The Pulse 14.51 » December 21, 2017

DECEMBER 21, 2017

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

THE HART GALLERY · ASHLEY AND THE X'S · THE LAST JEDI

2 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

VOL. 14, NO. 51 • DECEMBER 21, 2017

4

THE HUMAN INITIATIVE HELPS THE HOMELESS

In an extraordinary display of selflessness, caring, and humanitarianism, a local group called the Human Initiative was formed to empower the homeless population.

10

THE WAY TO YOUR HART GALLERY

Unsure of what is more enticing, the vibrant colors and eclectic artwork showcased in the majestic Main Street brick building or the cause behind the not for profit workspace itself.

16

WHEN NOSTALGIA IS JUST NOT ENOUGH

Nostalgia is a powerful force in our current culture. There’s a steady undercurrent of rosecolored memory running through our lives, from entertainment to politics.

20

ASHLEY AND THE X'S KEEP GETTING BETTER

I’ve said this before and I will invariably say it again: one of the great joys of doing what I do, especially having done it for a fair amount of time now, is that you get a ringside seat for watching bands grow and mature.

ALSO INSIDE

8

A Newcomer's Christmas We stood on the sidewalk gazing at the wisteria tree. My partner Holly—a fitting name for the season—examined the tree as if it were a complex piece of modern Japanese art. Most of the leaves had fallen off by this Thanksgiving Day.

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

5

CONSIDER THIS

19

AUTOMOTIVE

7

JUST A THEORY

22

MUSIC CALENDAR

12

ARTS CALENDAR

24

NEW MUSIC REVIEWS

14

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

25

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

17

NEW IN THEATERS

25

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

18

THE COMIX

26

SUSHI & BISCUITS

Jason Tinney is the author of Ripple Meets the Deep and two collections of poetry and prose, Louise Pairs and Other Waltzes and Bluebird. When not writing he’s either playing the harmonica or repairing the soles on his collection of vintage cowboy boots.

Our resident film and television critic, John DeVore, has spent a significant portion of his life in dark theaters.

From an early age, he was drawn to strong storytelling brought to life through the magic of the silver screen.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 3

BEGINNINGS ∙ CITY LIFE

The Human Initiative Innovative local group preaches compassion for the homeless

By Adam Beckett Pulse contributor

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 Adam Beckett • Rob Brezsny Steven Disbrow • Jessie Gantt-Temple Matt Jones • Mike McJunkin Ernie Paik • Rick Pimental-Habib Michael Thomas • Jason Tinney Cartoonists Max Cannon • Rob Rogers Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow

ADVERTISING Director of Sales Mike Baskin

Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Jeff Camp Rick Leavell • Libby Phillips John Rodriguez • Danielle Swindell Logan Vandergriff

CONTACT

Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Email info@chattanoogapulse.com Website chattanoogapulse.com Facebook @chattanoogapulse Fax 423.266.2335 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.

I

N AN EXTRAORDINARY DISPLAY OF selflessness, caring, and humanitarianism, a local group called the Human Initiative was formed to empower the homeless population by helping them obtain basic necessities, as well as showing them compassion, while treating them as equal members of the human race.

The holidays are supposed to be about giving, family, love, smiles, and cheer; which for most people is the Christmas time scenario. For others, the holidays are just the same cold nights on the streets with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and with no one and nothing besides the clothes on their back to do it in.

Public records indicate that roughly 4,000 people experience homelessness in Chattanooga annually, with between six and seven hundred people sleeping on either the street or in a shelter each night; Happy Holidays, right?

The staggering numbers are steadily increasing, with a 300 percent rise over the last several years. The people that are experiencing homelessness are individuals, and families alike. Women, children, and men all equally suffer, often being neglected by even the most basic of necessities.

The Human Initiative began in 2014 and has been working annually ever since to lift spirits, and brighten lives. The group’s main focus is their annual Day of Giving, which takes part on Christmas Day, and is set to spread holiday cheer.

According to their website, thehumaninitiative.org, “The Human Initiative was born out of love and a desire to serve those that are often forgotten or ignored. Our mission is to provide those in need with basic necessities for survival, but equally as important, to offer them love in the form of a handshake, a hug, and conversation

4 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

without expectation or judgment.

Each individual that we encounter is treated with respect and love.

We are a secular group and refrain from persuading others to adopt any beliefs.”

The group has a unique way of obtaining goods for the needy, where they do have donation drop boxes set in place around the city, they also do a silent auction that features donated goods from local vendors. The high-quality products that they have to offer on the auction block make it impossible to ignore. This year, amongst one of a kind jewelry, artwork, massages, and services, club level season tickets to Chattanooga Football Club were included and bidding started at just fifteen dollars.

The money that they get from the auctions moves forward to purchase backpacks, totes, winter coats, scarves, gloves, hats, hygiene products, flashlights, batteries, toiletries, gift cards; things that keep people alive and offer basic

human needs.

This year the Day of Giving will be held in the Muse + Metta parking lot, right across the street from the Chattanooga Community Kitchen.

Volunteers will be handing out gift bags, outdoor supplies, and other winter gear. They will also be giving haircuts and providing massage therapy.

Sometimes, people altruistically do things simply out of love, compassion, and humanity; these are the things that joined forces to help create the Human Initiative. It is a rare and beautiful gem gleaming brightly out of Chattanooga, let's support them to help them continue to grow.

Donations may be dropped off at Salon La Bella in Hixson, Real Roots Café in Ft. Oglethorpe, The Downtown Public Library, and Four Bridges Outfitters in the Northshore. For volunteer information, contact the lead organizer Drew Miller at (423) 280-0343, or direct message the Human Initiative Facebook page.

Consider This with Dr. Rick

EdiToon

by Rob Rogers

“I like the energy of some people and others I don’t care for. I can’t explain it but my intuition tells me to stay away from them.”

A Moment Of Peace This Holiday Season The holidays are a time of joy, love and a whole lot of hustle and bustle. It can be hard amongst all the gift purchasing and family planning to find a moment of respite, but thanks to Unitarian Universalist Church of Chattanooga, you can find your moment’s peace this holiday season.

Take a break from all the trimming and stressing and take a walk through UUCC’s indoor walking labyrinth to ease the mind and soothe the soul.

All are welcomed at this event, but please note it’s a time of reflection and calm intended solely to relax.

A season when it seems like everything adds more stress and more worry, take time this Thursday to

leave all stresses at the door of a tealight candle labyrinth.

A warm, dimly lit place perfect for reprise and revitalization of the Christmas spirit sounds like the ultimate holiday remedy.

Starting at 5 p.m. this Thursday night and continuing on until 8 p.m., this deeply meditative event will open your heart and mind and finally allow you to give into all the joy of the season and leave the rest of the worrying for another day.

— Brooke Brown

So when checking your Christmas/ Holiday/Kwanzaa social calendar, perhaps there are some gatherings you’ll be more comfortable at than others. Is Uncle Morey a sexist homophobe? Is Aunt Gertie a racist? Does your cousin rant about his new beach house and how successful he is (subtext: you’re not)?

Everyone comes with an energy. Tune in and you can feel the vibes in a room, at a dining table, around the tree. The holidays are a perfect laboratory to test your intuition, and use those feelings to take care of yourself.

You don’t need to drown in a bowl of spiked eggnog…just walk away.

Trust yourself, listen to yourself, and love yourself enough to take very good care. Guard your heart. Share the love.

And wrap yourself in whatever feels good, with no guilt.

Happy Ho Ho, and here’s to a warm and gracious New Year.

You complete us.

— Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

Now recruiting Media Sales Professionals to represent Chattanooga’s Alternative Newsweekly Send your resume and cover letter to: Mike Baskin, Director of Sales mikebaskin@brewermediagroup.com In the subject line, please include: Brewer Sales Position Learn more about us at BrewerMediaGroup.com.

Brewer Media is an equal opportunity employer.

brewer media everywhere. every day.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 5

6 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

COLUMN ∙ JUST A THEORY

Welcoming An Interstellar Visitor Oumuamua makes its way through the Solar System

Steven W. Disbrow Pulse contributor

L

AST MONTH, I TOLD YOU ABOUT a new type of astronomy, one that uses Gravitational Waves to view cataclysmic events happening across the universe. This month, we’ve got news from old-school astronomers about a strange visitor from another star…the first ever confirmed interstellar object: Oumuamua! (Pronounced, “Oh Mooa Mooa,” this is a Hawaiian word meaning “scout” or “messenger.”)

