The Pulse - Vol. 7, Issue 19

Jenny Sadre-Orafai, photographed by Lesha Patterson

Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative

Steeped in the South: Literary Chattanooga

By Cody Maxwell

FREE • News, Views, Music, Film, Arts & Entertainment • May 13, 2010 • Volume 7, Issue 19 • www.chattanoogapulse.com

President Jim Brewer, II Publisher Zachary Cooper Contributing Editor Janis Hashe News Editor / Art Director Gary Poole Advertising Manager Rhonda Rollins Advertising Sales Rick Leavell, Leif Sawyer, Townes Webb Graphic Design Jennifer Grelier Staff Photographer Louis Lee Contributing Writers Gustavo Arellano, Rob Brezsny, Chuck Crowder Hellcat, Joshua Hurley, Matt Jones Phillip Johnston, Cody Maxwell, Tara Morris Ernie Paik, Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D. Stephanie Smith, Tristan Taylor Alex Teach, Colleen Wade Editorial Cartoonist Rick Baldwin Calendar Editor Kathryn Dunn Editorial Interns Elana Acosta, Ashley Miller Copy Assistant Bryanna Burns Videography Josh Lang Contact Info: Phone (423) 648-7857 Fax (423) 648-7860 info@chattanoogapulse.com Calendar Submissions calendar@chattanoogapulse.com The Pulse is published weekly and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publishers may take more than one copy per weekly issue.

The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors.

The Pulse is published by

Brewer Media Group 1305 Carter Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402 Letters to the editor must include name, address and daytime phone number for verification. The Pulse reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity. Please keep letters within 500 words in length.

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ontents

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Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative

AL HE L se NU T CI Pul E AN ID OUN he S T IN Y C in T k

MAY

13 STEEPED IN THE SOUTH: LITERARY CHATTANOOGA

By Cody Maxwell Chattanooga has become well known for its support and respect for local artists and craftsmen.

But those who create while sitting alone under a desk lamp with pen and paper in hand have been sadly overlooked, despite the fact that the talent of some of Chattanooga’s unknown literary artists is astounding.

feature stories 13 MURDER MEDLEYS

By Hellcat Do you like horror? Do you like zombies? Do you find yourself leaning to the darker side of things? Have you voluntarily watched Raising Arizona more than ten times, or possibly own it?

23 OPERA TO DINE FOR

By Stephanie Smith While I have written several articles about opera for The Pulse and am a former opera singer myself, when I first heard the term “edible opera,” I thought of Lady and the Tramp eating spaghetti while Chef Tony sang “Bella Notte.”

28 BOOKS IN THE RUNNING BROOKS—AND BRAINERD

By Stephanie Smith When you walk through the double doors of Olde Town Books, you will instantly be seduced by wood—the gleam of the varnished wood floors, the grand simplicity of a vaulted ceiling made of recycled railroad ties, the smell of freshly hewn pine bookshelves.

news & views 5 6 10 20 26 30

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

everything else 4 5 7 9 9 16 19 21 24 27 29 29

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CITY COUNCILSCOPE STREET SCENES POLICE BLOTTER THE LIST MUSIC CALENDAR NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SPIRITS WITHIN A&E CALENDAR DINING OUT SPOTLIGHT FREE WILL ASTROLOGY JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

Letters to the Editor Situational Manners Manners, like language, are arbitrary. [“When And Where To Text: A Social Solution”] There is no “right” way to do either–only common practice, which is dependent upon the context. Maybe at this dinner party texting in the middle of a conversation would have been rude. At a gathering of my friends such behavior isn’t rude.

Whether or not the author was right in general is a moot point.

What’s important is whether or not she was right at that particular dinner party and with those individuals.

Cain Stholer Exclusionary Manners Texting while in a social conversation with real, live people in your presence is the equivalent to changing languages—say French, for example—and then carrying out a conversation in a group where

not everyone speaks French. It is exclusionary, and makes people feel left out, something manners are designed to avoid. Manners, at their heart are behaviors designed to help those around you feel comfortable, and as such are fluid and situational. Look around as see how others are behaving, if you’re the only one texting—and frankly, unless you are on a organ transplant list, you’re really not that important to need to be receiving calls 24/7—perhaps you might consider letting the text or call go to your inbox.

