able to walk barefoot over beds of hot coals without getting burned.

According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Pisces, you now have the metaphorical equivalent of powers like these. To ensure they’ll operate at peak efficiency, you must believe in yourself more than you ever have before. Luckily, life is now conspiring to help you do just that.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In alignment with the current astrological omens, I have prepared your horoscope using five hand-plucked aphorisms by Aries poet Charles Bernstein.

1. “You never know what invention will look like or else it wouldn’t be invention.” 2. “So much depends on what you are expecting.” 3. “What’s missing from the bird’s eye view is plain to see on the ground.” 4. “The questioning of the beautiful is always at least as important as the establishment of the beautiful.” 5. “Show me a man with two feet planted firmly on the ground and I’ll show you a man who can’t get his pants on.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It may seem absurd for a dreamy oracle like me to give economic advice to Tauruses, who are renowned as being among the zodiac’s top cash attractors. Is there anything I can reveal to you that you don’t already know?

Well, maybe you’re not aware that the next four weeks will be prime time to revise and refine your longterm financial plans. It’s possible you haven’t guessed the time is right to plant seeds that will produce lucrative yields by 2019. And maybe you don’t realize that you can now lay the foundation for bringing more wealth into your life by raising your generosity levels.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I used to have a girlfriend whose mother hated Christmas. The poor woman had been raised in a fanatical fundamentalist Christian sect, and she drew profound solace and pleasure from rebelling against that religion’s main holiday. One of her annual traditions was to buy a small Christmas tree and hang it upside-down from the ceiling. She decorated it with ornamental dildos she had made out of clay. While I understood her drive for revenge and appreciated the entertaining way she did it, I

Homework: What’s the most important question you’d like to find an answer for in the next five years? Tell all: Freewillastrology.com felt pity for the enduring ferocity of her rage. Rather than mocking the old ways, wouldn’t her energy have been much better spent inventing new ways? If there is any comparable situation in your own life, Gemini, now would be a perfect time to heed my tip. Give up your attachment to the negative emotions that arose in response to past frustrations and failures. Focus on the future.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): So begins the “I Love To Worry” season for you Cancerians. Even now, bewildering self-doubts are working their way up toward your conscious awareness from your unconscious depths. You may already be overreacting in anticipation of the anxiety-provoking fantasies that are coalescing. But wait! It doesn’t have to be that way. I’m here to tell you that the bewildering selfdoubts and anxiety-provoking fantasies are at most ten percent accurate. They’re not even close to being half-true! Here’s my advice: Do NOT go with the flow, because the flow will drag you down into ignominious habit. Resist all tendencies towards superstition, moodiness, and melodramatic descents into hell. One thing you can do to help accomplish this brave uprising is to sing beloved songs with maximum feeling.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Your lucky numbers are 55 and 88. By tapping into the uncanny powers of 55 and 88, you can escape the temptation of a hexed fiction and break the spell of a mediocre addiction. These catalytic codes could wake you up to a useful secret you’ve been blind to. They might help you catch the attention of familiar strangers or shrink one of your dangerous angers. When you call on 55 or 88 for inspiration, you may be motivated to seek a more dynamic accomplishment beyond your comfortable success. You could reactivate an important desire that has been dormant.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): What exactly is the epic, overarching goal that you live for? What is the higher purpose that lies beneath every one

of your daily activities? What is the heroic identity you were born to create but have not yet fully embodied?

You may not be close to knowing the answers to those questions right now, Virgo. In fact, I’m guessing your fear of meaninglessness might be at a peak. Luckily, a big bolt of meaningfulness is right around the corner. Be alert for it. In a metaphorical sense, it will arrive from the depths.

It will strengthen your center of gravity as it reveals lucid answers to the questions I posed in the beginning of this horoscope.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): We all need teachers. We all need guides and instructors and sources of inspiration from the day we’re born until the day we die. In a perfect world, each of us would always have a personal mentor who’d help us fill the gaps in our learning and keep us focused on the potentials that are crying out to be nurtured in us. But since most of us don’t have that personal mentor, we have to fend for ourselves. We’ve got to be proactive as we push on to the next educational frontier. The next four weeks will be an excellent time for you to do just that, Libra.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): This is your last warning! If you don’t stop fending off the happiness and freedom that are trying to worm their way into your life, I’m going to lose my cool. Damn it! Why can’t you just accept good luck and sweet strokes of fate at face value?! Why do you have to be so suspicious and mistrustful?! Listen to me: The abundance that’s lurking in your vicinity is not the set-up for a cruel cosmic joke.

It’s not some wicked game designed to raise your expectations and then dash them to pieces. Please, Scorpio, give in and let the good times wash over you.

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 ∙ MATT JONES

THE COMIX

“Back-Billed”—all the smaller examples.

ACROSS 1 Sedate 6 Any of the Bee Gees brothers 10 Chicagobased clown 14 Hashtag inspired by the Harvey Weinstein allegations 15 “The Joy of Cooking” author Rombauer 16 Mess up completely 17 “No further detail is needed” 19 Statesman von Bismarck 20 “Man of a Thousand Faces” Chaney 21 Play backgrounds 22 Forms morning moisture 24 Green Day drummer ___ Cool 25 That dude’s 26 Krypton, e.g.

27 Three, on some clocks 30 “Help!” at sea 31 Sold out, in a way 33 Statement after reporting something

pleasant, maybe 35 Genesis brother 37 Ab ___ (from the beginning) 38 Italian carmaker that partnered with Chrysler 39 Water-based tourist attraction in Rome 44 Emulated 45 Do a marathon 46 Go off ___ tangent 47 Banner team?