Oumuamua was discovered on October 19th of this year by the folks at the PanSTARRS telescope on the island of Maui. At first they thought it was a comet that, like all other comets, had been shaken loose from the Oort cloud at the edge of our solar system. But, given that no tail developed as it rounded the Sun, it became clear that it was a rocky asteroid and not a a comet.

Okay, so, it’s an asteroid, and not a comet. That’s fair. But how do we know it’s not from our solar system? There are three key bits of evidence that bear this out: First is its shape. Oumuamua is shaped unlike any other asteroid (or comet) that we’ve seen before. It’s basically a long, cigar-shaped object that’s 40 meters wide and 400 meters long. Sort of like a big, rocky splinter tumbling through space. Pretty much every other asteroid we’ve seen in the past has been more or less ball-shaped and even the few that were shaped like Oumuamua were nowhere near as elongated.

Second, Oumuamua is traveling fast.

Like, really fast. Fast enough to escape the

gravitational pull of the Sun! When it passed the Sun it was going over 87 kilometers per second! Which was more than fast enough to escape the Sun’s gravity and head back out into interstellar space.

Finally, the direction of Oumuamua’s approach towards the Sun is completely unlike any other asteroid or comet. Pretty much everything we’ve observed in the past in our solar system takes place in the same plane as the orbits of the planets.

To visualize this plane, imagine the solar system as an old LP record with the Sun at the center and all the planets sitting on the various grooves of the record. But Oumuamua came in from a direction that’s almost perpendicular to the orbits or the planets!

To recap: Weird shape, traveling fast enough to escape the biggest object in the neighborhood and coming from a completely unexpected direction…yeah, odds are really good that it’s not from around here. Once all the evidence was put together, they even created a new designation for objects of this type, and officially labeled it “1I/2017 U1”. The “I” at the front is for “interstellar,” and this is the first interstellar object, ever.

Now, if, like myself, you are a reader of science fiction, this whole thing sounds really familiar.

In fact, it sounds just like the plot for Arthur C. Clarke’s “Rendezvous With Rama”.

In that (awesome) book, a huge,

“Oumuamua is traveling fast. Like, really fast. Fast enough to escape the gravitational pull of the Sun!” cylindrical alien ship (which is nicknamed “Rama,” after the Hindu god) comes tearing through our solar system, using the Sun for a gravity assist as it heads out for parts unknown. A team of astronauts is sent to meet the craft, find their way inside and are faced with one challenge after another as the heat of the Sun warms up the interior and brings its systems back to life. (Seriously, it’s an amazing book, and I’m shocked that Hollywood hasn’t picked it clean yet.)

With that in mind, various radio telescopes around the world have begun to listen to Oumuamua to see if there are any signals coming from it. At this point, they haven’t heard anything indicating that Oumuamua is something other than

a lonely rock hurtling through the void. But, it’s early days yet, and they’ve just begun to sift through the mountains of data that have been collected.

And it’s likely that that Oumuamua won’t be the last interstellar visitor that we’ll see in the months and years to come. Pan-STARRS is a relatively new telescope, and newer more sensitive devices will soon be scanning the sky along with it, hopefully alerting us to even more strange and wonderful visitors from other stars.

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

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 7

COVER STORY

A Newcomer’s Christmas Putting roots down and lights up on a Chattanooga Christmas

By Jason Tinney Pulse contributor

W

E STOOD ON THE SIDEWALK GAZING at the wisteria tree. My partner Holly—a fitting name for the season—examined the tree as if it were a complex piece of modern Japanese art. Most of the leaves had fallen off by this Thanksgiving Day. Still, the braided trunk rising and splintering into branches of twisted vines, bare as they were, was a sight to behold. Holly’s blue eyes widened. Her sweet James Dean dimples deepened into the question at hand: White or colored Christmas lights?

Finally, she offered, “White. It’s classic. But also represents rebirth,

something new. Like weddings or baptisms.”

“I agree,” I nodded, angling to compromise. “But what if we did the house in white and the wisteria in color?”

She gave me a look I adore. It’s a look that humors me.

“For juxtaposition. Our eclectic spirit meets our traditional house.

8 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Classic and funky like us, like Chattanooga.”

She stared at me like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, as if I had lobsters crawling from my ears. “It’s something to think about,” she said, kissing me on the lips.

It was decided. White lights.

She walked to the front porch, taking in the cream columns that accent the soft yellow hue of the house—this slice of Southern lemon meringue perched on a hill above the banks of the Tennessee; crests of Signal Mountain to the north, Lookout to the south.

Pausing on the steps, she looked back and said, “Our first Christmas in our new home.”

Christmas came early this year when Holly and I purchased a 19th century “Charleston” style house on the North Shore. January will mark the anniversary of our first visit to Chattanooga and the

beginning of our new chapter.

When we first met, as writing partners and musicians, the connection cut deep, like a lit match to gunpowder. To borrow from a song made famous by Johnny and June Cash, “Hotter than a pepper sprout.”

We’d set out on a Southern sojourn with three objectives: write, road trip, and find a new home we could be inspired in. Chattanooga was on our radar. People always ask: Why Chattanooga? Easy answers are the music, the vibe, the hospitality. We also see ourselves in Chattanooga—a city that’s had ups and downs, a city in the midst of rebirth.

We arrived after dark. Just past the Brainerd Road exit lights twinkled from mountain to valley illuminating a welcome to the city. We drove to the St. Elmo neighborhood to preview a house before meeting with our realtor, Lindsey Yerbey. Minutes into our hunting, our car broke down.

COVER STORY The clutch refused to engage, protesting in growls with each attempt to get it in gear.

We agreed, “It’s a sign.”

A woman brought us Cheez-Its and beer from her house while we waited for a tow. “I’d invite you in, but I’m leaving to pick up my kids,” she said. Our breath fogged up the windows in the cold, but Chattanooga earned its distinction as the birthplace of the tow truck that evening with fast service.

Lindsey picked us up the next morning to show us Scenic City listings in Highland Park, St. Elmo, and Missionary Ridge. But she saved the best for last, the modest plantation-style house in North Shore.

We envisioned sitting on the balcony, clacking at typewriters in the warm breeze like William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor. With nine-foot tall ceilings, vintage chandeliers, claw foot tub and architectural molding encasing defunct fireplaces, it had character and history.

“This is the house and neighborhood I see you in,” Lindsey said.

We drank bourbon at a bar on Frazier.

I jotted down a list of pros and cons for each, but we always came back to the yellow house with porches.

The Shakespeare quote I’ve used to describe Holly sums up the house— though she be but little, she is fierce. We made the decision to put down roots, 600 miles from where we’d started in Baltimore, Maryland.

We closed on a stormy day in March.

Tornado sirens wailed as we cut through pages of signatures like the wind whipping through the wisteria tree back at the home awaiting us. I carried Holly over the threshold just as the power went out.

Our first guest was a cow-cat that slinked beneath the fence and strutted down the brick garden path. She chirped out gravelly meows. We nicknamed her Moo Chat for her black and white Holstein markings and our new hometown.

We didn’t know where she came from or

who she belonged to, if anybody.

Our first night was a cold one spent awake shivering on the wooden floor with one blanket. Morning couldn’t come soon enough to get the gas to heat the furnace and water turned on.

With the comfort of heat restored Holly turned her focus, “We’ve got to get a bed.”

Holly prowled estate sales and online auctions, bringing me along for extra muscle to load the truck with dressers, bookshelves—and bed— culled from Red Bank to Rossville. We stood in our street, furniture teetering off the tailgate.

members and everyone’s excited to try the “just slap ‘em on” method.

Home was coming together. Holly was nesting, hanging artwork by her grandfather, her hero and native Kentuckian who keeps her rooted to this region and draws her—us—to this sense of place. And the wisteria vines blossomed with fragrant lavender flowers.

Then like the storm that ushered in our homecoming, another wind swept through, toppling the wisteria to the pavement. It lay in the street, a felled beauty that struck us and our neighbors hard. The postman who’d fought

“People always ask: Why Chattanooga?

Easy answers are the music, the vibe, the hospitality. We also see ourselves in Chattanooga—a city that’s had ups and downs, a city in the midst of rebirth.”

Janice Myers, retired school teacher and unofficial mayor of our block, sat at her dining table. “I was looking out my window and thought, ‘They know what they’re doing, don’t interfere.’

Then I kept seeing y’all struggle with that furniture and thought, ‘They don’t know what they’re doing.’”

Janice walked out the back door of her Craftsman house where she’s lived for 45 years. She introduced herself and loaned us a dolly. I cooked her shrimp-n-grits as a thank you. I was adding cheese to the grits when she arrived.