CL Leavitt Support Of Manners The only time I check my phone when I am out is if I am expecting someone to show up! Otherwise, the people I’m with are the ones who matter at that point. Bottom line: Texting is rude when you’re having a conversation with someone. It’s

not possible to hear the person talking AND actively respond to someone else, or at least it’s not possible to do both of them well. It is an underhanded way of telling the person in front of you that you don’t have much respect for what they are saying. Continue to push for good manners; as a high school teacher, I face bad manners all the time, and it is frustrating and sad that this is what our future looks like.

Bethany Green Spreading the Panic I like how Tara Morris threw in a little history on Widespread Panic. [“Time To Panic”] For the record, it was a great concert here in Chattanooga! It was such a good thing to see so many people out and enjoying the music. The boys from Athens had a great mix of old as well as new blended into the setlist. We got an airplane, a Driving Song, a Last

Straw, a SICK Fishwater, and a Disco opener just to name a few.

Brad Walsh Natural Lawns I remain convinced that government’s role in lawn enforcement should be limited to protecting public health and safety, not policing our yard aesthetics on behalf of more affluent or opportunist neighbors or home buyers. It’s not the government’s job, as Councilman Jack Benson says, to uphold the property values of our neighbors by “modeling the character of their yards.” We shouldn’t be forced to keep up with the Joneses, certainly not in a recession. Unfortunately, Big Brother seems to be getting bigger, not greener, under the current administration, which wants cookie-cutter, turf grass lawns.

Lana Sutton

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...

“Since Silverdale is a ‘work house’, as many inmates as possible should be required to do some type of work, such as trash pick-up and yard maintenance.”

—Hamilton County Concurrent Grand Jury Foreman Robert Smith, on the fact that many Silverdale inmates do very little, if any, work during their incarceration.

RiverRocks Festival Coming In October An exciting new festival is coming to Chattanooga, designed to celebrate and support the area’s natural assets. RiverRocks, scheduled for October 1 - 10, 2010, will be ten days of play with a purpose. “Chattanooga is one of the top destinations for outdoor recreation,” said event founder Mike McGauley.

“RiverRocks will be one of the nation’s premiere outdoor festivals, showcasing our natural resources and the activities they inspire with a mix of outdoor action, entertainment and family-friendly activities.”

More than 40 events are planned during RiverRocks, ranging from gentle thrills aboard hot-air balloons in Coolidge Park to kayak races and peak performance events such as rock climbing, mountain biking and trail running.

“We have a packed event schedule that’s very appealing to a broad range of visitors,” said Stormy McGauley, RiverRocks co-founder. “If you’re a top athlete, there’s ample opportunity to compete against others from around the region. But if you enjoy a more leisurely pace, the RiverRocks schedule includes laid-back activities such as geocaching, casual bike rides or a sunset paddle on the Tennessee River. The point is getting out and getting active.”

McGauley and others involved with the new, not-for-profit RiverRocks corporation plan to use proceeds from the event to support the local organizations protecting the lands used by outdoor enthusiasts and enjoyed by everyone.

RiverRocks will help support the efforts of the following eight conservation organizations: • Tennessee River Gorge Trust • Trust for Public Land • Lula Lake Land Trust • North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy • Cumberland Trail Conference • Lookout Mountain Conservancy • Friends of Moccasin Bend • Reflection Riding Arboretum & Botanical Garden More than 60,000 acres of land are being conserved within 15 miles of downtown Chattanooga. Nearly one third of that is being protected by the Tennessee River Gorge Trust.

“Part of our mission is sustainable use of the land we’re protecting,” said Jim Brown, TRGT’s executive director. “RiverRocks promises to provide the Tennessee River Gorge Trust ex-

posure to a fresh new audience of recreationist and sightseeing enthusiasts, as well as ensure vital funding support for the Trust’s mission of land protection.”

Bob Doak, president and CEO, Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau said, “RiverRocks will add to the city’s outdoor accolades and encourage a new surge of Chattanooga visitors and outdoor enthusiasts for this new event and throughout the year.”

The 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival and Wine Over Water coincide with the RiverRocks activities and musical acts, adding to Chattanooga’s tremendous appeal during early October.

Organizers predict RiverRocks will continue to grow over the years, solidifying Chattanooga’s place as the “Boulder of the East”.

“This first year will help focus attention on the family-friendly ways we can connect with the natural environment, while enjoying the benefits of an active outdoor lifestyle,” said Mike McGauley. “By supporting the area’s conservation organizations we’ll enjoy another benefit—retaining and attracting the next generation of creative, bright people to lead our companies and community.”

