The Pulse - Vol. 6, Issue 46 by Brewer Media Group

THE PASSAGE • MUSICAL THIEVES • A SERIOUS MAN

Driving Miss Destiny “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” — Albert Schweitzer FREE • News, Views, Arts & Entertainment • November 12, 2009 • Vol. 6 - Issue 46 • www.chattanoogapulse.com • pulse news 95.3 WPLZ

NOVEMBER 2009 Publisher Zachary Cooper Contributing Editor Janis Hashe News Editor Gary Poole Calendar Editor Kathryn Dunn Advertising Sales Leslie Dotson, Rick Leavell Leif Sawyer, Townes Webb Contributing Writers Gustavo Arellano, Rob Brezsny Chuck Crowder, Hellcat Joshua Hurley, Victoria Hurst Stuart James, Phillip Johnston Matt Jones, Ernie Paik Stephanie Smith Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D. Alex Teach, Colleen Wade Robert Yates Editorial Intern Tara Morris Copy Assistant Bryanna Burns Art Director Kelly Lockhart Art Department Sharon Chambers, Kathryn Dunn Josh Lang, Damien Power

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ontents

11 DRIVING MISS DESTINY By Stephanie Smith Destiny Theatre Company is driving the dramatic destiny of Chattanooga. The nonprofit theatre company founded as Destiny Ensemble Theatre Company in late 2005 by theatre, television and film actor/director Karl D. Gardner is serving the community by producing a full season of works.

arts & entertainment

Staff Photographer Damien Power

16 THE MARRIAGE-GO-ROUND

Editorial Cartoonist Rick Baldwin

By Robert Yates I’m bored with seeing The Importance of Being Earnest performed poorly at high schools, colleges, community and professional theaters, year after year. I’ve seen Tartuffe enough times that I could probably tell you when an actor drops a line or a director cuts a scene.

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20 JOB’S FUNNYBONE By Phillip Johnston I’ll admit from the start I don’t quite know how to write about Joel and Ethan Coen’s new film A Serious Man, but I’ll begin with a few things I know for sure.

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By Colleen Wade I dare say most people who have lived in Chattanooga very long have noticed the Stong Building. Like me, you might not have known what it was called, but you’ve seen it, an oddly shaped brick edifice.

24 DIRTY ROTTEN THIEF By Hellcat Whether it was an internationally known talent, or the local musician/ waiter who plays the open mic night on Tuesday, I have held many conversations with those who see themselves as musicians.

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PULSE BEATS BEYOND THE HEADLINES SHRINK RAP LIFE IN THE NOOG ON THE BEAT SHADES OF GREEN ASK A MEXICAN

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EDITOON LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CITY COUNCILSCOPE POLICE BLOTTER A&E CALENDAR NEW IN THEATERS SPIRITS WITHIN MUSIC CALENDAR NEW MUSIC REVIEWS FREE WILL ASTROLOGY JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

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by Rick Baldwin

Letters to the Editor “I do not believe the government is endorsing Project Runway, Army Wives, Fox News, or the cesspool of reality TV.” to the ongoing dialog that should yield great dividends in the future. Keep up the great work Ron! Bob Edwards

Mayoral Support Ron stepped into some really huge shoes and has done a terrific job. He’s right in saying that Chattanooga has greater potential than any similar sized city in the South and perhaps the country. I hope he’ll make a diplomatic splash next year when a Wuxi, China photo exhibit is scheduled to open here. Given Alstom’s French connection, VW’s German ties and Komatsu’s Japanese roots, significant Chinese investment in the Tennessee Valley is just around the corner. Ron’s support of the Sister City/Wuxi connection has been vital

Running Off Stormwater I thought the city council was supposed to answer to the people that elected them, not the Mayor. They are the representative branch of Chattanooga city government. It would be nice to see the City Council grow a spine and stop being Ron Littlefield’s rubber stamp of approval for wasteful spending, incompetence and fiscal mismanagement. This happened on his watch, and they have known about the EPA mandate since 2005. If they had spent the money allocated/wasted on public art for the past 5 years on Littlefield’s watch they would be closer to EPA compliance already. Jason Bass EPB and Porn The government shouldn’t get in the way of a government-owned business and tell them what they can

and cannot sell to their customers. It’s not an endorsement, it’s an option to stay competitive in the industry. Lots of people like porn, both men and women. Why do these people have to stop people from having the option to view porn just because you don’t like it? Why should everyone stop doing something just because you think it’s wrong? Jeremy Moss Government Not Endorsing Anything To say the government is endorsing porn because it’s helping to subsidize cable, is to say they are endorsing every single thing that is broadcast on all cable networks. Obviously, those of us who take a moment to think that through see that is not the case. I do not believe the government is endorsing Project Runway, Army Wives, Fox News, or the cesspool of reality TV anymore than I believe they’re endorsing porn. What they ARE endorsing is CHOICE when it comes to cable which is a very welcome second option. Hillary Megs

Send all letters to the editor and questions to info@chattanoogapulse.com We reserve the right to edit letters for content and space. Please include your full name, city and contact information.

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Pulse Beats

Quote Of The Week: A rundown of the newsy, the notable, and the notorious...

“We have people who don’t care about their child’s education. There are pockets all over the county—not just in the inner city—where they don’t value education.” —Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey after 12 area schools received an “F” on their state evaluations.

The Passage Pondered, Redux By Janis Hashe Contributing Edtor

In response to our recent PulseBeat “Pondering The Passage” (October 29), we received a very thoughtful response from Ann Coulter, one of the planners most closely concerned with The Passage’s design. “The Passage was intended as a celebration of the ability of the Cherokee and other Native American peoples whose rights were never respected and who were forcible moved west, to perpetuate their culture in the face of unbelievable hardships,” she writes. “The Native American representatives who we consulted with during the design and construction, officers of the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian and the United Keetoowah Tribe of Cherokee all opposed using the area of The Passage as a memorial or tribute to the The Trail of Tears…Native Americans felt it was much more appropriate to use the work of contemporary artists, which we did throughout The Passage, and active water features (water is a critical element in Cherokee culture and religion) to celebrate the true meaning of the place we call The Passage.” She also included a letter from Dr. Richard L. Allen, policy analyst, Cherokee Nation, from which the following excerpts are taken: “I do have concerns about the recent re-interpretation or I should I say the misinterpretation of The Passage as a memorial and solemn somber reflecting pool. That was never the intention by the tribal representatives from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians or

Here is one of the more interesting agenda items set to be discussed at the November 17 meeting of the Chattanooga City Council.

VI. Ordinances – First Reading: c) An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 5, Section 5-75(b), relative to sale of beer in the UGC Urban General Commercial Zone.

the Cherokee Nation. The original intention for The Passage was to be a celebration of Cherokee life… “…not a solemn somber event. If that had been our intention, we would have agreed with the version of a memorial that was being introduced by the National Park Service at the behest of locals who present themselves as Cherokee and represent us in a manner that we find offensive. The design for the Ross’s Landing that was presented to the Cherokee and Eastern Band by the National Park Service proposed a statue of Dragging Canoe to be placed somewhere in the city and a stockade with life size figures that would have represented Cherokees and Creeks held in captivity in perpetuity. We rejected that and suggested that an appropriate memorial would celebrate our lives, not our tragedy. “I am a Marine Vietnam veteran

and I have been to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC on several occasions and I am affected by that memorial in a most emotional and somber manner. I have also observed the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool and the ducks that swim in that pool. In no manner does that reflecting pool create the emotional impact that the Vietnam Memorial does. At the Vietnam Memorial one does not expect a festive mood, it would be inappropriate. By the same token, one would not expect children or adults to be somber and reflective coming from the Tennessee Aquarium down to the River where one finds bleachers and a staging area on the river. We understood that this was what was expected.” Our thanks to Ann Coulter for this information, and we will be following up with her when The Passage reopens. Stay tuned.

This ordinance was deferred for several weeks so that council members could take a longer look at how the newly designed Urban General Commercial Zone was going to work in regards to merging all the disparate elements that make up a traditional urban downtown. The desire to mix office space, residential areas, commercial business, restaurants, bars, schools and churches together into a homogenized whole requires some delicate touches. At issue is making sure that beerselling businesses in the new UGC would fall under the “distance exclusion” zoning rules currently preventing such places from being too close to a church or school. The Chattanooga City Council meets each Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the City Council Building at 1000 Lindsay St. For more information on the agendas, visit www.Chattanooga.gov/City_ Council/110_Agenda.asp

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Beyond The Headlines

Two Days of Business Brainstorming New York Style Cheesecake 1/3 cup butter, melted 1 1/2 cup cinnamon graham cracker crumbs 3 1/4 packages (8 oz. packages) cream cheese, softened 1 can 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 eggs 1. Preheat oven to 300oF. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; press evenly on bottom of 9-inch pie pan. 2. In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk, beating until smooth. 3. Add vanilla and eggs, mix well. Pour into prepared pie pan. 4. Bake for 1 hour, turn off oven but leave cheesecake in oven with door propped slightly open for an additional hour. 5. Refrigerate at least 6 hours until firm. Even The List gets hungry now and then...and cheesecake is one of the greatest things in the entire culnary universe. There are many other styles of cheesecake, and each has their fans, but to The List, nothing beats the smooth creaminess of the classic New York style.

Breathes there a soul who never to herself has said, “Why do we always have to re-invent the wheel? Why can’t organizations collaborate?” Take a deep breath, souls. East Tennessee will coruscate with collaboration during the 48Hour Launch, November 13-15. Four organizations, Chattanooga’s own CreateHere, Knoxville Overground, Launch Memphis and Will This Float? came together to create the concept for the project, which “brings bright minds together to participate in an intensive period of community building, planning, incubation, and launching.” If you are—or want to be—a budding entrepreneur, you do not want to miss this. Here in Chattanooga, 48HL will be managed by SpringBoard, the arm of CreateHere that helps artists and entrepreneurs create workable business plans and acquire the business skills necessary for a sustaining business. The first in a series, East Tennessee’s 48HL will be hosted at CreateHere at its headquarters at 55 E. Main Street. This is how it will work: 48HL starts with idea generation. Participants submit and vote on start-up ideas at http://48hourlaunch.org, and start the weekend off with presentations from the top handful of start-up ideas, which have been refined and fleshed out since voting. Teams spend the weekend developing these businesses, through a series of rounds focused on marketing, programming, and design, as well as legal and financial planning. As the weekend draws to a close, the teams present their businesses, and key team members then commit to take those businesses live. According to SpringBoard materials, “Registration for 48HL is currently open, through http://48hourlaunch. org. $39 gets participants in the door, and we’re encouraging a wide swath of people to attend, including entrepreneurs, writers, designers, developers, programmers, and marketing specialists together. Once registered, participants can submit a business idea online, and see what fellow launchers are thinking.” According to the web site, “48HL has also attracted interest from cities around the US that would like to host their own Launch.” Not only is the project being supported by the four organizations

named, but there are many other sponsors onboard, including EPB, the Chattanooga Technology Council, Tech2020, Slamdot, Ackerman PR, and Entrepreneurs of Knoxville. In other words, now’s the time to take that million-dollar idea out of mothballs and down to Main Street to

see if it will fly. For more information on the East Tennessee 48HL group, contact info@48hourlaunch.org via e-mail or call Ben Johnson at (423) 648-2195. You can also visit 48HL online at www.48hourlaunch.org — Janis Hashe

All Politics are Local The day after elections in New York, Virginia and New Jersey, every pundit was telling us what the Republican victories in New Jersey and Virginia mean for Democrats and President Obama. Despite all the conjecture, these elections tell us one thing—all politics are local. In New York, the conservatives lost the election to a Democrat, in a Republican district. Conservatives believed this election was a fight for “the soul of the Republican Party”. However, in fighting for that soul, the conservatives forced the moderate out of the race, the moderate endorsed the Democrat, and the Democrat won. CNN reported that, “While the economy and jobs were the chief concern for voters in [Virginia and New Jersey], 26 percent of New Jersey residents said property taxes was also a major issue, while another 20 percent mentioned corruption…In a… CNN survey taken in Virginia, health care was the most important issue for 24 percent of the voters, while 15 percent named taxes and transportation was mentioned by 7 percent.” Voters in these races are not thinking about Obama and Democrats in Washington. In these elections, voters thought about the local economy, local health care, corruption, and property taxes. The voters were displeased with the way their leaders handled these issues in these states. We need to understand the local issues driving these elections in order to predict what may drive the 2010 elections. CNN also reported, “…56 percent of Virginians said that the president was not a factor when it came down to their vote. In New Jersey, that number increased to 60 percent…” The incumbents offered no alternatives, voters were unhappy—so they voted for new leadership. Voters wanted a change. The change occurred because of the local climate in each state. The elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York give us one lesson about 2010: In order to win, those running must understand that all politics are local. — Stuart James

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A weekly roundup of the newsworthy, notable and often head-scratching stories gleaned from police reports from the Chattanooga Police Department, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Bradley County Sheriff’s Department and the Dalton Police Department.