“I love cheese but it takes so much time to shred it up.” Janice paused, amused by my technique.

“Well, I take singles of American cheese and just slap ‘em on,” I said.

“Just slap ‘em on, huh?”

We sent Janice home with leftovers.

The next time we talked Janice told me she’d shared my recipe with her church

daily to untangle himself from the creeping vines shrouding the mailbox was the only one not crying.

Janice put us in touch with Lucas who helped her with yardwork. He resurrected the tree and braced it for potential oncoming storms. Neighbors walking by cheered the wisteria’s return and gestured thumbs-up in approval from the sidewalk.

It was a landmark decision to pay for the tree’s restoration, a testament to neighborliness. And our friendship with Janice grew.

She began dropping by. First with kitchen utensils and knick-knacks she knew we needed or might want. Then with a wreath and ornamental garland for our mantle. Moo Chat’s mom rang our doorbell with canned food and Moo in tow with her Cheshire grin that seemed to say, “I brought my suitcase.” We welcomed our houseguest like family while her mom went out of

town.

On Black Friday we bought red bows and white outdoor lights. After sunset we stepped out onto the front porch with over a thousand bulbs. Holly unspooled the strands, draping them around bushes and columns, instructing me where to hammer nails in eaves to hold lights in place. Moo Chat perched on the railing until fireworks launched from riverboats for Cheer at the Pier scared her away.

Under radiant bursts of TNT we strung flickering lights on the wisteria branches.

We stepped back to admire our home, illuminated.

A few days later we celebrated Holly’s birthday. Janice stopped by. She’d been sitting at her dining room table writing Christmas cards when our lights came on. “This is the first time we’ve ever seen lights on it,” she said, recounting compliments from the block. “It feels like a true Christmas looking at those lights.”

Janice asked Holly if she could hang lights on her house. “I’ll fix you up,” Holly said. With a ladder and some twist ties, Holly made short work of stringing lights around Janice’s railings and front window.

Neighbors dropped in on Janice to compliment her house too. Holly and I hadn’t known it had been almost a decade since Janice had Christmas lights.

“My husband’s been dead nine years,” Janice explained. “That was his thing.

I’d just kind of stand there and hold the ladder or go get the hammer. I was no hope.”

We’d shared dinners and sidewalk chats, exchanged gifts and containers of leftovers, but decorating for Christmas lit a path for forging deeper friendships.

I sit at our dining room table typing, thinking about traditions that bring us joy. I look out the window at the glow created by the person who beats the drum of my heart. The lights on the wisteria pulse, the tempo is a heartbeat at peace. A symbol of love, friendship, new beginnings. And here it stands, illuminating our first Christmas.

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Way To Your Hart Gallery Ellen Heavilon champions non-traditional artists

Finding Reinvention For The New Year Chattanooga’s collection of art galleries consistently feature some of the city’s most talented artists. Whether it be installation pieces, paintings, photography, or another of the many art forms our city’s artists are fluent in, you’ll never find yourself too far from amazing artworks.

LIT Art Gallery is doing their part once again in featuring an artist we all should get to know if we don’t already by debuting their latest exhibition featuring Chattanooga based artist Aaron Cowan.

Friday night, LIT Art Gallery will host “Reinvention” Exhibition’s opening night complete with music, food, wine, beautiful art, and even a maker’s table where you can create a little something to take home, or to make the perfect last minute stocking stuffer for the art lover in your life.

The premise of “Reinvention” is that all art exhibited is either made of repurposed materials or possibly represents the artist reinventing themselves through his or her works. And from a quick look at Cowan’s previous installations, sketches, paintings, and sculptures, his work presented at LIT will have you asking questions, wondering how he ever came up with such ideas, and wondering how you can reinvent yourself this New Year.

— Brooke Brown

By Jessie Gantt-Temple Pulse contributor

U

Reinvention Exhibition Friday, 6 p.m.

LIT Gallery 4015 Tennessee Ave. (423) 401-8171 www.litartgallery.com 10 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

NSURE OF WHAT IS MORE ENTICing, the vibrant colors and eclectic artwork showcased in the majestic Main Street brick building or the cause behind the not for profit workspace itself—no matter the reason, the HART Gallery will provide a heartwarming trip on a cold winter’s day or any day for that matter and could furnish an original, conversation piece of beauty for a remarkably reasonable price.

Founded in 2010, the HART gallery’s sole purpose is make a positive impact in the community outside of the walls.

“We are really looking to help those that are in a need situation or that you wouldn’t normally think of as an artist,” explains Ellen Heavilon, founder of the HART Gallery.

For example, artist George is a Vietnam vet and prostate cancer survivor and Cynthia is a cancer survivor and is coping with schizophrenia. Car accidents, Anorexia, Asperger’s Syndrome, hearing or visually impaired and depression are just a few of the challenges the HART gallery artists are faced with daily, but they find recuperation in creating.

“There is nothing set in stone but since we work with a somewhat transient population, there is a time commitment that must be met before an artist has an exhibit,” Ellen says, explaining the requirements for choosing artists.

“We have helped many move from a state of homelessness with no income to low income housing.”

Currently, there is an average of 15 artists who regularly attend weekly HART Gallery classes and about 30 active artists that remain on display throughout the building at one time.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“For a community that is usually invisible to most, to display their rare and unusual talents for all to see is as inspiring as their expressive exhibits.”

One artist was homeless when he came to HART Gallery and over the years, worked teaching art classes to earn a partial scholarship and pay for the remainder to attend culinary school in 2013. He graduated in 2015, is now gainfully employed, married and bought a house this year.

Sixty percent of the sale price is paid directly to the artist and only thirty percent is allotted for gallery costs. The remaining ten percent is sent to a charity of the artists’ choice as it teaches the developing artist how giving back is a part of building relationships.

“This population is used to being on the receiving end and this process we provide helps them realize that they have worth and to gain even more by sharing it,” Ellen notes. “It’s not a relationship until you give and take.”

Bridge Refugee Services, FACES, Pet Placement Center and Orange Grove Center are just a few of the

local charities that have benefited from the sale of HART Gallery artwork.

Studio E is an art summer camp for children with Epilepsy. The HART Gallery partners with the Epilepsy Foundation of Southeast Tennessee and allows kids to experience several forms of art like watercolor, collage and sculpture. At the end of the camp, there is an exhibit where the kids can see their masterpieces on display then take them home.

They host monthly art classes at The Community Kitchen, Hosanna Community, Salvation Army, Maclellan Family Shelter and Family Promise of Chattanooga.

“Art is healing for all ages,” Ellen says.

Anyone is more than welcome to “play” at the classes at the Community Kitchen or Salvation Army however every Wednesday and Thursday, the HART Gallery offers a safe space and a meal for those artists who are seriously interested in

moving forward with creating a collection and meeting the criteria to become a part of the HART family.

There is no concrete itinerary of how long an artist is at the HART Gallery before their exhibit is displayed. Their objective is to provide a space where the artist finds it therapeutic to just be in and therefore creativity flows.

For a community that is usually invisible to most, to display their rare and unusual talents for all to see is as inspiring as their expressive exhibits. When the artist is ready is when they are ready so stop in frequently.

For anyone searching for last minute gift ideas or presents for any occasion, the HART Gallery has clothing, earrings, wall hanging, coasters, Tennessee memorabilia and much more than paint in pictures.

They even have a wonderful program where if you don’t feel that any of the art available matches your style, you can purchase an item to then turn around and donate it back to their HART Housewarming program that gives the art to someone who has lost their possessions from a natural disaster or fire.

For more information, go to hartgallerytn.com

THU12.21

FRI12.22

SAT12.23

Chattanooga Area Food Bank Christmas Fundraiser

Skip Cisto, Jeet, EJ’s Birthday Party

Brainerd Farmers Market

Share the spirit of the season and help support one of the city's best charities.

5 p.m.

Flying Squirrel 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com

It's a night of music, art and birthday celebrations at one of the city's newest (and coolest) arts venues.

8 p.m.

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

Get all your last minute fresh produce and more just in time for your Christmas dinner.

10 a.m.

Grace Episcopal Church 20 Belvoir Ave. (404) 245-3682

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Summerville Santa Special

THURSDAY12.21 Holidays Under The Peak: Penguin Storytime 11 a.m.

Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Holidays Under The Peak: Merry Mammals 1 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org 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 Chattanooga Area Food Bank Christmas Fundraiser 5 p.m.

Flying Squirrel 55 Johnson St. (423) 602-5980 flyingsquirrelbar.com Women’s Wisdom for Empowerment 5:45 p.m.