For the complete RiverRocks event schedule and additional information, visit www.

RiverRocksChattanooga.com

Here is one of the more interesting agenda items set to be discussed at the Tuesday, May 18 meeting of the Chattanooga City Council.

6. Ordinances – First Reading: a. An ordinance providing for an interim budget and appropriating funds for the usual and ordinary expenses of the City government for the months of July, August, and September, 2010, pending the adoption of the 20102011 annual budget.

While it seems like it was just a few months ago that we adopted the current fiscal year budget, that was because the passage of the 2009-2010 budget was quite delayed.

This time around, the council wants to avoid any problems caused by lengthy budget negotiations and keep things funded while the budgetary debates are held.

And, we can assure you, this year’s budget will be even more difficult and more controversial that last year’s, as the council comes to grips with a rethinking of budgetary priorities for the city.

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 agenda and minutes from past meetings, visit www.

Chattanooga.gov/City_Council/110_Agenda.asp

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Beyond The Headlines

By Stuart James

Is Democracy Dying?

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simply don’t get it. There was a lot of hoopla in Hamilton County Tennessee over the victories in a local election—hoopla over wins in which 8.37 percent of registered voters took part in the election. People were celebrating election victories, gloating over their wins. In response to one candidate’s win, a voter made the following comment on Facebook: “WHOORAH! for the positive change in our local offices. Now it’s on to the state and federal races. Going to be a tidal wave of change for our country. Back to freedom and the true American ideals of less government, lower taxes and deficits.”

I am not quite so ecstatic over the change or—any election victory in Hamilton County, Tennessee. 8.37 percent of the registered voters voted in the primary elections: “a tidal wave of change? If the elections in Hamilton County represent a tidal wave of change, we are all in trouble.

I think we should examine why a “tidal wave of change” represented by 8.37 percent of registered voters participating in the election is reason for celebration. We need to ask ourselves why turnout is so low?

There is no time for celebration when a small minority is deciding the fate of the majority. The essence of our republic is being undermined by the failure of the electorate’s participation in deciding their future.

There is no reason to celebrate our “return to freedom and true American ideals of less government, lower taxes and deficits” when 8.37 percent of voters elect candidates to office. Instead of celebrating, we need to examine ourselves and our conduct. We must wonder why such a small percentage of voters are electing people who will impact all of our lives through fiscal policy, job development, and social statements regarding the role of government in our personal lives. Those who won these elections need to take a long hard look at their hollow victories. Both officeholders and voters should be lamenting the low voter turnout and the election of our leaders by the few, not the many.

The winners should proclaim they are ashamed that only 8.37 percent of voters voted. The winners should say that we can do better; their conduct needs to define a new

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direction for government, a direction based upon cooperation and compromise, not ideological pandering to the minority. Each winner should write down the number “8.37” and put it in their pocket or their purses.

They should look at this number every day.

The number 8.37 should guide them in every vote and in every statement they make from now on. The winners’ conduct should be based on the memory that they were selected by a small minority of registered voters.

They need to ask the question: Is this victory good for our republic, or is it a sign that our republic is losing the foundation that makes it so great?

In fact, there is no victory for any resident of Hamilton County, Tennessee. There is, however, plenty of reason to worry about a minority of people deciding the majority’s future. Finally, there is plenty of reason to wonder whether the essence of our republic is being undermined by the failure to have the electorate engaged in deciding their future.

It is a sad day when candidates attribute their victories to low voter turnout. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports one winner’s victory this way: “Mr. Fields attributed his win to the low voter turnout, saying his edge came from direct mailings to a list of diehard District 2 Republicans who voted in the 2002 and 2006 primaries. His election was the closest race on the ballot.”

I, for one, think it is a sad day for our republic when candidates are claiming victory because of low voter turnout. Certainly we can do better than this. If we don’t, we will see the death of our democracy.

Chattanooga Street Scenes

Photography by Louis Lee

Welcome to the Scenic City.

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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.

• In one of the more bizarre police reports we’ve seen in a long time, a Normal Park school parent claims that school board Rhonda Thurman was seen lurking near her home. The parent, who is part of a group that has a number of issues with Thurman, called police after she claims she saw Thurman sitting in a Lexus outside her home right before the group was to meet. Thurman, however, vehemently denied the charges, saying that she was busy at work at her hair salon at the time of the alleged incident and not only doesn’t own a Lexus, but doesn’t even know anyone who has a Lexus.