• Getting to know your neighbors is not only a nice way to make friends, but also can help fight crime. An alert resident on Fort Sumter Drive called 911 when he noticed a pair of teenagers breaking into his neighbor’s house. He confronted both of the suspects, who quickly fled. Unfortunately for them, Hamilton County deputies responded very quickly, stopping both of the teens within blocks of the home. The pair were arrested and charged with aggravated burglary. Because of the alertness of the neighbor, combined with the quick response from deputies, neither teen was able to make off with any of their ill-gotten gains. • Prostitution may indeed be the world’s oldest profession, but that still doesn’t make it legal. Chattanooga police officers once again conducted a sting in the area near Clifton Hills Elementary school last week and had more success than they had anticipated. Using undercover officers posing as prostitutes, they not only were able to arrest 17 men on charges of patron-

izing prostitution, they were also able to arrest three ladies of the evening who were apparently unhappy with the unwelcome competition. And, as is the case with about 99 percent of prostitution arrests in the city, the charges were bumped up because all the illegal activity occurred within 1.5 miles of a school. • In spite of hundreds of past stings and seemingly countless television shows documenting the practice, there still are men stupid enough to believe everything they see online. A Walker County EMT was arrested by federal authorities after he discovered to his dismay that what he thought was an underage girl looking for sex with an older man was in fact an undercover agent. The EMT had engaged several undercover agent in online chats and then traveled to Catoosa County to meet with what he thought was a teen girl. Instead, he was confronted by members of the Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force and is now facing charges of attempting to solicit a minor child for sex.

Chattanooga Street Scenes

• The owner of a now-defunct used car lot on Hixson Pike apparently didn’t think his business plan through very clearly. Chattanooga police fraud investigators arrested the used-car salesman on charges that he took vehicles from people and, instead of selling them on their behalf, altered the titles and kept the proceeds for himself. Not too surprisingly, the vehicle owners weren’t very pleased with this system and reported him to authorities. He’s now facing charges of theft over $60,000, eight counts of forgery, eight counts of falsifying a title, and failure to deliver title. What kind of world do we live in when you can’t even trust a used-car salesman? Photography by Damien Power

Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield reads about...Ron Littlefield.

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Shrink Rap

Opening the Hand of Thought By Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D www.DrRPH.com

“In practicing being aware of it we can begin to bring our mind here to where we are, and be awake and aware of what’s happening, within ourselves, in each moment.”

believe it is a wonderful and healthy thing to stretch our minds to new ideas about who we are and about this life we share with others; to embrace spirituality in all its colors and voices; and to walk a journey rich with a-ha! moments and diverse experiences. Eastern philosophy calls this “opening the hand of thought.” I want to share with you some excerpts from a lecture by Zenkai Blanche Hartman given earlier this year at the San Francisco Zen Center. The images are rich and beautiful, and you will likely find your mind happily navigating its way around the metaphors and language. I love these passages, and my own mind instantly goes into a sort of excited dance as it awakens to new expressions of thought. See what this experience might do for you. The first passage is about oneness with the universe. The second addresses awareness and living in the present. And the third is about how we see ourselves and life. All are concepts you’ve read in this column before, but rarely expressed with such poetry. Enjoy! 1. “We have many difficult experiences in our life. From a distance, a waterfall looks like a curtain, thrown from the top of the mountain. The water was not originally separated but was one whole river. But it is separated into many tiny streams as it falls. Individual droplets of water in a

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waterfall take a very long time to reach the bottom. Only when the water is separated does it have this difficulty reaching the bottom of the waterfall. “Before we were born, we were one with the universe. After we are separated by birth from this Oneness, as water falling from a waterfall is separated by wind and rocks, then we have feeling. We have difficulty because we attach to the feeling we have without knowing just how this kind of feeling is created. When we do not realize that we are one with the river, or one with the universe, we have fear. But whether it is separated into drops or not, water is water. When we realize this fact we have no fear of death anymore and have no actual difficulty in our life. “There is great value in the experience of realizing that we are always one with the whole universe. This idea we get that each of us is separate and distinct from the whole of life, this division into ‘self’ and ‘other’ that we are capable of making with our mind creates a lot of anxiety and difficulty. As we begin to notice that this separation is something we do with our own mind, that in actuality we are all breathing the same air, we realize the Oneness in which we exist. The more you consider this as a possibility, the more you feel the connection with all other living beings.” 2. “In breathing, [Zen Master] Suzuki Roshi emphasized the exhale. ‘Just follow the exhale,’ he’d say. ‘Let it go out, let it go out, let it go out. And just watch it and at a certain point it will turn into an inhale all by itself. You don’t have to reach for it. It just becomes an inhale. And you

can say, “Oh! I’m still alive!”’ “We know how to breathe. We’ve been breathing since we were born. We don’t have to direct the breath or control the breath. We just have to be aware of it. In practicing being aware of it we can begin to bring our mind here to where we are, and be awake and aware of what’s happening, within ourselves, in each moment.” 3. “So perhaps you think, this life has not been the way I wanted it. You can do this if you want to. But if you notice yourself doing this, you might say to yourself, ‘Every time I tell myself this, I feel really bad. H’mm, maybe I don’t want to tell myself this story anymore. Even if it’s true, every time I tell myself this story, I feel awful. Well, gosh, maybe I have some control over what stories I tell myself. Let me see if I can not tell this story this time.’ And each time you pick it up, you notice you’re chewing on this same old bone again. You can say, I don’t like the taste of this bone, and you can put it down. Some of us have stories we’ve been telling ourselves for years! We identify ourselves by our stories; that’s who we think we are. How can we not get stuck in these labels we paste on ourselves and on others? Perhaps we can give ourselves the opportunity to see things with beginner’s eyes, with fresh eyes. Let’s see what’s here now. Be awake each moment. Don’t waste this life. Appreciate and recognize that it’s a gift. Revere life now.” Until next week: “Without leaving my house I know the whole universe.” — Lao-Tsu Dr. Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, minister, and educator, in private practice in Chattanooga, and is the author of “Empowering the Tribe” and “The Power of a Partner.”

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Cover Story

Driving Miss Destiny “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” — Albert Schweitzer 95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 11.12.09 The Pulse

Cover Story

The Dramatic Destiny of Chattanooga By Stephanie Smith

estiny Theatre Company is driving the dramatic destiny of Chattanooga. The nonprofit theatre company founded as Destiny Ensemble Theatre Company in late 2005 by theatre, television and film actor/ director Karl D. Gardner is serving the community by producing a full season of works at a time when many theatres and local businesses are struggling just to keep their door open. Destiny’s vision is of an inclusive theatre for all artists and audiences and “seeks to utilize theatre as a vehicle for cultural enrichment, creative stimulation, inspiration, and entertainment” within the Chattanooga community. So how does DTC find a balance? How do they reach the masses? By taking race and ego out of it, Gardner explains. “I choose a play where I think, ‘Everybody would enjoy this.’ I take me out of what I want to see onstage—I try to be more in tune to the city and think ‘What can I do that will bring more people to the theatre?’ Our primary goal [continues to be] to do great work everybody will enjoy and not care what race of people are on the stage.” He continues, “I’m a Chattanooga native and I didn’t grow up doing theatre. I went away to school and had some success as an actor, and, when I would come home sporadically, I started noticing a developing arts community. The one thing Chattanooga didn’t have was a dedicated company offering a season of productions featuring minorities. I was going to start such a company in Atlanta. My main inspiration for starting DTC was [to fill this need] to complement the already thriving arts community in this city.”

Livin’ Fat by Judi Ann Mason at the Memorial Auditorium Community Theatre, May 2006

these artists with solid training in acting and a performance space where a multi-ethnic perspective would be welcomed. “A lot of these artists never had the opportunity to have training and I wanted to try to provide this. DTC’s primary focus wasn’t [initially] on the African American community, but I knew I wanted to serve the underserved community. At the company, we provide the opportunity for training, to grow, learn and develop as an artist. Some don’t want to be trained…some we take out of the world of academics and most do something at church…but overall people have been receptive.” With his company assembling and his future before him, Gardner went in search of a board of directors who would support his mission. He initially approached people he admired in various professions, looking for a diverse group of theatre lovers. “I wanted a mix—not all artists or people based in the business. I looked at people who had an interest, who wanted to see an organization like Destiny thrive in Chattanooga.” With a seven-member board of directors firmly in place, Gardner began DTC’s odyssey with Livin’ Fat by Judi Ann Mason at the Memorial Auditorium Community Theatre in May 2006. The comedy was well received by the community, with significant ticket sales and sponsorship by 17 individuals and corporations.

“The one thing Chattanooga didn’t have was a dedicated company offering a season of productions featuring minorities.” In order to build his company, Gardner began by going to various theatrical venues in the city to view the local talent. He saw lots of talented artists and great potential in many who were untrained. Gardner saw his inner purpose to be a teacher and leader in the community, providing

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Season One continued with the hit gospel musical Crowns by Regina Taylor. Crowns was recognized by The Pulse as Number 5 on the Top Ten list for 2006 Performances In the Arts and grossed more than $10,000 in ticket sales. The dramatic comedy Jar The Floor by Cheryl L. West and the six-time Helen Hayes award-winning musical Bessie’s Blues, written and directed by Thomas W. Jones II, finished out the season. Season Two saw the Chattanooga premiere of Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity, a gospel music celebration of the “greatest story ever told.” Season Three began with a play from the New Works Series, Thomas W. Jones II’s adult comedy Why a Sista Can’t Get No Love?, followed by S. M. Shephard-Massat’s civil rights drama Waiting To Be Invited. The final play of the season was a performance of the hit stage play 12 Angry Jurors, adapted by Sherman Sergel, and based on the Emmy award-winning television movie 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose. Now in their fourth season, DTC still struggles to select appropriate material for their Chattanooga audience. Gardner explains, “When I think about the work, I think it’s been more—I don’t know what word to use, intelligent?—we’ve chosen more classics and more identifiable productions. We get more out of classics than new works; when I put [a new work] out there and audiences don’t know about it, they don’t connect with it. Surveys we’ve taken with our audiences have shown that they prefer dramas and comedies, and our mission is to create an eclectic mix of classic and contemporary.”