Movement Arts Collective 3813 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 401-8115 movementartscollective.com

12 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

December Chattanewbies at The Chattery 5:30 p.m.

Chattanooga WorkSpace 302 W. 6th St. (423) 822-5750 chattanoogaworkspace.com North Pole Limited 5:30, 7:30 p.m.

Tennessee Valley Railroad 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com Psychopaths 6 p.m.

Palace Picture House 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com Enlighten Cultural Festival 6 p.m.

Spot Athletic+Arts+Venue 3210 Brainerd Rd. (423) 664-2938

spotvenue.co Photographic Society of Chattanooga Christmas Banquet 6 p.m.

St. John’s United Methodist Church 3921 Murray Hills Dr. (423) 892-2257 stjohnumc.org/ D.J Lewis and Friends 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Tim Hinck: Bach & Meditation 7:30 p.m.

St Peter’s Episcopal Church 848 Ashland Terrace (423) 877-2428 stpeters.org Permanent 8 p.m.

ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT One of the hottest comedians to come out of Chattanooga in years. D.J is hip and hilarious. He's joined

by Luke Marter, Daryl Davidson and Rodney Alan Wiggins.

D. J Lewis and Friends The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

Palace Picture House 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com Country Line Dancing Class 8 p.m.

Westbound Bar 24 Station St. (423) 498-3069 westboundbar.com Kaleidoscope 10 p.m.

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

FRIDAY12.22 Chattanooga Market at Erlanger 10:30 a.m.

Erlanger Hospital Medical Mall 975 E. 3rd St. chattanoogamarket.com Holidays Under The Peak: Penguin Storytime 11 a.m.

Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Holidays Under The Peak: Merry Mammals 1 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org North Pole Limited 3:30, 5:30, 7:30 p.m.

Tennessee Valley Railroad 4119 Cromwell Rd.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

Magic Mike XXL The Show (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com Reinvention Exhibition 6 p.m.

LIT Gallery 4015 Tennessee Ave. (423) 401-8171 litartgallery.com Magic Mike XXL The Show 7 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net D.J Lewis and Friends 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Skip Cisto, Jeet, EJ’s Birthday Party 8 p.m.

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

SATURDAY12.23 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 Farmer’s Market 11 a.m.

Nutrition World 6237 Vance Rd. (423) 892-4085

nutritionw.com Holidays Under The Peak: Penguin Storytime 11 a.m.

Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org North Pole Limited 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30 p.m.

Tennessee Valley Railroad 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com Red Wolf Feeding and Talk Noon Reflection Riding Arboretum 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160 reflectionriding.org Santa’s Hiwassee Holiday Train and the Summerville Santa Special Noon, 2, 4, 6 p.m.

Tennessee Valley Railroad 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com Christmas Open House 1 p.m.

The Georgia Winery 6469 Battlefield Pkwy.

(706) 937-9463 georgiawines.com Holidays Under The Peak: Merry Mammals 1 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org D.J Lewis and Friends 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch

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

SUNDAY12.24 Holidays Under The Peak: Penguin Storytime 11 a.m.

Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Holidays Under The Peak: Merry Mammals 1 p.m.

Tennessee Aquarium 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Free Fiddle School 2 p.m.

Fiddlers Anonymous 2248 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 994-7497

MONDAY12.25 MERRY CHRISTMAS! TUESDAY12.26 Thrill After Thrill For The Holidays 2 p.m.

The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org 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 Tuesday Night Chess Club 6 p.m.

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

WEDNESDAY12.27 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 Main Street Market 4 p.m.

522 W. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com Comedy Open Mic 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 13

Holiday

Shopping Guide

Give her a sparkle she’ll always remember with ½ carat total weight Diamond Earrings from Wright Jewelers, 6311 E Brainerd Rd. Christmas Sale $600 (was $1,200) wrightjeweler.com

to

Sequined perfection, these Ombre Sequin Slide Slippers dress up lazy days in.

Sequined suede upper, faux fur insole, flocked rubber sole. Make bedtime stylish and shiny. $78, anthropologie.com

14 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

This very stylish men’s Reactor Valkyrie Watch, available from Goss Company Jewelers, 1925 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 117, features a blue face, stainless steel band, bi-directional E6B flight computer slide rule bezel and is 200M depth tested. $750, gosscompany.weebly.com

Sing a song wearing these Acoustic Guitar Socks for men and you’ll be inspired through your feet! They are perfect for the music enthusiast on your list. Just don’t try playing with feet. $10, socksmith.com

You know you need to stay hydrated for a healthy lifestyle. This Motivational Water Bottle reminds you to sip your way through two full bottles of water per day. $20, uncommongoods.com

This Limited Edition White Chocolate Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix from The Hot Chocolatier, 1437 Market St., is the perfect thing to warm you up on these cold winter days. You don’t even have to leave the house to enjoy some of The Hot Chocolatier’s favorite hot chocolate! Just whisk into heated milk and enjoy.

11 oz. tins $14 each, thehotchocolatier.com Stay warm on the slopes or out for a winter run with this Columbia Women’s Omni Heat Jacket with a thermal inner layer, available from Dodge City Ski Shop, 7968 E. Brainerd Rd. And with Columbia’s commitment to excellence, you know it’s good. $189.95, dodgecityski.com

It’s the hottest gift of the season: the Instant Pot DUO60 7-in-1. This multiuse, electric countertop appliance— pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sauté pot, warming pot and yogurt maker in one—has a cult following. You know you want one.

Trust us, you'll love it. Really. $99, instantpot.com

Relax with this LULU Bath Bomb Gift Set that allows you to rejuvenate in total comfort; crafted to dissolve in the tub as the ultimate body stress reliever so you can unwind and relieve tension. Cool Fresh Aloe, Sweet Strawberry Cassis, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit Tangerine, Lavender Mint, and Tropical Magic calming scents. $21, amazon.com

A tote for your Toto! Inspired

by Lands’ End’s famous canvas tote, the Canvas Tote Dog Carrier provides your small dog a comfy home away from home. Along with the cutout for his head, it has a firm, fleece-covered bottom for easy standing (rip-grip tape keeps it steady, and the fleece removes for washing). There’s a hook to attach to the collar, and a zip top to keep him secure. You can even personalize it by adding a monogram or embroidered icon. $50, landsend.com

THE PULSE • HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • 15

FILM & TELEVISION

When Nostalgia Is Just Not Enough The Last Jedi falls short of lofty expectations

It Isn't Christmas Without The Doctor The Christmas season is all about tradition. Pictures with Santa, Christmas carols on the radio and in the stores, trying to find the perfect gift, the peril-filled office holiday party, endless television “specials” that are often anything but, and Doctor Who. Yes, Doctor Who. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a special episode of the itinerant time-traveling alien, often using the holidays to regenerate into a brand new Doctor. Often with a twist.

This Christmas, the Doctor comes face to face with… the Doctor! The epic finale to the Peter Capaldi era of Doctor Who, “Twice Upon a Time,” is coming to cinemas for a special two-night run next Wednesday and Thursday, featuring the return of Pearl Mackie and special guests Mark Gatiss and David Bradley.

The cinema event will also feature two special bonus pieces, taking you behind the scenes to the filming of this very special Christmas Special and celebrating the tenures of Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and Steven Moffat as showrunner and lead writer. You won’t want to miss this extra special Doctor Who cinema event!

One note though: While the theater owners want Doctor Who fans to have fun at these cinema events, safety is paramount. Please note that attending in costume is fine, however masks, face-concealing make-up, fake weapons as well as any costumes that conceal what you are carrying, your natural body shape or face are strictly prohibited. Oh, and no Daleks. Thanks. — Michael Thomas

By John DeVore Pulse Film Editor

N

Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time Wednesday & Thursday, 7 p.m.

East Ridge 18 Hamilton Place 8 5080 South Terrace 2000 Hamilton Pl. Blvd.

(423) 855-9652 (844) 462-7342 www.fathomevents.com 16 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

OSTALGIA IS A POWERFUL FORCE IN our current culture. There’s a steady undercurrent of rose-colored memory running through our lives, from entertainment to politics.

On one hand, this nostalgia is fun and harmless—Stranger Things is an entertaining throwback to the commonly held remembrance of a 1980s childhood, from Huffy bikes to video arcades to vague government conspiracies.

However, we have also recently witnessed a political campaign based on nostalgia, promising to “Make America Great Again” through impossible promises and dog-whistle hatred. Memory is a complicated thing. Tennessee Williams called time the “longest distance between two places,” and claimed that “memory takes a lot of poetic license.

It omits details.” He said, “others are exaggerated, according to the emotional value of the articles it touches, for memory is seated predominantly in the heart.”