48 Stashed away 49 Loudly lament 52 Overdue 54 Tom Hiddleston’s role in “Thor” 55 Suit accessory 56 Cereal with a rabbit mascot 58 Implements first used in the Paleolithic age 61 Abundant 62 Word before bay, day, or pay 63 Little night flyer 64 Quits hedging 65 “Benevolent” fraternal order 66 Oboist’s supply DOWN

1 Put through a refinery 2 “Danny Boy” voice, usually 3 Make reparations 4 Letters before a monetary amount 5 Where to see corgis compete 6 Core concepts 7 Bank offerings, for short 8 Songwriter’s publishing gp.

9 Statistician’s numbers problem, sometimes 10 Furrowed body part 11 Reversed, like some shirts or jackets 12 Acne spot 13 “Be My Yoko ___” (Barenaked Ladies single) 18 Bank robbery 23 Abbr. before a cornerstone date 26 Cameroon’s neighbor 28 Birth state of Elijah Wood 29 Part of MIT,

for short 30 Do what you’re doing right now 31 Broadway musical without a storyline 32 In conclusion, in Paris 33 Question for the stranded 34 Coatroom hangers, maybe 35 Prefix for sphere 36 Fiber source in cereals 40 “Can ___ you in on a little secret?”

41 Savoir-faire 42 Kid’s wheels 43 IRS employee 48 Drivers’ warnings 49 Took illegally 50 De-squeaked 51 Conquers 53 Forest hackers 54 Place for tumblers 56 “The ___ La La Song” (theme from “The Banana Splits”) 57 Ocasek once of the Cars 59 ___ Tuesday (Aimee Mann’s old band) 60 Be behind

Copyright © 2017 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. 859 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • THE PULSE • 25

COLUMN ∙ GAME ON!

Quantum Wizardry In Chattanooga Local game creator releases an arcade gem to the world

Brandon Watson Pulse columnist

B

ENEATH THE SURFACE OF ALL games exists an intricate code that reads between Cyrillic and ancient alien hieroglyphics to the untrained eye.

As daunting as it appears, there exists some coding geniuses working inside and outside the gaming industry. A few of them right here in our own backyard, geniuses to some and real-life wizards to the rest.

I’ve learned many things from wizards throughout my life. One taught me how to survive while falling from 14,000 foot drop, another taught me how to hit a target from half a click away with iron sights, and another just recently taught me that there is more to games than flashy graphics and huge budgets.

Anthony Broussard is his name and Quantum Pilot is his game. The founder and president of Quantum Productions games started his life as a programmer at the tender age of eight learning the very basics of BASIC and carving a path to work during the pivotal boom of mobile gaming.

The Houston native took to heart the laments and woes of his family member’s complaints of their daily grind. It occurred to him early that to be content in life meant getting paid to do what one loved. What he loved were games and technology, so programming was the most logical choice.

Broussard jumped into the slipstream of a mobile gaming surge which carried him to work down under for Australian company

Big World Games to coding for the government and various application designers.

Gigtank 2012 was the carrot on the stick that lured Anthony from the great land of Texas, America’s Australia. He fell in love with Chattanooga and decided to stay to freelance and work on his passion projects.

Quantum Pilot is one of those projects, and let me tell you there is more to it than meets the eye, like a transformer. At first glance it’s a simplistic line-and-dash top down shooter with a pastel color scheme.

But going beyond outward appearances, the magic that is Quantum Pilot takes a top down pew-pew game and gives enemies that are mirror clones of your ship.

That’s right, Quantum Pilot and mimics what you did in the previous stage. No onscreen timers and no life count meters keep you engaged at the bullet-hell insanity that can become Quantum Pilot.

The simple design forces you to adapt to your own playstyle because every bullet will immediately come back to haunt you. So it takes some thoughtful calculations instead of spraying and praying to snuff out the quantum clones from ruining your day.

Level progression is in the form of new weapon unlocks which become a conundrum learning how they work to your benefit and also add to your demise. I found myself constantly adapting and thinking while at the same time twitch-

26 • THE PULSE • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

ing and blasting.

Quantum Pilot is magical because it’s deviously fun and addictive.

During my demo with Anthony at The Meeting Place in Red Bank I had to ask: what about co-op? To which he answered with another controller and a smirk that made him look more wizardly than mere mortal.

If you think dealing with one set of clones shooting at you, imagine sets from two quantum pilots. It was hectic but crazy how much nostalgic fun the gameplay was.

QP is definitely a homage to the coin-op top down shooters of the ‘80s while bringing its own fresh design choices not seen anywhere else. Inject a dark techno soundtrack from professional UK music producer Fractures and I dare say this game has all the heart and soul you’d expect from some of the most memorable independent products found on the web.

Though QP looks like a pretty straightforward pew-fest, there is a story element that mysteriously explains the game, but only if you get through all the weapons and stages. It’s there at the end and it’s enough to create its own urban

legend for those determined find it.

It’s my hope that Anthony gets support in turning this game into a retro styled cabinet because I have no doubt that it belongs nestled beside Galaga and Ms. Pacman.

As of right now you can find this nifty thrifty on Steam for $5.00.

With the on screen co-op with dual controller support it’s a great time blaster with the kids, bros, or significant-O. Also check out Anthony @quantumpotato and show him some love who knows the next arcade hit could be produced right here in Chattanooga.

Hey, it’s only a matter of time.

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

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 • THE PULSE • 27

Make Santa Your Holiday Companion!

SANTA 106.9 All Holiday Music 24/7 merrychristmaschattanooga.com