Cover Story

Destiny Theatre Company 2009-2010 Season Driving Miss Daisy Thanksgiving Holiday 2009 Friday, November 27, 8 p.m., Saturday, November 28, 2:30 and 8:00 p.m., Sunday, November 29, 2:30 p.m

www.destinyentertaiment.org Group tickets, (423) 544-1597

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill April 2010

While race is the theme at the forefront of this play, Driving Miss Daisy is far more than just a drive down memory lane, glancing at the equality issues that permeated the last century. It is also a heart-warming tale of friendship and aging gracefully

Crowns by Regina Taylor at the Memorial Auditorium Community Theatre, September 2006

What makes DTC different is that the company brings the audiences works which celebrate ethnic diversity. “It is not our primary goal but it is a focus—making these productions available to the minority community. Several people who have come to DTC thank me; many of the audience members have never come to a theatre before. A lot of theatres are good in their own way, but they don’t have a lot of roles for African Americans. That’s what makes Destiny different. It’s what sets us apart. In the future, we want to continue to be that goto organization. We would like to share our casts and be the place where someone can call and ask ‘Do you know of any [minority] actors/artists we could use?’” So how does DTC attract and train its performers? “We are building a professional theatre company, but we are open to anyone with any level of experience, young to professional; we don’t isolate anyone. We expect [the newcomers] to elevate the production, not to bring the group of professionals down. So we train them well. We expect them to move on to other markets, Atlanta, Knoxville, and we teach them how to prepare their auditions well. “People haven’t been used to a minority company being here in Chattanooga. They’re used to

touring shows. But I think they’re getting more comfortable with Destiny being here.” The fourth DTC season opens November 27, 2009 with a production of Driving Miss Daisy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play by Alfred Uhry, at Stage Left at Loose Cannon Studios. The cast features Brenda Schwab, LaFrederick Thirkill and Garry Posey. The remainder of the season includes a revival of Black Nativity, and productions of Miss Evers’ Boys, and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. (See details in schedule to the right).

“At the company, we provide the opportunity for training. To grow, learn and develop as an artist.” In addition to providing DTC an audience, people can get involved by volunteering at the theatre, auditioning for shows, or becoming a board member. Gardner’s drive to see DTC succeed is unassailable “Our current board members are at the end of their term of service, so we are looking for new people to take their places on the board,” says Gardner. “We are looking for committed, dedicated individuals who want to see advancement in the company and want to see the organization live. The city needs a company like Destiny.”

Stage Left at Loose Cannon Studios (1800 Rossville Ave., in the Southside Arts District) Advance Tickets: Adults $18, seniors and students $16. Groups of 10 or more: $14 All tickets (general seating) $20 day of show. (423) 242-5156 or purchase at www.destinyentertainment.org For group tickets, call (423) 544-1597

Black Nativity Christmas Holiday 2009 Tuesday, December 22, 7 p.m., Wednesday, December 23, 7 p.m. Inspired by renowned poet Langston Hughes’s musical gospel play, Black Nativity celebrates the “greatest story ever told,” the traditional Christmas story, using a soulful point of view and distinct energy of the black urban church. Powerful narration and glorious gospel music fill the stage in a jubilant expression of human love, joy and celebration. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad Street Advance tickets: Adults $22 Seniors, Students and Groups of 10 or more: $18 All tickets $25 day of show Tickets are available at the Memorial Auditorium box office or charge by phone at (423) 642-TIXS

Miss Evers’ Boys Black History Month February 12–14, 19–21, 26–28, 2010 Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. Sundays, 2:30 p.m. This powerful drama is a fictional account based on the true government study carried out from 1932-1972. Stage Left at Loose Cannon Studios (1800 Rossville Ave. in the Southside Arts District) Advance tickets: Adults $18 Seniors and Students: $16 Groups of 10 or more: $14 All tickets $20 day of show (423) 242-5156 or

The time is 1959. The place is a seedy bar in Philadelphia. The audience is about to witness one of Billie Holiday’s last performances, given four months before her death. More than a dozen musical numbers are interlaced with salty, often humorous, reminiscences to project a riveting portrait of the lady and her music. Location to be determined

Audition Information Black Nativity Dancer Roles Needed Joseph - Dancer Mary - Dancer Must have experience in various types of dance. Those interested in auditioning must reserve spots by Friday, November 20 by calling (423) 242-5156, or e-mail destinytheatre@gmail.com Only those that call or e-mail and confirm will be allowed to audition. Audition Date: Sunday, November 22 3:30 p.m., Loose Cannon Studios, 1800 Rossville Ave. Rehearsals start November 30 Miss Evers’ Boys Directed by LaFrederick Thirkill Characters: (All roles are African American, except Dr. John Douglas) Eunice Evers - 28, a public health nurse Dr. Eugene Brodus - 40, Administrative Head, Memorial Hospital Tuskegee Alabama Dr. John Douglas - 34, Field Physican, United States Public Health Service Willie Johnson - 19, tenant farmer Caleb Humphries - 25, tenant farmer Hodman Bryan - 37, tenant farmer Ben Washington - 57, tenant farmer Audition dates: Saturday, December 12, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, December 13, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Stage Left at Loose Cannon Studios, 1800 Rossville Ave. For more information, contact: destinytheatre@gmail.com or (423) 242-5156. Auditions are open to the general public.

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 11.12.09 The Pulse

Life In The Noog

We’re An American Band By Chuck Crowder

“A great backing band that’s taking marching orders from one main songwriting source doesn’t really count as an influential ‘band’.”

hile hanging out recently with a few local musicians, an interesting question was posed that we never quite resolved within the allotted happy hour. What is THE most influential rock band to come from America? It’s a tough question to answer, because most people immediately think of the British powerhouse bands like the Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks, Yardbirds, Zeppelin and so on. But when you look back towards our shores, the question seems a little muddier because there aren’t that many influential “bands” per se—at least not of that magnitude. Sure, American music is credited with providing the roots to rock n’ roll—country, rhythm & blues, blues and jazz. And we can likely be credited with inventing the genre altogether with Elvis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. However, with the exception of maybe Bill Haley’s “Comets,” there’s not a “band” there to speak of—only solo artists. The record labels that produced much of the American music that influenced the aforementioned British bands—Stax, Chess, Sun, Motown, Atlantic—had extremely talented and pivotal house bands and songwriters that contributed probably more to the sounds of those solo artists than they’ll likely ever be credited. But they were just that—house bands for hire.

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As far as the influential musicians and songwriters you have heard of who hail from the good ole USA, we’ve got plenty of those as well—Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Marvin Gaye, Randy Newman, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Leonard Cohen, Patsy Cline, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and many more. And some of our country’s most influential songwriters have backing bands that are just as famous and talented. Bob Dylan had The Band, Bruce Springsteen has the E Street Band, Tom Petty has the Heartbreakers and Neil Young has Crazy Horse, as well as other variations of backing bands. All of these groups of musicians are critical to helping those artists achieve their signature sounds. But a great backing band that’s taking marching orders from one main songwriting source doesn’t really count as an influential “band.” The only exception here is The Band, who went on to have their own catalog of exceptional music—and from three or four songwriters within their ranks. That said, there have been a lot of great American bands with multiple songwriters—Fleetwood Mac, REM, The Byrds, Velvet Underground, B-52’s, Cheap Trick, Drive By Truckers, Black Crowes, Talking Heads, NRBQ, The Cars, Beastie Boys and even though I despise them with every ounce of my being, the Eagles. But you rarely see those bands included on a modern-day artist’s list of “greatest influences,” so maybe these giants are aren’t as influential as they are just great.

This brings us back to the question of the hour. By the long and tedious process outlined above, we’ve pretty much determined that by “most influential band” we mean the songs, sound, look, presence and impact created by an entire group. The whole being much, much greater than the sum of its parts. In fact, the parts may even be fairly insignificant on their own. In my opinion, as far as the entity of a “band” influencing other artists, Americans caused the greatest impact around the punk era. We truly helped invent and greatly influence that genre of music with bands—not musicians or songwriters. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the handful of pioneering punk bands to come from America in the late sixties and early seventies, there wouldn’t have been a Sex Pistols, Clash, Buzzcocks, Joy Division or Stiff Little Fingers, which means there never would’ve been a Replacements, Cure, Nirvana, Pretenders or that smarmy Green Day. Who are the nominees then? Well, our group settled on three possibilities—The Stooges, New York Dolls or The Ramones. And, even though they somewhat influenced each other (basically in that order), as true pioneering bands they’ve done more to influence every band that came after them than any other American band we could name. But that’s just our opinion. What do you think? Chuck Crowder is a local writer and general man about town. His opinions are just that. Everything expressed is loosely based on fact, and crap he hears people talking about. Take what you just read with a grain of salt, but pepper it in your thoughts. And be sure to check out his wildly popular website www.thenoog.com

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Arts & Entertainment

The Marriage-Go-Round—With a Twist By Robert Yates

’m bored with seeing The Importance of Being Earnest performed poorly at high schools, colleges, community and professional theaters, year after year. I’ve seen Tartuffe enough times that I could probably tell you when an actor drops a line or a director cuts a scene. Yet the longevity of these overly performed farces appears to correspond to the playwrights’ mastery of witty one-liners, irony which buzzes around an issue and then—like a wasp—stings with such force that the truth hurts. They also have a coherent story with a beginning, middle, and end. In comparison, Paul Rudnick’s Regrets Only shines with wit and humor, but falls short in establishing a coherent theme, a main character, or appropriate questions for the audience to wrestle with after the lights go down. When Hank Hadley (played by John Hammons), a famous fashion designer, loses his long-time lover, Mike, Hank visits his friends the McCulloughs for support and companionship. But when Jack McCullough (played by director Patrick Sweetman) and his daughter, Spenser

McColloughs but also his past relationship with Mike, whom he never married, nor had the desire to. Tibby McCullough (played by Anne Swedberg), Jack’s wife and Hank’s long-time friend, becomes the catalyst of the play’s conflict, as Tibby is pulled in opposite directions by her contrasting loves for Jack and Hank. Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s production of Regrets Only is performed in the round with a set showing a wealthy American family’s living room. The set design was appropriately simple, as the oneliners provided ample color to the performance. Director Patrick Sweetman utilizes multiple entrances and exits by having the maid, Myra (played by Marcia L. Parks), interrupt her

“Under Sweetman’s direction, this production offers a cast of impressive relationships and overall good comedic timing.” (played by Lizzie Chazen), agree to help the president of the United States write legislature to protect “traditional” marriage, Hank begins to evaluate not only his friendship with the