It’s the heart that colors the memory and the heart that reveals the illusory truth—nothing is ex-

actly as remembered. It might seem strange to use the brilliance of Tennessee Williams to discuss a Star Wars movie, but for most people my age, Star Wars shaped our understanding of storytelling.

The memory of these stories inspired a generation of filmmakers and storytellers to create their own visions.

The point being: Star Wars matters for many film fans. It’s something beyond just silly space opera.

And so, when J.J. Abrams took that audience back a long time ago to a galaxy far, far away he did so with the hearts of those fans in hand. His vision was well-received, due to his safe retelling of A New Hope.

There’s no doubt that film was mostly fan service, but he did manage to tell a new story, with its own mysteries and secrets to unlock. The continuation of that story was given to writer/director Rian Johnson, who was responsible for Looper as well as a handful of Breaking Bad episodes.

Johnson’s The Last Jedi has some wonderful moments, to be sure, but overall the film suffers from missed opportunities and poor narrative choices.

It seems to be a departure from the Abrams continuity—although with the micromanagement of

FILM & TELEVISION

“Johnson’s The Last Jedi has some wonderful moments, to be sure, but overall the film suffers from missed opportunities and poor narrative choices.”

✴ ✴ NEW IN THEATERS ✴ ✴

Disney, it’s very possible that these stories are exactly as intended.

The biggest issues with the narrative of The Last Jedi stem from the fan service in The Force Awakens. Abrams might have leaned into the recreation of A New Hope, but the novelty of a new Star Wars film featuring the characters from the original series was enough to stave off criticism, as was the decision to focus on practical effects rather than the CGI that plagues the prequels.

Johnson doesn’t have that luxury.

The return to this galaxy is no longer new—particularly with the success of last year’s Rogue One. Audiences might expect more than rehashed scenes from The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi.

Critics have praised Johnson in this regard, calling his recall of particular scenes as a subversion of expectations. Nothing in this film seemed sub-

versive, however. Scenes and events lifted from the original series weren’t exactly the same—how could they be? But adding small twists and turns within the narrative isn’t the same as reversing the original ideas.

Johnson plays at it on occasion, but his attempts are far too telegraphed and ham-fisted. For a good example of subversion in recent popular film, look to last year’s Logan, which had a dramatically different take at the superhero genre.

Had Johnson wanted to subvert the Star Wars storytelling style, he might have left the greater war alone and focused entirely on the relationship between Rey and Luke, building an understanding between the characters and filling in their histories over the past few decades through thoughtful conversation.

I’m not necessarily advocating for this—I’m simply pointing out that The

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle In a new version of the 1995 Robin Williams film, four teenagers discover an old video game console and are literally drawn into the game's jungle setting becoming the adult avatars they chose.

Director: Jake Kasdan Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black

Last Jedi is still very much a Star Wars movie. Rather than subverting, Johnson spends an inordinate amount of time on an unnecessary B-plot that was overwhelming dull and ultimately pointless.

He also makes the tired Hollywood movie mistake of creating conflicts that could be easily solved with a thirty-second conversation. It’s frustrating storytelling, to say the least.

Still, the film is beautiful in many places and charming in others. While I might fundamentally disagree with certain character choices, no one asked me to write the script and I can understand, somewhat, the reasoning behind them.

The goal of this trilogy is clear: remove the old guard and pave the way for a new generation. The Last Jedi succeeds in doing that—but what we’re left with is less than what we had. Perhaps it’s time for the Jedi to die and be resurrected by the Walt Disney Company. George Lucas certainly wasn’t doing it any favors. It’s inevitable, anyway.

Besides, being disappointed is one thing and being discouraged is something else.

There’s always next year.

The Greatest Showman Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

Director: Michael Gracey Stars: Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zendaya CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 17

THE COMIX

18 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

AUTOMOTIVE ENTERTAINMENT

World of Wheels Is Coming To Town The coolest custom auto show comes to the Convention Center this January

By Brooke Brown

Pulse Assistant Editor

C

ARS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AND will always be a huge piece of America’s culture. From the first Model A and the first mass-produced car in the US, the Model T, to the selfdriving cars of our current future, cars are ingrained in who we are. Most of us need one to get to and from work, run errands, tote the kids around, but for some, cars are so much more than just a mode of transportation. They’re a way of life.

Back in the ‘60s, after the influx of small, outdoor car shows began scattering across the country, it made sense to host a unified, circuit competition for the owners of these fine, classic cars.

And just a few years after the International Show Car Association was formed, the World of Wheels Chattanooga show began, making them part of a larger group of car shows and becoming one of the best indoor car shows in the South.

Now, every January you can catch World of Wheels in Chattanooga, and in February, find them in Birmingham.

“Winter months are the only time to do indoor shows,” says executive director of World of Wheels, Adam McLean. “It’s the best time to park cars. In the spring, people want to drive them, not set them

up on display.”

World of Wheels has been providing car lovers with the opportunity to view hot rods, race cars, antique automobiles, classic cars, custom imports, and motorcycles in a comfortable, indoor environment for fifty years.

As for where the cars come from, they come from all over. From the east coast to the west coast, there is a massive community of car lovers willing to be a part of the show.

But the circuit cars, cars that travel with national competitions, are truly something to see. And this year, there’s a multitude of circuit cars that will be making their debut in Chattanooga, never before seen at the show here. Championship winners and having been featured in magazines, these are more than your average cruise cars, they’re the top cars in the nation.

As for what kinds of cars are featured, they have a little bit of everything. They focus mainly on classics like the ‘32 Ford and muscle cars of the 1970s, but any cars that are restored, modified or totally custom, are allowed. These cars are not something you’d see out and about, so no entering your stock Ford Focus.

This year will feature a car more special than most. The Pat Tillman Foundation commissioned famous airbrusher Mickey Harris to cover a classic, ‘68

O’Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels January 5, 6 & 7 Friday: 3pm – 10pm • Saturday: 10am – 10pm • Sunday: 11am – 6pm The Chattanooga Convention Center 1150 Carter Street www.worldofwheels.net

“This year, there’s a multitude of circuit cars that will be making their debut in Chattanooga, never before seen at the show here.”

Chevy Impala in murals depicting Pat Tillman’s life from his days in the NFL to his time as an Army Ranger.

It debuted at the SEMA show this year in Las Vegas and it’s a sight you won’t want to miss.

For those of you who may be fixing up a classic or know someone who is, applying is simple through worldofwheels.net. Apply your own car with pictures of the vehicle. Applicants will be reviewed by a committee and then the best applicants will be chosen to present their beauty at World of Wheels.

World of Wheels is for more than just car lovers, but the whole family.

There is a wide selection of vendors, food, a kid’s area with inflatables, and celebrity appearances.

This year, WWE superstar Daniel

Bryan will grace the stage accompanied by Kevin Mack from History Channel’s Counting Cars and Dawn Wells, best known for her role as Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island.

Check out worldofwheels.net for more information.

The weekend of January 5-7, World of Wheels will peel through Chattanooga, inspiring future car lovers and giving all of us something truly worth spectating.

Tickets are available by the day or you can purchase a weekend pass for the first time ever exclusively at O’Reilly Auto Parts. You can come and go as you please from the event all weekend for the price of two discounted days.

What better stocking stuffer could you find for the car lover in your life?

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 19

MUSIC

Ashley And The X's Keep Getting Better Rejuvenated group emerges from the studio with a new tune

Reese And Rosser Ring In Christmas Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose.

Traditions of old are what make Christmas special for those of us who enjoy a bit of familiarity during our holiday season, but for those of you spontaneous scamps who are all about making new traditions, spending the Friday before Christmas with Reese and Rosser at OddStory Brewing sounds like the perfect evening.

Reese and Rosser are a southern rock duo who play covers of old as well as new country hits that’ll give Christmas a little country kick this year. Find them at OddStory Brewing Friday night at 7 p.m. for a corral of good times, great music and even better beer.

With a wide variety of local craft brews, OddStory is the perfect place to expand your palette while you catch up on Reese and Rosser’s latest jams.

Hailing from Chattanooga, Reese and Rosser know their country music and have taken classics like “Simple Man” and turned them into fresh, revived hits. Don’t miss them. Consider them an early Christmas gift…to yourself!

— Brooke Brown

By Marc T. Michael Pulse Music Editor

I

Reese & Rosser Friday, 7 p.m.

Oddstory Brewing Company 336 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 682-7690 www.oddstorybrewing.co 20 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

’VE SAID THIS BEFORE AND I WILL INVARIably say it again: one of the great joys of doing what I do, especially having done it for a fair amount of time now, is that you get a ringside seat for watching bands grow and mature.