Thurman says she has met with a lawyer and is considering suing the woman for slander for filing a false police report. Thurman has been at the heart of an ongoing controversy over zoning for the school, claiming the admissions policies are “selective and discriminatory” and “favors the rich and famous, the children of doctors and lawyers.”

• Even in the movies, it is very rare for someone to escape police in a vehicle pursuit. In real life, it is nearly impossible, which is what a Rossville man discovered over the weekend. East Ridge officers spotted

the 22-year-old driving on the wrong side of the road, and when they tried to pull him over, he sped off. During the chase, the driver nearly hit a teenage girl behind an apartment complex. When he became boxed in by officers, he tried to flee on foot and was quickly apprehended. After his arrest, it was discovered the man was also a suspect in a hit-and-run accident on I-24 earlier in the evening. He has been charged with failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, felony reckless endangerment and felony evading arrest.

• Guests at a Shallowford Road motel got a surprise when they saw a naked woman chasing a man down the hallway. The woman told police she had stepped out of the shower and saw a man stealing her purse. She immediately pursued the man without first bothering to put on any clothes, which immediately attracted the attention of several other guests. She lost sight of the man, but told police she thought she knew which room he had entered.

However, when officers questioned the man staying in that room, it turned out he looked nothing like the description of the purse snatcher.

• And if you’ve ever wondered about the practice of many grocery stores to leave garden items

The List Most Popular Baby Names Male 1. Aiden/Aidan/Aden 2. Noah 3. Liam 4. Cayden/Caden/Kaden 5. Ethan Female 1. Amelia/Emillia 2. Isabella/Izabella 3. Ava 4. Sophia/Sofia 5. Olivia

outside the building overnight, it turns out it’s not really a great idea. The manager of a popular Brainerd Road grocery store alerted police that a new shipment of pots, flowers and ferns had been almost completely cleaned out during the night. Surveillance video showed the occupant of a red four-door sedan pulling up in the early morning hours and begin loading the plants into the trunk and back seat of the vehicle.

Officers searched for the vehicle, but as of press time have made no arrests in the case. The manager is considering other alternatives for after-hours storage of garden items.

The annual results for the most popular names given to American newborns are out for the past year, and one thing is becoming increasingly clear— parents are saddling their offspring with ever-harder names to spell, often deliberately spelling the names in an uncommon way.

Why a parent wants to subject a child to a lifetime of saying, “No, it’s spelled…” in a misguided attempt to make them “unique” is something The List will never quite understand.

Giving a “unique” name to a child does not guarantee that the child will end up being special. Just picked on a lot.

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Shrink Rap

By Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D

Making Love Last, Part Two The good doctor is still enjoying a much-deserved vacation, so we are running Part Two of one of his most popular columns. Look for his return next week!

I’ve received numerous

“If, for example, s/he is expected to be your partner, best friend, therapist, mother-figure, father-figure, sibling, teacher, reverend, guru, disciplinarian, and cheerleader, you’re asking too much.”

Dr. Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, minister, and educator, in private practice in Chattanooga, and the author of “Empowering the Tribe” and “The Power of a Partner.” Visit his new wellness center, Well Nest, at www.

WellNestChattanooga.com, and his website at www.DrRPH.com.

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encouraging e-mails lately regarding a recent Shrink Rap column called “Making Love Last.”

Apparently, a whole lot of us would like to discuss what we can do in order to have loving, lasting relationships…and what to avoid doing so we don’t mess up the possibilities for relationship happiness. Gay or straight, young or old, male or female, black or white, it is human nature to want to love another person, and to feel that love returned. So how do we do this successfully?

Whether you see yourself heading toward marriage, a same-sex union, or a serially monogamous commitment, there are tips that can be very helpful for the success of your partnership.

In Part One of “Making Love Last,” I listed three components that are important for the development of a healthy, long-term involvement. These are: 1. Trust, and feeling secure with each other; 2. The encouragement to be fully yourself, a unique individual; 3. Nurturing the deep friendship and clear communication aspects of your relationship.

Now, in Part Two, let’s add a few more. First, we’ll begin with a good support system.

You cannot expect your lover to be your everything. If, for example, s/he is expected to be your partner, best friend, therapist, motherfigure, father-figure, sibling, teacher, reverend, guru, disciplinarian, and cheerleader, you’re

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 18 | May 13, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

asking too much.