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employers at inopportune times with critiques reminiscent of Dorine from Tartuffe. Under Sweetman’s direction, this production offers a cast of impressive relationships and overall good comedic timing. Hammons and Swedberg portray longtime friends with a mutual appreciation for the other’s emotional support in a world that misunderstands them both—Hank as a homosexual and Tibby as a brainless socialite, concerned only with fashion and cocktails. Swedberg communicates confidence and humor, providing Hammons an excellent companion to give and take ironic quips about marriage, men and women, and social conventions. Chazen brings her unique style to the newly engaged Spencer McCullough who, in Spencer’s words, has gone “Bridezilla.” Chazen’s portrayal is energetic and interesting. There were only a

Arts & Entertainment “Hammons convinces the audience that she has heard, changed slightly, but continues to defy despair even after realizing her failure as a mother.” few times when her line delivery and physicality became caricature. Sweetman’s portrayal of Jack McCullough seemed too often one-level, as he emphasized the humor in his lines while neglecting the potential for variation in his character’s personality. Nancy Hammons, as the stereotypical elderly rich white woman Marrietta Claypoole, who feels no guilt in spending exorbitant amounts of money on furs, booze, and the best seats in the house, brings an impressive, dynamic quality to her character. In the last act, Marrietta, hurt by Tibby’s critique of her as a pedantic and condescending mother, decides to treat her daughter as an adult. Hammons convinces the audience that she has heard, changed slightly, but continues to defy despair even after realizing her failure as a mother. This is farce, after all. And finally, Parks as the eccentric and, often plot-driving Myra brings energy and much humor to the play with her comedic timing and physicality. Her Irish accent is impressive as well. Humor often highlights humankind’s magnificent ability to maintain a discrepancy between what one says and what one means, between what one promises will be done and what one actually does, and finally between what is hoped

for and what the situation actually allows. Portrayed by the talented cast of The Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Rudnick’s Regrets Only possesses many instances of these hilarious ironies. Yet comedy often attempts to bring some resolution— Wilde’s Jack finds that for all of society’s lies (which he adds to), it sometimes stumbles upon the truth; and Moliere’s Orgon finally recognizes and is purged of the hypocrite Tartuffe. For resolution, Rudnick offers a laugh in both the face of all who would prevent gay marriage and those who hope for it, simply acknowledging that it is a complex question that challenges the presuppositions of many Americans. But what is the audience member supposed to take from the theater, except the frustration that comedy can become a gimmick, tricking people into affirming ridiculous and contradicting ideas, yet not illuminating them through humor and then suggesting a conclusion, an action, or a stance. But then again, laughter does help the heart, right?

Regrets Only $15 8 p.m. November 13, 14, 20, 21 Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Circle Stage, 400 River Street (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com

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A&E Calendar Friday

Thursday

Film Community Public Visioning Forum Join the discussion about making Chattanooga a film mecca. Free 6 p.m. EPB Building, 7th floor, MLK Blvd. & Market St. (423) 894-8927. afttennessee.webs.com

Send your calendar events to us at calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

Middle East Lecture Series: “A Look at Egypt” 7 p.m. Rose Lecture Hall, Lee University, 1120 N. Ocoee St. (423) 614-8625 Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin Cinema Opera 7 p.m. Rave Theatre, 5060 S. Terrace Ave. (423) 855-9652 Laura Barger Piano Concert, “Bach’s Contemporary Legacy” 7:30 p.m. Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC Fine Arts Center, 615 McCallie Ave. (423) 425-4645. Maestro Foskett with the Chattanooga Symphony 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8587. Staged Reading of Man Born to Be King 8 p.m. Sanderson Hall, Covenant College, 14049 Scenic Hwy. Lookout Mtn, GA. (706) 820-1560.

CSO Presents Beethoven Symphony #7 Ludwig brings along pals Brahms and Wagner. $19-$79 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad Street (423) 267-8583. www.chattanoogaysmphony.org

Saturday

Regrets Only CTC opens the Circle Season with a comedy of Manhattan manners. $15 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Circle Stage, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com

Monday “Speak Easy” Spoken word and poetry 8 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9040. “Angels” by Mary Ferris Kelly Exum Gallery, St. Pauls Episcopal Church, 305 7th St. (423) 266-8195. “Reflections” Shuptrine Fine Art and Framing, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453. “Magnificent Fifty” North River Civic Center, 1009 Executive Dr. (423) 870-8924. “Close to Home” Photography Covenant College, 14049 Scenic Hwy. Lookout Mtn, GA. (706) 419-1430. “Sticky Situation” sculpture by Johnston Foster & “Gazer” paintings by Christine Gray Cress Gallery, 752 Vine St. (423) 304-9789.

Friends of the Library Annual Meeting and Luncheon 11:30 a.m. Chattanooga-Hamilton Bicentennial Library, 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310. “Paris Comes to Chattanooga” Opening Reception 7 p.m. Artful Eye Gallery, 5646 Brainerd Rd. (423) 855-7424. Wild and Scenic Film Festival 7:30 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium, One Broad St. (423) 266-0314. www.tnaqua.com UTC Trumpet, Tuba and Euphonium Ensemble 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center, 615 McCallie Ave. (423) 4254269. Janet Williams 7:30 & 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch & Giggles Grille, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com

Driving Miss Daisy 7:30 p.m. Colonnade Center, 264 Catoosa Cir., Ringgold, GA. (706) 935-9000. www.colonnadecenter.org Maestro Foskett with the Chattanooga Symphony 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8587. www.chattanoogasymphony.org Regrets Only 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Circle Stage. 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. You Can’t Take it With You 8 p.m. Dixon Center, Lee University, 1120 Ocoee St. (800) 533-9930. Staged Reading of Man Born to Be King 8 p.m. Sanderson Hall, Covenant College, 14049 Scenic Hwy. Lookout Mtn, GA. (706) 820-1560.

Sunday Mosaic Market 11 a.m. 412 Market St. (corner of 4th/Market) (423) 624-3915. A Woman Called Truth Noon. St. Andrews Center, 1918 Union Center. (423) 987-5141. Spectrum 6:30 p.m. Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 267-0968. www.huntermuseum.org Reading of K.B. Ballentine’s Fragments of Light 7 p.m. Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd. (423) 893-0186. Driving Miss Daisy 7:30 p.m. Colonnade Center, 264 Catoosa Cir., Ringgold, GA. (706) 935-9000. www.colonnadecenter.org Janet Williams 7:30 & 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch

& Giggles Grille, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com Ballet Tennessee Gala featuring Martha Reeves and the Vandellas 8 p.m. Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave. J.D. Lawerence Presents The Clean Up Lady 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8587. www.chattanoogasymphony.org Staged Reading of Man Born to Be King 8 p.m. Sanderson Hall, Covenant College, 14049 Scenic Hwy. Lookout Mtn, GA. (706) 820-1560. You Can’t Take it With You 8 p.m. Dixon Center, Lee University, 1120 Ocoee St. (800) 533-9930. www.leeuniversity.edu

Tuesday

Wednesday

Chai Steppers Noon. Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 Terrace Ave. (423) 493-0270. Flick’s Café, Film from the Fifties Series: Diary of a Country Priest 6:30 p.m. Chattanooga-Hamilton Bicentennial Library, 1001 Broad St. (423)757-5310. George T. Hunter Lecture Series: David Brooks 7 p.m UTC Fine Arts Center, 615 McCallie Ave. (423) 425-4269. Stereophonic Confit Festival 8 p.m. Winder Binder Gallery, 40 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-6688. “Small Works” Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 Terrace Ave. (423) 493-0270. “Holiday Highlights” Houston Museum of Arts, 201 High St. (423) 267-7176.

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Classic Literature Book Club: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 6 p.m. Rock Point Books, 401 Broad St. (423) 432-8579. “Twenty Original American Etchings” Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. “Echoes” River Gallery, 400 E. Second St. (423) 265-5033. “Perspective” Mosaic Gallery, 412 Market St. (423) 320-6758. Works by Susan Dryfoos-Solo Show from New York Gallery 1401, 1401 Williams St. (423) 266-0015. “Surface Tension: AVA Invitational” Association for Visual Arts, 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-4282.

Eugene Onegin The Bolshoi Opera’s version of this classic. $20 1 p.m. Rave Motion Pictures, 5080 South Terrace, East Ridge (423) 855-9652. www.ravemotionpictures.com

You Can’t Take it With You 2 p.m. Dixon Center, Lee University, 1120 Ocoee St. (800) 533-9930. Wild and Scenic Film Festival 2 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium, One Broad St. (423) 266-0314. For My Father: Israeli Film 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga-Hamilton Bicentennial Library, 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310. Jazz Café Concert 3 p.m. North River Civic Center, 1001 Executive Dr. (423) 890-8924. All-Russian Concert 7:30 p.m. Southern Adventist Church, 4829 College Dr. E., Collegedale, TN. (423) 236-2880. Janet Williams 8 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com

Editor’s Pick: Featured Event Of The Week David Brooks: George T. Hunter Lecture Series The widely syndicated New York Times columnist, social commentator, and bestselling author (Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There and On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense) will speak on community development. Tuesday, November 17 Free 7 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Building, Roland Hayes Concert Hall, corner of Vine & Palmetto Sts. www.benwood.org

On The Beat

To Sleep, Perchance To Dream By Alex Teach

he plane, like most planes, had an uncomfortably narrow aisle and low ceiling and I was reminded of this in every awkward bump as I trundled down the aisle to find my seat. And the service, like most US Airways service, wasn’t worth the crap on the toilet paper in its incredibly narrow bathrooms, but that didn’t matter. Even if it wasn’t too narrow to stand in any other way than sideways, most people were too scared or too pissed off to produce a bowel movement anyway. In my experience at least, I found that the only good thing about the accursed airline was the sense of camaraderie it imposed upon the passengers, who for just a little while set aside all cultural, racial, ethnic and sexual boundaries to verbally rally among themselves against their common enemy: The Corporate Degenerates operating US Airways like a Thailand teen-slavery ring and the bi-polar stewardesses who treated their passengers as if they were all simultaneously defendants in a divorce court. Sure, they had “Captain Sully”…but he wasn’t the one tending to the passengers. With him tucked away in the cockpit, US Airways flights were like sharing the inside of a Pringles tube with Hillary Clinton. That didn’t matter to me these days, though. As soon as I found my seat and dealt with the age-old question of “crotch or ass” when I had to squeeze past the occupied aisle seat to get to my window (he got “ass”, by the way), I had been sitting for less than five minutes when I nodded off as people were still boarding, and didn’t wake up until the plane abruptly jarred in landing two hours and one time zone later. Beautiful. There are two benefits to being

a third-shift patrolman: The more obvious is a charming personality, but a lesser-known one is the ability to sleep anywhere, at any time, in any position. It’s kind of like a forced narcolepsy, and you won’t hear about it at any recruiting seminars. I have slept sitting bolt upright in a Crown Victoria (1989 through 2005 models) with a seatbelt shoulder strap wrapped around my forehead to keep me from falling forward onto the steering wheel. I have slept in closets on a pile of clothes to avoid daylight, air mattresses in basements, and even a few times after hours in a clamshellstyle tanning bed with a coat for a pillow. (This might not sound too interesting, but bear in mind they are solid plastic and very, very cold echo chambers when not in use. Anyone here ever get the first use of a tanning bed for the day and feel the thrill of cold plastic on your person as the lights fire up? Well, when the lights are off, it just stays that way.) I’ve slept on the bench seat of a friend’s restaurant after hours, waiting room couches, and under the glare of fluorescent lights in an underground parking garage. I’ve been lulled to sleep by the cool winds off of Lake Chickamauga as I slept on a boat ramp, and even once behind the wheel of a Ford F150. (Not for long, mind you.) I’ve slept next to a 1:1 scale mock-up of a nuclear reactor, and at the top of parking garages overlooking our downtown area. At the end of abandoned and shuttered project development cul-de-sacs, and in favorite spots in more than one cemetery. I’ve slept at dinner tables (much to the consternation of family members) and in gymnasiums (much to the consternation of gym members), and once at the base of a monument at the center of Point Park. I’m a regular narcoleptic Johnny Cash, folks: “I’ve Slept Everywhere, Man”, and not to worry: I slept in nearly all those places with a pistol in my hand. The plane trip was for business of course; US Airways is atrocious,

“I wasn’t certain until the last second I wasn’t walking into an often-threatened and elaborate intervention setting, and I was pleasantly relieved to find only strangers with badges instead of family with baggage.” but they’re low-bid. I had been told I was being sent to a Department of Justice conference, but I wasn’t certain until the last second I wasn’t walking into an often-threatened and elaborate intervention setting, and I was pleasantly relieved to find only strangers with badges instead of family with baggage. I eased into a chair nearest a window. I popped a mint in my mouth and settled in nicely between PowerPoint presentations on the cost-savings of powered parachutes for searches and surveillance, and uses for logic-based predictive analysis algorithms. And in the end? Albeit ever-so-briefly…I slept there, too. When officer Alexander D. Teach is not patrolling our fair city on the heels of the criminal element, he is an occasional student at UTC, an up and coming carpenter, auto mechanic, prominent boating enthusiast, and spends his spare time volunteering for the Boehm Birth Defects Center.