Granted, there is some heartbreak when you see a new band full of talent and potential get half way there and then cease to be, but that’s the world of music (and the world in general, I suppose.)

That being said, I have a folder full of stories and a rack full of music from area bands that have managed to stay in it for the long haul, and few things reinforce your faith in the scene than watching and hearing a good band become a better band and a better band become a great band.

Ashley and the X’s was a good band to begin with; hell, they were a pretty great band really, and then they went on hiatus.

For a while it seemed like a permanent move and so they almost earned a place in the “heartbreak” file, but their enduring popularity and, perhaps, the realization of the kind of alchemy they had as a group led to their re-emergence in 2016.

Since then the band has been hard at work, gigging and recording non-stop. Their popularity has never been higher and the band has never been better.

An album is currently in production, and while it isn’t ready yet even for a sneak preview, the band has released a non-album “bonus track” to give fans something to chew on in the meantime.

The track is called, “Handjive” (it is up on ReverbNation), and is the point of my opening premise, that a great band, given time, just gets better

MUSIC

“For a while it seemed like a permanent move and so they almost earned a place in the ‘heartbreak’ file, but their enduring popularity and, perhaps, the realization of the kind of alchemy they had as a group led to their re-emergence in 2016.” and better.

Where to begin? Ashley’s voice is as powerful, sexy and sassy as ever, but she seems to be wielding it with greater ease and self-assurance than ever. Non-musical types rarely understand the time and effort performers put in to their act because the very best make it seem easy.

That being the case, Ashley has boldly ascended to the rank of one of the very best vocalists in town, tossing out power, control, emotion and slinky glissandos like it’s no big deal.

The band is no less accomplished; the interplay of instruments is like watching the gears of a clock. Precise and measured, their execution is flawless. I don’t know they’d appreciate the comparison or not, but the tone and rhythm (especially the tone of Shigeka-

wa’s guitar) is reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival in their heyday (another band that always managed to defy precise description) particularly the song, “Commotion.”

Speaking of Matt’s guitar work, that guy has clearly been putting his time in with six strings. Let me be clear about something here, there has never been a time since I’ve known the band that Ashley wasn’t a great singer, that Matt wasn’t an excellent guitar player, or that the rhythm section didn’t provide a rock solid backbone to build the songs on.

To praise their progress is not to denigrate their older work; they’ve always been a hot act which is why it was a sad day when they stopped playing.

The point is that however good they’ve been, they have managed to consistently build on that experience and they are

Out And About Town This Weekend

even better now.

Matt plays guitar like a man who takes his guitar playing very seriously and puts in the time and effort and maybe that is one of the best defining characteristics of the band as a whole.

At any time they’ve could have said, “Hey, we’re great, people like us, there it is!” but each successive release reveals a work ethic that great isn’t good enough, that it could always be a little better and they’re never going to stop chasing that idea.

The new album is due in February and I hope to tell you about shortly before its release but for now you can find the new single on ReverbNation (or, oddly enough a very old version on MySpace!) and you can see the band live, Sunday, Dec. 31st for their New Year’s bash at The Public House.

Mythical Motors

The end of the year draws near and that means there are plenty of great shows! This Friday join Mythical Motors (fresh off the release of their new album) along with The Handsome Grandsons and Ardivan at JJ’s Bohemia. That same night Lon Eldridge will be performing at The Office (at City Café) a wonderfully intimate venue for a wonderfully intimate performer. Channing Wilson and Dave Kennedy will be at the Revelry Room and Masseuse performs at Clyde’s on Main.

Genk Genki Panic brings their brand of cerebral surf horror to JJ’s Saturday night, while Travis Kilgore plays The Office, and the Fiddler’s Anonymous weekly Free Fiddle School is happening at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

There are plenty of choices for New Years shenanigans, but two of the biggest deals are right across the street from each other. The always dashing Nick Lutsko and friends will be at The Honest Pint’s New Year’s Eve Bash while Ashley and the X’s are bringing it to The Public House that same night.

Either show is a great option, but hey, why not both?

Whatever else may be said for 2017 (and there’s plenty) it has been a great year for local music with every sign that 2018 will be even better. So stay safe out there ladies and gentlemen! — MTM

THU12.21

FRI12.22

SAT12.23

Tim Hinck: Bach & Meditation

Channing Wilson

Genki Genki Panic

Get your spirit recharged and reset for the new year with carefully selected music by Bach.

7:30 p.m.

St Peter’s Episcopal Church 848 Ashland Terrace stpeters.org

Get in the coountry spirit of the season with a rising star in the world of oldschool county music, along with Dave Kennedy.

9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co

It's a very Genki Genki Christmas with Chattanooga's favorite surf punk band (and come very good friends).

9 p.m.

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

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 21

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Boy Named Banjo

THURSDAY12.21 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m.

St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Forever Bluegrass 6 p.m.

Whole Foods Market 301 Manufacturers Rd. wholefoodsmarket.com Prime Country Band 6:30 p.m.

Motley’s 320 Emberson Dr. Ringgold, GA (706) 260-8404 Toby Hewitt 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com Open Mic Night with Ryan Oyer 7 p.m.

Moccasin Bend Brewing Company 3210 Broad St. bendbrewingbeer.com Tim Hinck: Bach & Meditation 7:30 p.m.

St Peter’s Episcopal Church 848 Ashland Terrace (423) 877-2428 stpeters.org Bluegrass Thursdays 7:30 p.m.

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

22 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

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

The Social 1110 Market St. publichousechattanooga.com Boy Named Banjo 8 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Shay & Steven 8 p.m.

Farm To Fork 120 General Lee Dr. Ringold, GA farmtoforkga.com Open Mic Night with Jonathan Wimpee 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe

901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Day Of Giving Human Initiative Benefit Show 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com MartelliX, Swayyvo, Socro 9 p.m.

The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchattanooga.com

FRIDAY12.22 Magic Mike XXL The Show 7 p.m.

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

PULSE MUSIC SPOTLIGHT The Ragtime Raconteur's warm and infectious musicality is sure to keep you tuned in throughout the night, coupling intricate fingerstyle guitar work with clever and thought-provoking lyrics.

Lon Eldridge

Friday, 9 p.m.

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

7 p.m.

El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Reese & Rosser 7 p.m.

Oddstory Brewing Company 336 E. MLK Blvd. oddstorybrewing.co The Hopeful Country Band 7 p.m.

Motley’s 320 Emberson Dr. Ringgold, GA (706) 260-8404 Skip Cisto, Jeet, EJ’s Birthday Party 8 p.m.

Frequency Arts 1804 E. Main St. facebook.com/frequencyarts Jam Session Night featuring The Hamiltones 8 p.m.

The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd. thecamphouse.com Danimal 8:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Lon Eldridge 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Channing Wilson with Dave Kennedy 9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co The Handsome

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Rising Fawn Social Club Grandsons, Mythical Motors, Ardivan Walks 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Cody James Harri 10 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Outlaw 45 10 p.m.

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

SATURDAY12.23 Bluegrass Brunch Noon The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy. thehonestpint.com Tim Lewis 7 p.m.

El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonchattanooga.com Jerry Grant and the Corruptors, Matthew Paul Revere, Up The Dose 8 p.m.

Music Box @ Ziggy’s 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Danimal 8:30 p.m.

The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Travis Kilgore 9 p.m.

The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com New Madrid + David Barbe & Inwards Dream EBB, featuring Okinawa 9 p.m.

Revelry Room 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Genki Genki Panic 9 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Rising Fawn Social Club 9 p.m.

Moccasin Bend Brewing Co. 3210 Broad St. bendbrewingbeer.com Gaslight Street 10 p.m.

Clyde’s On Main 122 W. Main St. clydesonmain.com Outlaw 45 10 p.m.

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

SUNDAY12.24 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

MONDAY12.25 War on X-mas with Preymanta 9 p.m.

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

TUESDAY12.26 Bill McCallie and In Cahoots 6:30 p.m.

Southern Belle 201 Riverfront Pkwy. 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 Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m.

Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com Wayzout, Paradiso, Robbie Loco, Ben Lee 9 p.m.

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

WEDNESDAY12.27 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 Open Mic Night with Courtney Holder 7 p.m.

Hush Lounge 41 Station St. revelryroom.co Jesse James Jungkurth 7 p.m.