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 11.12.09 The Pulse

Film Feature

Job’s Funnybone by Phllip Johnston

’ll admit from the start I don’t quite know how to write about Joel and Ethan Coen’s new film A Serious Man, but I’ll begin with a few things I know for sure. I know that this is a hysterically funny movie that made me laugh so hard my stomach started to ache. I know it is very personal on the part of the filmmakers and that it is perfectly executed for just that reason. I’m confident that it achieves a polished completeness and finality that many directors only dream of. But do I understand it? I wish. Life is unraveling for physics professor and generally good man Larry Gopnik. His wife Judith is having an affair with an aloof family friend and wants a divorce. His brother Arthur is emotionally and physically incapable of living alone and spends his nights in Larry’s living room. The Gopnik children, Danny and Sarah, are pilfering cash from their father’s wallet to buy pot and save up for a nose job. There’s an anonymous person writing nasty letters to the university to tarnish Larry’s good reputation and destroy his chances at tenure.

each one compounding the mystery of the Coen brothers’ latest existential riddle. The Coens know how to harvest the hilarity out of life’s absurdity and A Serious Man is a movie for people who can laugh at exaggerated characters put in situations that easily reach a level of gleefully deranged poeticism. Here we have messages written on the back of people’s teeth, a rabbi who quotes Jefferson Airplane, and a perpetually drained cyst all working to prove yet again that these filmmakers specialize in their own brand of niche comedy. Newcomer Michael Stuhlbarg imbues Larry Gopnik with a jittery, painful unease that makes his strife even more relatable. His character shares many similarities to William H. Macy’s character in Fargo, but whereas Jerry Lundegaard caved to criminal activity under the crushing weight of self-pity, Larry Gopnik chooses to fight it out and make the most of his ability to choose. It’s a delicate balance and Stuhlbarg pulls it off beautifully. In typical Coen fashion, the supporting characters nearly steal the show, particularly Fred Melamed, who plays Sy Ableman, the agonizingly serious and overbearing family friend who has stolen the heart of Larry’s wife. The story is set in the 1960s and lensed impeccably in sharp focus by veteran cinematographer Roger Deakins. Nothing is amiss in this film and each dramatic and comedic note is pitch-perfect. The characters in the absurd world of A Serious Man fit the film’s structure like puzzle pieces. Still, when we step back to view the whole puzzle, it’s hard to be sure what exactly it is. If you took one piece away, the whole structure would fall, but like any truly great piece of art, multiple questions are necessary to interpret why everything fits. For example: Why does Larry Gopnik suffer so much? Is it as a result of something he’s done? Does he need to make better choices? What does it mean

“A Serious Man is a movie for people who can laugh at exaggerated characters put in situations that easily reach a level of gleefully deranged poeticism.” Distraught and terribly confused, Larry sets out on a quest to find some balance to the chaos. A devout Jew, he’s advised by his friends to talk to the rabbi. He consults three and they all have different non-answers. Temptations arise, questions go unanswered, doors get slammed in his face, and Larry is confronted with many a harrowing choice,

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to be a good man? Could Larry ever achieve it? Is it possible for anyone to be truly good? What can we make of the film’s spare hopeful moments, including a startling intrusion of grace just before the final act? Are these tiny shreds of common grace sufficient to make life worth living? And how does that darned Jewish fable at the beginning of the film relate to the rest of the story? Much has been said of how A Serious Man is a retelling of the Biblical story of Job, that pitiable saint put to the test by the devil to see if he would deny God. Nearly drowned in raging waters of uncertainty, Job had the courage to say of God, “Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him.” Whether you think this wise or foolish, the Coens appear to have a more secular course of action in mind. The film begins with a proverb from Rashi: “Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you.” Is this the blanket answer to all the questions of A Serious Man? I think the auteurs behind it would say yes—and even though it seems like a terribly simplistic retort, we can applaud them for finding a strangely funny, very dark, and surprisingly human way to announce it.

A Serious Man Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen Starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed Rated R Running time: 105 minutes

New in Theaters 2012 Unless you have lived for the past month without a television, chances are you have seen at least 1,417 commercials for John Cusack’s first foray in the disaster movie genre. So, maybe we’re exaggerating just a bit, but the marketing push for Roland Emmerich’s latest big-budget “event” movie has been about as subtle as a Glenn Beck crying jag. 2012 is based on the fact that the ancient Mayan civilization’s calendar ends in the year 2012. While even the Mayan descendents in Central America have publically stated that none of them (or their ancestors) believe that meant the world would end in two years, when have facts ever stopped someone like Emmerich from having fun staging massive disasters for the cameras? After all, this is the same man who brought us The Day After Tomorrow, Godzilla, and Independence Day. At the same time, people do not line up at the ticket window for an Emmerich film expecting Oscar-caliber dramas. When people want big, flashy escapist disaster porn, he is—along with Michael Bay—the go-to guy in Hollywood to deliver. And if that is what you’re looking for— big, flashy escapist disaster porn—then by all means plop your money down at the ticket counter, buy a big bucket

of popcorn, and sit back and enjoy the totally ridiculous, over-the-top story and wonderfully hammy acting by Cusack, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt and Danny Glover (who all really should have known better, but look to be enjoying themselves immensely). Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover Director: Roland Emmerich Rating: PG-13

Also in Theaters Pirate Radio (New) In the 1960s, a group of rogue DJs rocked the high seas and shook up stuffy British society, all for the love of music. Dare (New) Three high school seniors decide they can no longer ignore their deepest needs and take the biggest risk of their lives. The Men Who Stare at Goats George Clooney is a shadowy figure who claims to be part of a secret U.S. military unit specializing in psychic warfare. The Box Cameron Diaz and James Marsden are an unhappy couple who receive a mysterious box that brings instant wealth at a deadly cost. Disney’s A Christmas Carol Jim Carrey is the voice of Ebenezer Scrooge in a new animated adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale.

The Fourth Kind Milla Jovovich stars as a psychologist who discovers disturbing evidence of alien abductions in small-town Alaska. Precious A pregnant, illiterate teen is accepted into an alternative school where a teacher helps her find a new path in her life. Michael Jackson’s This Is It A rare glimpse into the final days of Michael Jackson, compiled from an estimated 80 hours of rehearsal and behind-thescenes footage. Astro Boy A young robot boy endowed with incredible powers embarks on a journey of acceptance and learns what it means to be a hero. Amelia Hilary Swank stars in the story of pioneering aviatrix Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Saw VI In this latest installment of the horror saga, Detective Hoffman emerges as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw’s legacy of terror. Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant A teenage boy finds his destiny when he stumbles upon a vampire and his traveling freak show. Where the Wild Things Are A rambunctious boy named Max escapes to an island where he meets mysterious and strange creatures who crown him their king. Law Abiding Citizen Gerard Butler stars as a criminal mastermind out for revenge, sending an entire city into chaos from the confines of his prison cell. The Stepfather A young man grows suspicious of his mother’s new boyfriend—is he really the man of her dreams or something much worse?

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 11.12.09 The Pulse

Spirits Within

La Dolce Chianti By Joshua Hurley

t’s been two weeks of whiskey, both bourbon and Canadian, with the ‘e’ and without. Now let’s get back to wine for this week’s “Great Buy”. If you are new to this section, Great Buys is where Riley’s Wine and Spirits on Hixson Pike in Hixson picks a favorite from among our large selection of wine and spirits from around the world. This week’s pick is from the Italian winery Da Vinci. Da Vinci winery was founded in 1961, in the town of Vinci, between Florence, Pisa and Siena in the region known as Chianti Classico. The town of Vinci was made famous by one of Italy’s most famous artists, Leonardo da Vinci. Chianti is a large, wellknown wine-producing area in central Italy. Chianti “Classico” wines are identified by a label containing a black rooster (gallo nero) located on the neck of the bottle. For the wine to be called Chianti Classico, it must be made inside this region. If a wine comes from outside the Chianti Classico region, but within the remaining six subzones, it can be called Chianti. Chianti was once recognized by the straw-covered, squat bottles of yore, but now 98 percent of Chiantis are bottled in the traditional Bordeaux-type bottle. Chianti Classico is considered superior in quality to the regular Chianti. Chianti wine is usually made from up to four grape varietals including: sangiovese, canaiolo, trebbiano and malvasia nera. Today cabernet sauvignon is being used in the same Chianti blends. Da Vinci Chianti Reserva 2005 is made from 100 percent sangiovese grapes. “Reserva” is Italian for “reserve”, and only the best grapes are used for a Reserva. Sangiovese is one of the top two grapes grown in all of Italy; the other grape varietal being nebbiolo. Etymologists believe this red grape’s name is derived from “sanquis Jovis”, meaning “the blood of Jupiter”. This grape is thought to predate the Romans. Sangiovese contains fruit characteristics such as plum, but can mostly be described as earthy. Earthy tones can be described as the taste of damp, rich soil. This

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is considered very desirable by wine connoisseurs around the world. “Reserva” was barrel aged for one year in French oak and then aged three more years in the bottle. It is ruby red, with balanced aromas of spicy fruit and oak. The palate consists of plums, raspberries and spice, followed by a smooth, earthy finish. Da Vinci Chianti Classico 2004 comes from grapes grown exclusively in the Classico region. This varietal blend of 95 percent sangiovese and five percent colorino comes from grapes expertly grown and crafted. “Classico” is close to “Reserva” in character, since both contain large amounts of sangiovese. “Classico”’s colorino content softens the overall palate, and adds a dark, fruity taste. It is also ruby red, and contains aromas of dark fruit and spice, followed by intense flavors of raspberries, cherry and plum, balanced with velvety tannins on the finish. Da Vinci Chianti 2006 comes from grapes grown outside of the Classico region but within the zones around the Classico region. “Chianti” is deep crimson, and contains both aromas and flavors of fresh strawberries and plums. This and the preceding two Chiantis are the best choices to pair with an Italian meal, such as pasta dishes with red sauce. Da Vinci Pinot Grigio 2008 is crafted from grapes grown in the Delle Venezie region, which is located in the hilly Italian northeastern coast. The Delle Venezie region is ideal for growing the finest pinot grigio grapes, as it maintains the best of both worlds: warm days and cool nights. Da Vinci Pinot Grigio holds true to the pinot grigio grown in northern Italy; light, crisp and dry with a wellbalanced aroma of botanicals that leads to tastes of ripe apples and tropical fruit with a clean aftertaste.

Table Service

Terminally Delicious By Colleen Wade

dare say most people who have lived in Chattanooga very long have noticed the Stong Building. Like me, you might not have known what it was called, but you’ve seen it, standing there at the corner of Market and 14th Streets, an oddly shaped brick edifice. The Stong Building has a fascinating history—legend has it the building housed speakeasies, illegal gambling house and even a house of ill repute. Come to think of it, that may be the why the building so appealed to a young group of visionaries. The Stong Building was vacated in the 1980s and began to fall into disrepair. In May 2006, an auction was held to sell the Stong Building and Joe Sliger of Eastman Construction was the winning bidder. Attending the same auction were Matt Lewis and partners. You see, all three partners, Matt Lewis, Geoff Tarr, and Ryan Chilcoat, had independently chosen the Stong Building as a home for a new venture. Call it chance, call it fate, call it destiny—but these three approached Joe Sliger with their ideas and an interest in renting the building at the corner of Market and 14th. After three years and many, many renovations, The Terminal Brewhouse opened in January 2009. The owners of this neighborhood pub have done amazing things in the curiously asymmetrical

space, with large picture windows, exposed brick and ductwork, dark woods and marvelous, warm, butter-yellow walls. All the tables are made of reclaimed heart pine, as well as the bathroom vanities—all created locally by Aaron Cabeen of Cabeen Originals. The local element doesn’t end there. Matt Lewis refers to the restaurant as “approachably green.” They use many organic and locally grown items in their kitchen, including bison from Eagle’s Rest in Flintstone, Georgia and coffee roasted on Vine Street by Coffee Crafters. They’ve had waterless urinals installed by green/spaces, a Chattanooga company that acts as an eco-conscience, guiding local businesses in green practices. green/spaces was also instrumental in building The Terminal Brewhouse’s green roof. Earthscapes, another Chattanooga company, also worked diligently to create the green roof. The owners of The Terminal Brewhouse are craft brewers. By definition, craft brewers maintain integrity in what they brew. Instead of adding a bunch of flavors to what they’re brewing, The Terminal Brewhouse focuses on perfecting the beers they brew. There are five brews kept on tap year round, Belgian White, American Copper Ale, Maibock, Oatmeal Stout, and West Coast IPA. In June, The Terminal Brewhouse added growlers. You can purchase a growler and have it filled… pick one up and take it to a friend. Starting tonight, The Terminal Brewhouse is hosting a Late Night Happy Hour: Sunday through Thursday from 10 p.m. until closing at midnight, you’ll find discounts on beer and some of the appetizers will be half price. So, we know The Terminal Brewhouse is a craft brewery. Now let’s talk about their crafty food! Matt Lewis and Ryan Chilcoat worked together to create the menu of a neighborhood pub. Delicious items priced to bring clients back again and again and again…well, you get the picture. These guys, though—they wanted clients to get a little taste of their

“Instead of adding a bunch of flavors to what they’re brewing, The Terminal Brewhouse focuses on perfecting the beers they brew.”

personalities and to relax within their walls. They created dishes like “Yosemite Salmon Cakes”— salmon cakes with jalapeno and onion, “Ravioli Identity Disorder”—chicken and spinach stuffed in an egg-roll ravioli, then breaded and deep fried a la the South, or the “Look what you did you little jerk”—grilled salmon dusted with their own jerk rub and polished up with pineapple jalapeno relish, all served on a kaiser bun. When Matt, Ryan, and Geoff came together with the idea of The Terminal Brewhouse, their main goal was to create a neighborhood pub. By involving local businesses, creating menus priced just right, and throwing out great deals like Late Night Happy Hour, these guys have succeeded. The Terminal Brewhouse is located at No. 6 14th Street (corner of 14th and Market) and is open Monday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to midnight.

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 11.12.09 The Pulse

Music Feature

Dirty Rotten Thief By Hellcat

mazingly enough, I’ve been around a great many musicians. Whether it was an internationally known talent, or the local musician/waiter who plays the open mic night on Tuesday, I have held many conversations with those who see themselves as musicians. I have also interviewed a few, so I have found myself asking those artists what they think about their music, the music of their peers, and what makes their music different. There are two distinct groups that, generally, every answer can be lumped into. The two groups are: Old-School Influenced and Changing the Face of Music Forever, One Badass Riff at a Time. Every musician will admit to influences. How could you not have influences, unless you’ve been living in a soundproof room and just happened to be a musical prodigy? However, the Old-School Influenced group will pretty much craft its music to keep a particular familiar sound, as if paying homage to a hero. The Changing the Face of Music group is more based on the idea of originality. It’s “influenced” by several different genres, but is convinced that with its switching around of musical compounds, it has concocted a new formula for music that no one has figured out yet. There are a great number of musicians in this group who never succeed in that breakthrough, regardless of countless valiant efforts. When I went in to interview another band, Thief, for this week’s article, I wasn’t expecting to get anything different from the norm. Thief is an idea started by Brennan Walsh and Matthew Tub. The two became friends around 10 years ago. While learning from mistakes and fads from their earlier bands together, the two built a taste for exactly what they wanted. After a couple of different drummers and bassists, they found a bond between two long-time friends, Ryan Hart and Steve Janson. Hart took the role of bass, and Janson, percussion. After a few rough jam sessions and arranging old ideas, Thief

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fell into place. This Nashville band, Thief, had a nice little spin on the idea of music and their musical talents, which might prove to define a new group: Clever Little Thieves. Hellcat: I have to ask: What gave you the idea for your band name? Matthew Tub: We had got a show date before we had a name for our band, so we had to come up with something quick, and when we started talking about it, we came up with “thief”, because a good musician is just a clever thief. HC: What do you mean? What exactly are you a thief of? Ryan Hart: My favorite musicians are Jimi Hendrix, The Black Keys, Led Zeppelin, Tool, Kings of Leon, etc. It’s hard to say we didn’t get touched by it, or influenced by it. MT: Everyone says they are influenced, but it’s a lie to say you didn’t take from them in some way. You’ve just heard it before and you take little pieces from all of it and mix it into something else. HC: I see, I get it. Thieves. Interesting way to look at it…possibly more unusual to approach it so blatantly. I like it. So, how long have you been a band? MT: In its current format, three years, but the idea for the band has been about ten years. Brennan and I are from the same hometown, same high school, same everything. HC: What hometown? MT: Raleigh, North Carolina. HC: What is your idea of a perfect world in the next year? MT: Playing for anyone willing to listen and loving it. RH: Making people realize that

some of the best musicians are in your backyard, so that they’d give local musicians a chance. There is a lot of really great music struggling in a failing industry. Maybe changing people’s mind about music, but more realistically just being able to live on what you do. HC: Ah, yes, the American Musician Dream. RH: In the next year it would be pretty awesome if we got a publishing deal and a touring deal, possibly taking over the world, but we aren’t being given the chance to. So, I would go with finding a good band to go on tour with and build support. HC: A parent band. ALL right. Have you played in Chattanooga before? MT: No, we’ve been to The Low Down and saw a pretty rocking show, where the crowd was really amped, but musically, no, we haven’t gotten the opportunity until now. We love Chattanooga though; we go there often. HC: Really? Why? MT: We’re mountain climbers, and we all go there to climb, kayak, hike, and camp. I mean, we’re all Tennessee boys. HC: Anything else you feel like expressing? RH: Just that we love to have a good time with music and rock and roll. HC: Awesome. Come out and see if these boys have put their little stolen nuggets in all the right places. They do sound a bit like Radiohead, but I like Radiohead—so good job. They will be at Riverhouse Pub this Saturday.

Music Calendar Friday

Thursday

The Green Cards Austin’s own alternative bluegrass trio shows their soul to Chattanooga. $15 8 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com

Send your calendar events to us at calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

Digital Butter, Cory Tucker 7 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9043. www.mudpierestuarant.com Then There Were None, Fare Thee Well, Appletree Experience, The Here and Now 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. Rick Mayo 8 p.m. Champy’s, 526 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 752-9198. Mike Harris 9 p.m. Spectators, 8201 E. Brainerd Rd. (423) 648-6679. Sweet n Lowdown 9 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. Holy Ghost Tent Revival and Now You See Them 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400.

Hip-Hop vs. Rock, with special guest Travis Barker Chattattack does it again. Three live bands, two DJs— and oh, yeah, Travis Barker here for his birthday. $20 9 p.m. Chattanooga Food & Drink, 5647 Brainerd Rd. (423) 553-6645. www.partyatdrink.com

Saturday

First Annual Fringe Benefit Concert Local reggae lovers Milele Roots pair up with the Mirabai Bellydancers to support Room at the Inn. $6 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

Monday Monday Night Big Band 7 p.m. Lindsay Street Hall, 901 Lindsay St. (423) 755-9111. www.lindsaystreethall.com Old Tyme Players 7 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com DJ at the Palms 8 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd. #202. (423) 499-5055. Benefit Show with Overland Express and Roger Alan Wade 8 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. Stereophonic Confit Fest with Shaking Rey Levis, Ernie Paik, Evan Lipson, Joel Grip, and more 8 p.m. Winder Binder Art Gallery, 40 Frazier Ave. (423) 413-8999. www.shakingray.com

Matt Bohannon 11:30 a.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9043. FYI Awards 7 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. The Working Title, Oh Brother, Behold the Brave, Of Famine and Choice, St.Small 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. Starr Adkins 7:30 p.m. The Foundry, 1201 Broad St. (423) 424-3775. Tim Hughes Quartet 7:30 p.m. The Original Blue Orleans Restaurant, 3208 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 629-6538. Tommorrows End, Stria, Beyond Bethel 7:30 p.m. Club Fathom, 412 Market St. www.clubfathom.com

Out of Body, Curse the Day 8 p.m. Ziggy’s Hideaway, 607 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 634-1074 www.myspace.com/ziggyshideaway Paleface, The Dirt Daubers w/ JD of Shack Shakers, Forest Magic, Blackbelts 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. Subconscious 9 p.m. Riverhouse Pub, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066. Sweet n LowDown 9 p.m. Spectators, 8201 E. Brainerd Rd. (423) 648-6679. Gabriel Newell 10 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Booger Holler 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878. www.budssportsbar.com

Sunday Go Girls Rock Showcase 7 p.m. Chattanooga Billard Club East, 110 Jordan Dr. (423) 645-0576. Jordan Hallquist CD Release with BoardWalk Carnival,Duration, HPH 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. www.myspace.com/warehousetn GRITS and Natural Habitz 7:30 p.m. Club Fathom, 412 Market St. www.clubfathom.com Mosier Brother with special guest David Blackman 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theatre, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347. www.barkinglegs.org Star Adkins 8 p.m. The Foundry, 1201 Broad St. (423) 424-3775. www.chattanooganhotel.com Kevin Gordon

8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse, 105 McBrien Rd. www.christunity.org Second Saturdays with DJK7, Spoon, SAM-ME and Machines are People Too 9 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Sweet n Lowdown 9 p.m. Spectators, 8201 E. Brainerd Rd. (423) 648-6679. Jeremy McComb 9 p.m. Midtown Music Hall, 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 752-1977. www.midtownmusichall.com Thief 10 p.m. Riverhouse Pub, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066. Satisfaction: Rolling Stones Tribute Band 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644.