Backstage Bar 29 Station St. backstagechattanooga.com 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 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 • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 23

RECORD REVIEWS ∙ ERNIE PAIK

Girl Groups, Les Filles de Illighadad

Various Artists Girl Groups – The Underground Versions (The Blog That Celebrates Itself)

O

n paper, there may be little common ground between ‘60s girl groups— acts such as The Ronettes, The Shirelles and the Shangri-Las—and contemporary underground D.I.Y. rock/ pop acts, since girl groups made manufactured pop according to tried-and-true formulas, often using a strict division of labor such as the one-stop-shopping offered in the famed Brill Building.

But at its best, girl-group pop is infectious and enduring, even when the subject matter is about melodramatic teen romances gone wrong, and many successors, from the Ramones to the Jesus and Mary Chain and the Magnetic Fields, owe debts to this music.

The Brazilian record label The Blog That Celebrates Itself—its name references the early ‘90s London music scene dubbed “The Scene That Celebrates Itself”—began as a blog nine years ago as an enthusiastic champion of underground, international rock/pop, and it has recently released its

24 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Les Filles de Illighadad Eghass Malan (Sahelsounds)

16-track cover-album tribute to the ‘60s girl-group era, available as digital downloads.

The relatively obscure bands here are intimately familiar with the aesthetics of “The Scene That Celebrates Itself,” which included shoegaze bands like Moose and Lush, and adopt those styles with a fair amount of wiggle room, into noise-pop or bliss-pop, while remaining generally faithful to the original songs’ structures.

The Fredericksburg, Va. group Ceremony offers perhaps the album’s most abrasive contribution—a cover of “Now You’re Gone” originally by Bobbie Smith and the Dream Girls—with primitive drums and ear-bleeding, prickly guitar fuzz run through a wah-wah pedal.

Also from Fredericksburg is the duo Static Daydream, featuring former Ceremony member Paul Baker and singer/guitarist Jamie Casey, covering the Cookies’ “I Never Dreamed” with gorgeous, dreamy vocals, sounding like something that could feel at home on

Slumberland Records.

The Cake’s “Baby, That’s Me,” covered by Lazy Legs, alternates between sweetly delivered verses featuring schoolgirl vocals with deafening blasts of severely distorted guitar chugs, and the album ends with a glorious and majestic rendition of Darlene Love’s “Today I Met the Boy I’m Gonna Marry” by the Churchhill Garden from Switzerland.

These are durable songs and melodies that have stood the test of time, so on one hand, it would be pretty hard to mess things up; that said, this writer was pleasantly surprised to discover that there’s nothing half-assed about this D.I.Y. release, which handily surpasses expectations for a low-budget cover album.

I

t’s hard to believe that in the entire west African nation of Niger, there are only a handful of female guitarists, and among them is Fatou Seidi Ghali of the group Les Filles de Illighadad.

Ghali’s band serves as the intersection between two musical strains—the femaledominated tende, named after a type of drum, and the male-dominated Tuareg guitar music (sometimes called desert blues) that is steadily getting exposure outside Africa.

The group comes from Illighadad, a remote nomadic Saharan commune with no running water or electricity, and Ghali is a self-taught guitarist who surreptitiously

borrowed her older brother’s guitar to practice.

Following up last year’s impressive Sahelsounds release is the studio debut Eghass Malan from the allfemale Tuareg group, which has expanded to a trio from the duo of Ghali and vocalist Alamnou Akrouni.

Although Eghass Malan is a studio album, its sound is unadorned and natural, without a trace of any distracting studio effects; the arrangements have an elegant simplicity with just a few elements, including handclaps and a struck calabash that delivers a beat to provide a bed for the guitar and vocals.

Ghali proves to be an agile guitarist, and sometimes her vocal melody lines and guitar lines match up, like on “Inssegh Inssegh,” with an astounding precision.

On the album’s title track, there’s a trance-inducing minimalism invoked by the performers who gravitate to a central note, occasionally interrupting with spirited outbursts of ululations.

The song “Imigradan” is revisited from the first album, and this version is richer yet just as intimate as the previous one, with gently rolling electric guitar patterns and octave-separated voices.

The closing “Telillite” offers entrancing call and response exchanges and casts a potent spell, allowing minutes to pass away blissfully and bathing the listener with its tight, circular motions and restless, insistent flow.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ∙ ROB BREZSNY CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 2018, one of your primary missions will be to practice what you preach; to walk your talk; to be ambitious and masterful in all the ways a soulful human can and should be ambitious and masterful. Live up to your hype in the coming months, Capricorn! Do what you have promised! Stop postponing your dreams! Fulfill the noble expectations you have for yourself! Don’t be shy about using exclamation points to express your visions of what’s right and good and just!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Years ago, when I started my career as a horoscope writer, my editor counseled me, “Always give priority to the Big Three. Romance, money, and power are what people care about most.” After a few months, he was disgruntled to realize that I wrote about how to cultivate psychological health and nourish spiritual aspirations as much as his Big Three. He would have replaced me if he could have found another astrology writer whose spelling and grammar were as good as mine. But his edict traumatized me a bit. Even today, I worry that I don’t provide you with enough help concerning the Big Three. Fortunately, that’s not relevant now, since I can sincerely declare that 2018 will bring you chances to become more powerful by working hard on your psychological health…and to grow wealthier by cultivating your spiritual aspirations…and to generate more love by being wise and ethical in your quest for money and power.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): What binds you? What keeps you closed down and locked up? I urge you to ponder those questions, Pisces.

Once you get useful answers, the next step will be to meditate on how you can undo the binds. Fantasize and brainstorm about the specific actions you can take to unlock and unclose yourself. This project will be excellent preparation for the opportunities that the coming months will make available to you. I’m happy to announce that 2018 will be your personal Year of Liberation.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your life in the first half of 2018 will be like a psychological boot camp that’s designed to beef up your emotional intelligence. Here’s another way to visualize your oncoming adventures: They will constitute a friendly nudge from the cosmos, pushing you to be energetic and ingenious in creating the kind of partnerships you want for the rest of your long life. As you go through your interesting tests and riddles, be on the lookout for glimpses of what your daily experience could be like in five years if you begin now to deepen your commitment to love and collaboration.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’ll soon have a chance to glide out into the frontier. I suggest you pack your bag of tricks. Bring gifts with you, too, just in case you must curry favor in the frontiers where the rules are a bit loose. How are your improvisational instincts?

Be sure they’re in top shape. How willing are you to summon spontaneity and deal with unpredictability and try impromptu experiments? I hope you’re very willing.

This may sound like a lot of work, but I swear it’ll be in a good cause.

If you’re well-prepared as you wander in the borderlands, you’ll score sweet secrets and magic cookies. Here’s more good news: Your explorations will position you well to take advantage of the opportunities that’ll become available throughout 2018.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): These days it’s not unusual to see male celebrities who shave their heads.

Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson, Seal, Tyrese Gibson, and Vin Diesel are among them. But in the 20th century, the bare-headed style was rare. One famous case was actor Yul Brynner. By age 30, he’d begun to go bald. In 1951, for his role as the King of Siam in the Broadway play The King and I he decided to shave off all his hair.

From then on, the naked-headed look became his trademark as he plied a successful acting career.

So he capitalized on what many in his profession considered a liability. He built his power and success by embracing an apparent disadvantage. I recommend you practice your own version of this strategy in 2018. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to begin.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the Northern Hemisphere, where 88 percent of the world’s population resides, this is a quiescent time for the natural world. Less sunlight is available, and plants’ metabolisms slow down as photosynthesis diminishes. Deciduous trees lose their leaves, and even many evergreens approach dormancy.

And yet in the midst of this stasis, Cancerian, you are beginning to flourish. Gradually at first, but with increasing urgency, you’re embarking on an unprecedented phase of growth. I foresee that 2018 will be your Year of Blossoming.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): If you’ve had an unfulfilled curiosity about genealogy or your ancestors or the riddles of your past, 2018 will be a favorable time to investigate.

Out-of-touch relatives will be easier to locate than usual. Lost heirlooms, too. You may be able to track down and make use of a neglected legacy. Even family secrets could leak into view -- both the awkward and the charming kinds. If you think you have everything figured out about the people you grew up with and the

JONESIN' CROSSWORD ∙ MATT JONES

history of where you came from, you’re in for surprises.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Most of us regard our ring fingers as the least important of our digits. What are they good for? Is there any activity for which they’re useful? But our ancestors had a stronger relationship with their fourth fingers.