Tuesday

Wednesday

Billy Hopkins & Friends 8 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Open Mic with Hellcat 9 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919. Channing Wilson 9 p.m. Spectators, 7804 E. Brainerd Rd. (423) 648-6679. Open Mic with Mike McDade 9 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1966. www.tremonttavern.com Karaoke 9:30 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878. www.budssportsbar.com Hope for a Golden Summer, North American Royalty 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

Ben Friberg Jazz Trio 6:30 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. Take it Back, Before There was Rosalyn, Give Em’ The Sleeper 8 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge Joel with the Micks 9 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878. Jill Andrews of the Everybody Fields with Dave Dykes and Matt Butcher 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. Standard Ink 9th Year Bash featuring SPARKZ, B-Spaz, SSCSS, and more 9 p.m. Midtown Music Hall, 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 752-1977. Scott and Lance 9 p.m. Spectators, 7804 E. Brainerd Rd. (423) 648- 6679.

Jen Woodhouse and Tyler Reeve Singer/songwriter Jen Woodhouse stops into the Market before her 2010 Japan Tour. Free 11 a.m. First Tennessee Pavilion, 1829 Carter St. www.chattanoogamarket.com

Open Mic w/Jeff Daniels 4 p.m. Ms. Debbie’s Nightlife Lounge 4762 Highway 58, (423) 485-0966. www.myspace.com/debbieslounge Irish Music Sessions 6 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1966. www.tremonttavern.com A Plea for Purging, Venea, Alert the Sky, Hundreth, Alcina, Hysteria, Amity 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. www.myspace.com/warehousetn Digital Butter, Atari Speed, Oppurtunities 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia Open Mic Gene’s Bar & Grill, 724 Ashland Terrace, (423) 870-0880.

Editor’s Pick: Featured Event Of The Week The Stereophonic Confit Festival A rare meeting of seven off-kilter international and regional musicians, including bluegrass/free jazz oddball Eugene Chadbourne on banjo and guitar, freestyle percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani, a twin-bass attack from Joel Grip and Evan Lipson, violinist Ernest Paik, and The Shaking Ray Levis. Expect the strange and the sublime in an intimate, salon-type performance—plus free appetizers! Monday, November 16 $8 8 p.m. Winder Binder Art Gallery, 40 Frazier Ave. (423) 413-8999. www.shakingray.com

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 11.12.09 The Pulse

New Music Reviews Mission of Burma The Sound the Speed the Light (Matador)

By Ernie Paik

David Sait with Glen Hall, Gino Robair, and LaDonna Smith Postage Paid Duets – Vol. 2

After the Boston band Mission of Burma reunited following a nearly 20year hiatus, there was a collective sigh of relief from fans because the first post-break offering, ONoffON, not only didn’t suck but was also pretty good and true to the band’s form. Next, there was a gasp from fans—the 2006 album The Obliterati was a roaring, tremendous album, revealing the group at the top of its game. Now, the reaction to Mission of Burma’s new fourth (proper) studio album, The Sound the Speed the Light, is likely to be a firm, satisfied nod. The trademark elements of a Mission of Burma release are all in full force on The Sound the Speed the Light, with a delivery that’s more about potency and momentum than about being heavy. There’s a postpunk attack with Roger Miller’s nonobvious, new-rule power chords and non-metronomic, pounding, often unrestrained drumming from Peter Prescott. Clint Conley completes the power trio with his distinctive, balanced bass guitar tone and tight playing, and all three sing, sometimes simultaneously, with a sustained ardent vigor. The fourth member, Bob Weston, who has replaced original member Martin Swope, mainly stays out of the spotlight, but at choice moments, he uses loops to throw a bit of disorder into the proceedings, like the shrieks on “So F*** It” or the queasy tape wobbles on “Possession.” The album is a bit like a companion piece to The Obliterati, with occasional cheeky moments—for example, the charged opener is titled “1, 2, 3, Partyy!” (sic)—and a few slowly burning tracks, like “Forget Yourself” and “Feed,” that are a change from the more immediately pummeling ones. An uncredited keyboard part emerges on “SSL 83,” but otherwise, the sound of the album is classic Mission of Burma— stirring and ferocious, with a fully formed sonic identity.

The Pulse 11.12.09 www.chattanoogapulse.com 95.3 Pulse News

(aPPRISe)

Comedy improv acting is often based on the “Yes, and…” technique, where one acknowledges an element introduced by another (the “yes” part) and then takes the premise further by adding to it (the “and…” part). Old-school musical improv is similar to this, but new-school improv is a different game, where the performers can completely ignore each other if so desired. With David Sait’s “Postage Paid Duets,” there isn’t a two-way exchange of information between partners; each part is recorded separately, in a completely different location. Therefore, only one musician is allowed to react, and in some cases, a third party is called upon to mix and edit the tracks, leaving both performers without a hand in the final synthesis. For Sait’s second volume of “timedelayed free improvisations,” he enlists three unique musicians, with entirely different instrumentation. The stringed instrument of choice for Sait is the guzheng, which is a plucked Chinese zither, but Sait avoids traditional scales for the instrument and even strives to use a different tuning for every performance. The disc opens with his duet with LaDonna Smith, the iconoclastic viola and violin player from Birmingham, Alabama; Smith feverishly runs through a number of her techniques, bouncing between elegant trills and wild glissandos rapidly and playing freely in a colorful, almost defiant manner. Gino Robair uses a variety of percussion instruments (plus, apparently, a bike horn, motors, and a dolphin call) to lay down a bed of restless clattering, while Sait first lets his notes ring clearly before becoming more chaotic with his playing, bending and attacking his notes. Soprano saxophonist and bass flutist Glen Hall provides a sense of space, even dissolving into breathy wisps to call for attention. It’s a fascinating album that’s in a way like a puzzle; knowing how it was recorded, the listener may constantly try to draw connections, either intentional or unintentional.

Shades Of Green

Only Tread Marks in the Mud By Victoria Hurst

t’s amazing how much of our time we spend sitting in cars. Some of those minutes or hours can be precious moments of our lives: traveling to loved ones, hanging our carefree hands out of an open window. However, a high percentage of those minutes tend to cause stress for people— and the environment. Most of the pollution we put into the air comes from driving. We sit in cars to get to and from work, pick up groceries, get money, visit friends, and during all of those day-to-day commutes, we are burning gasoline and releasing exhaust into the air as we putter around town and curse the traffic. The main obstacle the general public faces when trying to become less dependant on personal vehicles is the lack of education. People want to be independent, and so, depend on their cars to take them where they want to go, when they want to go. They are wary of riding a bike among cars and other traffic. However, more and more people are discovering the beauty of the bicycle. This brilliant invention, dating back to the 1860s, is the primary means of transportation in many regions of the world. Bicycles outnumber cars by two-to-one. There is nothing like the freedom of riding a bike, using your own person-power to propel yourself through the breeze and to your destination, with no impact on the earth, only your tread marks in the mud. I often see drivers

get frustrated when bikers slow down traffic on curvy roads, and I, too, am guilty of this frustration. But I try to curb myself and think how I should really give these bikers a wave and a nod as if to say, “You’re doing the right thing.” With its natural beauty and mountainous surroundings, Chattanooga has long been a mecca for mountain and road bikers alike. The region is not only conducive to bike riding but also concerned about healthy lifestyles for its citizens and their environment. Since the early 2000s, many organizations have formed providing resources for people who want to make a change in their routines. Activate Chattanooga is a partnership that consists of a long list of local members, including the Health Department, Regional Planning Agency, National Park Service, and City of Chattanooga Traffic Engineering. All of these partners work to fulfill different needs under the same set of goals: educating citizens about exercise, advocating policies and urban designs that promote active lifestyles, promoting alternative transportation, and using community assets to demolish obstacles to active living. We are very fortunate to have the Riverwalk, which provides 12 miles of paved trails accessible to feet and two-wheelers alike. This path allows car-free citizens to get from North Chattanooga all the way to the Chickamauga Dam. The walk also includes a trip across the longest pedestrian bridge in the world, so whenever your gaze drifts down at the Tennessee River from the Walnut Street Bridge, remember that you

are having an internationally unique experience. Chattanooga stands out among Southern cities because of its resources for alternative transportation. For example, the Chattanooga Urban Area Bicycle Task Force (BTF) is a group made up of citizens, business representatives, and government agents who regulate planning that pertains to bicycling. The main goal of the BTS is to facilitate the safe use of bicycles for citizens of all ages and skill levels. The best way to encourage and ensure the use of safe bike paths would be to create connections from neighborhoods to other community centers such as schools, churches, and recreational areas. The group serves as an advisory to the Transportation Planning Organization, and the chair of the BTF serves as a voting member. Another example of local initiative towards healthier, less harmful lifestyles is the Bike2Work group that meets on the first Friday of each month from 7-8:30 a.m. to share over bagels the blessings of riding bikes to work. This group provides a focus on the benefits of their choice: saving money on gas, maintaining personal health, improving air quality, and creating a social scene in which to discuss new ways to share their experiences with the community. So next time you are sitting in your car, feeling the tension of the mid-day or late-afternoon traffic mounting in your shoulders, think of how you might be riding a bike and propelling yourself through the open breeze to your destination.

“The Chattanooga Urban Area Bicycle Task Force (BTF) is a group made up of citizens, business representatives, and government agents who regulate planning that pertains to bicycling.”

Victoria Hurst is a proud resident of the Appalachian Mountains. She has recently graduated from Warren Wilson College with a B.A. in English: Creative Writing.

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 11.12.09 The Pulse

Free Will Astrology SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Studies show that many people believe their attendance at a sports event impacts the outcome of the game. They are obviously suffering from a ridiculous delusion, right? They’re enthralled by the kind of magical thinking that our primitive ancestors engaged in, right? Normally I’d say yes, but not right now, not for you Scorpios. For a limited time only, your presence at events where people congregate may exert an uncanny influence far beyond the power of logic to explain. Your opinions will carry more weight than usual, and your power to shape group dynamics will be at a peak. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If I’m reading the astrological omens correctly, you’re now ensconced in a smooth groove and not even close to being stuck in a cluttered rut. You’re making the right moves for the best reasons, and never trying to get ahead at the expense of others. During a grace period like this, I think you’d be wise to convene what I call a problem team. A problem team is a posse of smart allies whose task it is to dream up every possible glitch that could threaten to undermine your efforts in the coming weeks. They lead you through dry runs that test your reflexes and prime your resourcefulness, thereby making those glitches unlikely to occur. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): While I’m pretty much a genius when it comes to the meaning of Kurt Cobain’s lyrics, the art of cooking perfect scrambled eggs, and the secrets of being a good listener, I’m an absolute idiot about how a car engine works, how to make money on eBay, and how to craft a foreign policy that would deal effectively with Pakistan. What about you, Capricorn? What are you dumb about? This is an excellent time to cure your ignorance about any subject that will be important for you to be smarter about in the future. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The following projects would be excellent ways for you to spend your time in the coming weeks: 1. Attend a fantasy camp where you learn rodeo tricks. (They might come in handy during committee meetings and collaborative efforts in the next six months.) 2. Teach a worthy candidate the intricacies of licking your nuzzle spots. (It no longer makes sense to expect people to read your mind). 3. Scratch an itch that has been subliminally bugging you. (Unless of course you find some value in being subliminally bugged.) 4. Solicit lively information from a devil’s advocate, a sexy mother, and a world traveler. (You need exposure to people whose perspectives will pry open a couple of the closed areas of your mind). PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your quest has come to a fork, Pisces. Down one path lies a tumultuous obsession—a compulsive, tormented hunt like Captain Ahab’s pursuit of Moby Dick. In the other direction, a graceful chase beckons, more in the manner of Sir Galahad’s pure-hearted search for the Holy Grail. Choose one fork and your quarry will be beastly, impossible, and frustrating. If you choose the other fork, your quarry will be magical, earthy, and transformative. ARIES (March 21-April 19): To the thug who stole my Chevy Malibu from its parking place while I was recording an album in San Francisco back in 1991: I forgive you. To the lovely and talented Artemisia, who couldn’t bring herself to fall in love with me as we partied at the Burning Man festival back in 2001: I forgive you. To the agent who helped my writing career so much but also cheated me out of thousands of dollars: I forgive you. To any Aries readers who hate it when I refer to my personal life in their horoscopes, and would much rather I confine myself to talking about them: I forgive you, and recommend that you engage in a more thorough and profound version of the cleansing I just illustrated. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The old saying “You can’t have your cake and eat it too” suggests that maybe it’s not a good idea to go out on dates with a variety of lovers while you’re engaged to be

The Pulse 11.12.09 www.chattanoogapulse.com 95.3 Pulse News

By Rob Brezsny

married. Nostradamus scholar John Hogue has taken the spirit of this idea and created a variation that I think applies to you right now, Taurus. “You can’t have your past and your future, too,” he says. In other words, you cannot fully embrace the exciting and daunting possibilities that loom ahead of you if you also insist on immersing yourself in the pleasures of the past. You can either have the old ways or the new ways, but not both. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): According to my astrological analysis, you currently have a certain resemblance to a vacuum cleaner or a hungry baby or a min-black hole. Every time I’ve turned my meditations to the Gemini tribe, I’ve been hearing a psychic version of a giant sucking sound. What does it all mean? I sense that you’re especially voracious right now, almost insatiable—as if you’re inclined to engorge and absorb any old thing that you happen to find in front of you. Are my speculations true? If so, I hope and pray that all the things you’re finding in front of you are healthy for you. But just in case some of them are not: Would you consider exercising some discrimination about what you allow to enter into the sacred temple of your body and mind? CANCER (June 21-July 22): These days, your gods can kick the butts of everyone else’s gods. Likewise, your lawyers and agents and sidekicks can most likely outwit, outdo, and out-wrestle everyone else’s. But it’s crucial to note that if you try to work alone, you will not be able to kick other people’s butts, let alone the butts of their gods, lawyers, agents, and sidekicks. The skills of your allies will be indispensable. The way I see it, your test in the coming days will be to overcome any tendency you might have to indulge in pathological levels of self-sufficiency as you cultivate a greater capacity to ask for and receive help. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “We’re all mutants,” read the headline of a report on the latest genetic research. It turns out that like everyone else, you have between 100 and 200 mutations in your DNA—absolutely new characteristics that were not passed down to you by your parents. To gather the evidence for this revelation, scientists had to sort through huge amounts of data; there are thousands of genes but only a few mutations. A Chinese scientist who was a member of the research team said that “finding this tiny number of mutations was more difficult than finding an ant’s egg in an emperor’s rice store.” I predict that you will soon have a comparable experience, Leo: From an overwhelming array of choices, you’ll be able to locate the rare catalysts you need. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): There’s a device on the market that claims to age wine very quickly. The makers of “Clef du Vin” say that by using their simple technology, you can “accelerate the aromatic development of the wine’s flavor and soften its structure.” So dramatic is the supposed effect that “one second of the device in the wine is equal to one year’s age.” I believe that you now have the metaphorical equivalent of this marvel, Virgo. This temporary talent won’t work on wine, but it could perform wonders with other processes that would benefit from having their evolution expedited. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “The soft-minded person always fears change,” said one of my favorite transformers, Martin Luther King Jr. “For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea.” The corollary to King’s pronouncement is that changes are less likely to be painful if you’re not afraid of them. According to my astrological analysis, Libra, none of that stuff will be an issue for you in the coming weeks. As you slip into a phase of riotous growth, I expect you will have abundant access to previously dormant reserves of courage and tough-mindedness. Homework: What’s the most selfish, narcissistic thing about you? Do you think that maybe you should transform it? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.

JONESIN’

By Matt Jones

“Home Slice” –rolling in the dough.

Across 1 Good buddy 4 Actress Alexander and First Kid Obama 10 Supposedly insane Roman ruler 14 Shrinks’ org. 15 Getting a move on 16 President’s tenures, so to speak 17 Bready agreement? 20 Native Alaskan 21 Tater ___ casserole 22 Curvy segments 23 “The Wizard of Oz” disaster 25 Vittles 26 One end of a gas gauge 29 “Ni Hao, Kai-___” (Nickelodeon cartoon) 32 Bready folk singing group? 39 Crop-eating pest 40 “Geese a-laying” number 41 Gives off 42 Bready magic act? 45 International Talk Like a Pirate Day mo. 46 New England seafood catch 47 Maj. event for a law student 50 Tetanus, more familiarly 56 Barnyard noises 57 “___ blu dipinto di blu” (“Volare” alternate title) 59 Sierra ___ (African

nation) 60 Bready phrase after a double take? 63 Abbr. on a mountain sign 64 Lure into trouble 65 Toilet seat component 66 Sultry spy Mata 67 Invitees 68 The start of something? Down 1 ___ the pump 2 Speed skater ___ Anton Ohno 3 “Today” host Matt 4 “I ___ man in Reno / just to watch him die” (“Folsom Prison Blues” line) 5 River islet 6 What a poem might be 7 “Farmer in the Dell” syllables 8 Med. student’s study 9 Pepper’s rank: abbr. 10 Leader with a jacket named for him 11 Author who went by the pseudonym George Orwell 12 Charlie Brown epithet 13 Sugary suffix 18 Caulking tool 19 It’s good for nothing, in song 24 Anti-trafficking org. 25 OB/___ (baby doctor) 27 ___ stapler (tool with a hand grip)

28 They’re “at work” when talking about public projects 30 Pretentiously creative 31 NASDAQ competitor 32 “Fail” alternative 33 “Good Eats” episode title where Alton Brown discusses lemon meringue 34 1992 Robert Altman satire of Hollywood execs 35 Company with huge losses in 2008 36 Adobe file ext. 37 Rec room 38 L squared, in Roman numerals 43 Queue after Q 44 “Much ___ About Nothing” 48 2009 Tobin Bell horror sequel 49 “Evil Dead” protagonist Williams 51 Shortens toenails 52 Secretary of the Interior Salazar 53 Unit of energy, in physics 54 They’re against 55 Series set in the California town of Agrestic 56 Composer Bartok 57 When doubled, a greeting from Mork 58 Suffix after “kitchen” 60 “Yeah, sure” laugh 61 Brain scan, for short 62 Wrestlemania spot

©2009 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle #0440.

Solution To Last Week’s Puzzle

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Ask A Mexican

Muy Caliente! By Gustavo Arellano

“The Mexican ratchets up the gabacho-bashing by also blaming Protestant frigidity and its eternal efforts to dismiss Catholic cultures as intrinsically, sinfully hotblooded.”

Dear Mexican, Whenever I see an ad for a Mexican ramera, they always describe themselves as “spicy.” Are Mexican women hiding habaneros in their panochas? — Concha Curious Dear Gabacho, “I wish I could say that ‘Mexican Spitfire’ Lupe Velez was to blame for the ‘spicy’ epithet so often associated with Mexican femme pulchritude,” says William Nericcio, author of Tex(t)-Mex: Seductive Hallucinations of the “Mexican” in America, “or that ersatz Latinas Rita Hayworth or Raquel Welch had conspired with the intrinsically hot movements of their netherworlds to have forever etched the ghosts of their hot pudenda into the semantic pantheon of ‘spicy’ DNA.” “However, I think its far more simple: Adjective-challenged ‘Mericans merely borrowed the epithet from Brit views of Spanish gals and their cuisine—namely paella, which would never give a Mexican a sweat, but might make a West End wonk spit fire and cry out for a bloody glass of water.” The Mexican agrees with the loco professor of English at San Diego State, but ratchets up the gabachobashing by also blaming Protestant frigidity and its eternal efforts to dismiss Catholic cultures (French, Hispanic, Italian, Irish, y the like) as intrinsically, sinfully hot-blooded. So the answer, Concha Curious,

Dear Mexican, I have a question regarding the legitimacy of Spanish as the predominant language of Mexico. In regards to the future reality of a United States overrun by Mexican people, I realized that the language spoken there is a European language, the same as Dutch, French or Euskadi. Shouldn’t there be a Mexican national movement to bring back the Nahuatl language, sort of on the same level as the Irish bringing back Gaelic? Just curious if I should go out and purchase a Mixteca-toEnglish dictionary. — El Boludo

is an Oto-Manguean tongue, while Nahuatl is a branch of the UtoAztecan language family. Besides, you’re wrongly assuming that all Mexicans have Aztec roots in them, when that’s not el caso. Nahuatl might be the most-spoken indigenous language in Mexico, with an estimated 1.38 million speakers, but that figure is less than a quarter of the more than six million people who the Mexican government says speak an Indian idioma (Maya is the second-most-spoken, while about half a million speak Mixteca and its many dialects). You’re right to assume a minimovement of learning Nahuatl in Chicano circles, but that’s based more on their lionization of Aztec culture and Nahuatl’s influence on Mexican Spanish than the tongue’s practicality or its place as Mexico’s rightful lingua franca. To say Nahuatl should be brought back and function as Mexico’s official language is the same imperialistic mierda that brought on the dominance of Spanish and the extinction of so many languages in the first place. That said, the Mexican is in favor of other Mexicans relearning their ancestral tongues, if only to further confound gabachos who are just beginning to grasp the language of Cervantes.

Dear Gabacho, Go ahead and buy that bilingual dictionary, but don’t count on speaking like the Aztecs—Mixteca

Ask the Mexican at themexican@ askamexican.net, myspace.com/ocwab, facebook.com/garellano, find him on, Twitter, or write: Gustavo Arellano, P.O. Box 1433, Anaheim, CA 92815-1433!

is yes: mexicanas have habaneros in their hoo-hahs that make them spicy, just like all women. Called the clitoris. Dear Mexican, I always see Mexicans pushing their ten- and twelve-year-old kids around in strollers. What gives? Why don’t you impose a maximum age for stroller usage? — Jealous Of Mexican Babies Dear Gabacho, Same reason Mexicans don’t impose a maximum age for living at home with their parents until marriage—why deny a parent’s love?

vs the Citadel, Sat. Nov 14 @ 2 pm

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