There was a folk belief that a special vein connected the fourth finger on the left hand directly to the heart. That’s why a tradition arose around the wedding ring being worn there. It may have also been a reason why pharmacists regarded their fourth fingers as having an aptitude for discerning useful blends of herbs. I bring this up, Virgo, because I think it’s an apt metaphor for one of 2018’s important themes: A resource you have underestimated or neglected will be especially valuable—and may even redefine your understanding of what’s truly valuable.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In fairy tales, characters are often rewarded for their acts of kindness. They may be given magical objects that serve as protection, like cloaks of invisibility or shoes that enable them to flee trouble.

Or the blessings they receive may be life-enhancing, like enchanted cauldrons that provide a neverending supply of delicious food or musical instruments that have the power to summon delightful playmates. I bring this up, Libra, because I suspect that a similar principle will be very active in your life during 2018. You’ll find it easier and more natural than usual to express kindness, empathy, and compassion. If you consistently capitalize on this predilection, life will readily provide you with the resources you need.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Like all of us, you go through mediocre phases when you’re not functioning at peak efficiency. But I suspect that in 2018 you will experience fewer of these blah times.

We will see a lot of you at your best. Even more than usual, you’ll be an interesting catalyst who energizes and ripens collaborative projects. You’ll demonstrate why the sweet bracing brightness needs the deep dark depths, and vice versa. You’ll help allies open doors that they can’t open by themselves. The rest of us thank you in advance!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The blunt fact is that you can’t be delivered from the old demoralizing pattern that has repeated and repeated itself -- until you forgive yourself completely. For that matter, you probably can’t move on to the next chapter of your life story until you compensate yourself for at least some of the unnecessary torment you’ve inflicted on yourself. Now here’s the good news: 2018 will be an excellent time to accomplish these healings.

“Not That Exciting”—no wait, the puzzle’s exciting, I promise!

ACROSS 1 Actor Oscar of “Ex Machina” 6 Like some potato salads 10 Rating unit 14 “That Girl” actress ___ Thomas 15 Felt bad about 16 It works in the wind 17 Carrie Underwood’s 2005 debut album 19 Apple that turns 20 in 2018 20 The next U.S. one will be in 2020 21 Donizetti work, e.g.

22 “___ you serious?”

25 66, for one (abbr.)

26 Uncooked 28 Where pagers were worn 29 Showtime series about a killer of killers 31 Cash, slangily 33 Figure at the pump 34 Slippery, as winter roads 35 “One” on

some coins 38 Go pop 39 Word that I guess is hidden in the theme answers, but whatever 40 Scribbled down 41 Picked-over substances 42 Animal in the Bacardi logo 43 Magna ___ (1215 document) (var.)

44 Field docs 46 “Annie” star Quinn 47 Low digit?

49 Stamp pad stuff 50 Montana hrs.

51 Like some wines 52 One of the Coen brothers 54 Overdid the acting 57 Footfall 58 Dwelling with a skeleton of timbers 62 Type of year 2020 will be?

63 Letterman’s rival, once 64 Earliest stage 65 What turns STEM to STEAM?

66 See 3-Down 67 Cold weather range DOWN 1 Contacts via Skype, maybe 2 ___ Tomé and Príncipe 3 66-Across’s location 4 Current “Match Game” host Baldwin 5 Making sense 6 Get rid of 7 Spiritual advisor of sorts 8 Makes a lot of dough 9 Fabric measures (abbr.)

10 Leave out 11 Long-standing, like many traditions 12 Pong creator 13 Sum up 18 ___ nous (confidentially) 21 Be indebted 22 Marinade in some Spanish cuisine 23 Make a comeback 24 Health problem on some summer days

27 Random quantity 30 Café au lait container 31 Regimens that may be faddish 32 Out in the country 36 Say 37 John Irving’s “A Prayer for Owen ___” 39 Holy fish?

40 Glowing brightly 42 Coal receptacle 43 Rigid social system 45 “You’re a better man than I am, Gunga ___!”: Kipling 47 Elon Musk’s company 48 Sleek river swimmer 50 Jason of “Game of Thrones” 53 Smartphone programs 55 Michael who directed “Miami Vice” 56 Over it 58 Reason for a shot 59 Expend 60 Title for Doug Jones of Ala. 61 Aliens, for short

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. 863 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 25

FOOD & DRINK ∙ SUSHI & BISCUITS

Memorable Meals And Comestibles Our resident chef takes a look back at a tasy and intriguing 2017

Mike McJunkin Pulse columnist

I

T’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN when all of God’s food writers review, reflect, and reminisce about the past year’s memorable meals and conspicuous comestibles.

Personally, I’m not one to dwell on meals gone by, so I want to take a moment to peer into my José Andrés signature isomalt crystal ball, look into the future, and see what food trends we may be enjoying, tolerating or loathing in 2018.

This year we’ve seen everything from cronuts to eggocados, sushi burgers to unicorn lattes and we somehow managed to survive the Great McDonalds Szechuan Sauce Insurrection. Having moved beyond 2017s mixed bag of culinary “innovations” I’m offering up my top food trend predictions for 2018 that I believe will prioritize flavor over novelty and won’t sacrifice health at the altar of social media clicks.

FLOWER POWER You’ve probably noticed floral flavors creeping onto the menus of your favorite coffee shop or gastropub. Lavender lattes and elderflower cocktails, for example, are starting to become popular options for the pumpkin-spice weary but I predict bright pink hibiscus (roselle) teas and drinks, lots of lavender and elderflower, and rose-infused everything will be adding new flavors and aromas to salads, soups, and beverages.

‘SHROOMS MAN Mushrooms are coming out of the dark, off the plate and into your coffee, smooth-

ies, tea, chocolate bars, and even body care products. The idea of a mushroom drink seemed pretty disgusting to me at first, then I tried a chilled Thai drink made from lion’s mane mushrooms and confirmed that yes, mushroom drinks are disgusting. But food scientists have been working around the clock to make reishi, chaga, cordyceps and lion’s mane mushrooms palatable for coffee, tea, and desserts so expect to see much more fungus among us in 2018.

STEM TO STALK Conscious carnivores have been preaching the nose-to-tail gospel for years, and now the vegetarian version is making its way into the public culinary consciousness.

As we become more conscious of food waste, recipes and ideas for eating every part of our fruits and veggies are making a lot more sense. Expect your Instagram feed to become littered with pics of apple peel crisps, carrot green pesto, and a flood of other ideas for using the nutrient-dense and super flavorful parts of produce that we used to just throw in the trash.

MEAT SUBSTITUTES The fact that Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and McDonald’s have invested millions in meat substitutes is not the only reason we will be seeing more of them in the coming year. Food researchers have found a way to make them taste like actual food instead of cardboard and wood shavings. Plant-based burgers that “bleed” beetroot juice and veggie burgers that get their meatiness from mushrooms and nitrogen-

26 • THE PULSE • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

fixing plants such as legumes are poised to help poor, deprived vegetarians get some joy in their lives.

your face. (Psst…it’s pronounced “POH-keh.”)

HYPER-LOCAL

All signs point to 2018 being the year that the world’s street food makes its mark on the American food landscape. Kabobs, dumplings, pupusas, samosas and momos are just a few of the dishes set to creep onto the mainstream palate this year.

Next year will certainly be veggie heavy, but chefs are getting excited about lesser-known, inexpensive, and super-flavorful cuts of beef like the shoulder tender, oyster steak, Vegas Strip steak, and Merlot cut.

Expect to see a lot more housemade condiments on restaurant tables as well. Home-made ketchups, vinegars, hot sauces and even artisan sauces like soy sauce and fish sauce are growing in popularity with everyone from squirt-bottle and tweezer establishments to fast casual meat and three restaurants.

Bon appétit and Happy New Year!

Locally sourced foods have been an increasingly common part of our shopping and dining experience over the last several years, but 2018 is going to see a rise in foods that have been grown within walking distance of the dinner table, going from local to hyperlocal and beyond. Local providers will remain a popular resource, but I predict an increase in restaurants growing their own ingredients onsite, incorporating foraged ingredients and offering more seasonally driven menus for the year to come.

POKE BOWLS Take the subtle finesse and delicate flavors of sushi, combine it with the ham-handed convenience of a KFC sadness bowl and you get the poke bowl. Don’t get me wrong though, this pile of sushi in a bowl is absolutely delicious. Lay down a base layer of rice, top it with chunks of raw, marinated tuna or other fish, add vegetables, umami-packed sauces, then stuff

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Mike McJunkin is a native Chattanoogan currently living abroad who has trained chefs, owned and operated restaurants.

Join him on Facebook at facebook.com/ SushiAndBiscuits

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • DECEMBER 21, 2017 • THE PULSE • 27

Make Santa Your Holiday Companion!

SANTA 106.9 All Holiday Music 24/7 merrychristmaschattanooga.com