Expecting a couple of those—for instance, partner and best friend—is realistic.

But beyond that is where a good circle of close friends and family members comes to the rescue, the people you can rely on to be good listeners, to give sound advice, to care about your happiness, and to do activities with you that your partner just isn’t into. All of which allows your partner to do what s/he does best: be your partner.

Next, I’d advise you to learn to have discussions on a feeling level. Here’s an example: You alphabetize your canned goods. You only dirty two pots to make dinner. And you remember to give the dog her vitamins faithfully.

The Partner, on the other hand, takes the towels from the dryer, still damp, and shoves them into the linen closet. (Use whatever example raises your blood pressure here).

You open the linen closet. You could kill.

But the unfolded towels aren’t the real problem, upsetting though this may be for you.

The real issue is what’s going on underneath, on a feeling level. For instance, maybe you’re feeling a lack of respect from him/her, or dismissed, or your control issues are running amok. The towels are simply an example, a trigger. Feelings will lead you to the real issue at hand, and that’s where a heart-to-heart

discussion is important. (This is where therapy can be very helpful: in learning to identify and express real feelings.)

Lastly I want to mention the value of humor.

And I don’t mean laughter at another person’s expense. I mean the kind of humor that comes from looking at the ironies of life and relationships. (Think Jerry Seinfeld.) The two of you love each other. That’s the bottom line. So when you can laugh and love your way through the minor irritants, then you’re on the right path.

So… 4. Maintain a good support system; 5. Learn to discuss feelings; 6. Keep your sense of humor whenever possible.

I hope you find these guidelines helpful.

Give them some thought and you’ll begin to see which parts of your relationship are going well, and which parts need more attention Until next week—from a favorite diva, Patti LaBelle: “Don’t block the blessing!”

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Cover Story

Steeped in the South: Literary Chattanooga With great aplomb, the Chattanooga

Market opened its first day of the season this month, showcasing the work and talents of numerous visual artists and artisans from the Chattanooga area. Painters, photographers, sculptors, jewelry designers, furniture makers and musicians all came together to the buying public’s delight under the First Tennessee Pavilion and the warmth of a bright spring day.

By Cody Maxwell Photos By Lesha Patterson

“Despite the highly publicized conference and the meeting of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, there remains a rich and mostly unappreciated aspect to the city’s literary life.”

Chattanooga has become well known for its support and respect for local artists and craftsmen. Everybody who was anybody was at the 4 Bridges Art Festival, and the Bluff View Art District has become a shrine to the visual arts. But those who create while sitting alone under a desk lamp with pen and paper in hand (or staring at a computer screen) have been sadly overlooked, despite the fact that the talent of some of Chattanooga’s unknown literary artists is astounding.

This is not to say that Chattanooga has completely ignored the literary arts. In 1981, two UTC professors joined with the Chattanooga Arts and Education Council to found the Conference on Southern Literature, which has now become one of the leading cultural events in the Southeast, and is based here in Chattanooga. Past participants have included such major writers as Eudora Welty, James Dickey, Allan Gurganus, Bobbie Ann Mason and William Styron, to name only a few. These names carry an immense weight in the literary world, and as long as people are studying America’s Southern literature these writers will never be forgotten. Chattanooga’s Southern heritage, and its respect for its Southern heritage, was one of the reasons our city was chosen to host this conference.

With the conference was born the Fellowship of Southern Writers. A group of writers meeting at the 1987 conference decided to form the fellowship, its mission being: “to recognize and encourage literature in the South through commemorating outstanding literary achievement, encouraging young writers through awards, prizes and fellowships, recognizing distinction in writing by election to membership, and through other appropriate activities.”

It is an exclusive fellowship that has no more than 50 members at any time. The members are very much involved in Chattanooga’s Conference on Southern Literature. It is here that they meet and, according to their web site,

“participate in the biennial Arts & Education Council Conference on Southern Literature, where they elect new Fellows, bestow awards on established and emerging writers and deliver readings and lectures.”

Chattanooga’s individual literary history, though, is a bit more obscure. Despite the highly publicized conference and the meeting of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, there remains a rich and mostly unappreciated aspect to the city’s literary life. This city is full of writers of the first order who, except among themselves, go mostly unrecognized.

Many people know that the namesake of Chattanooga’s St. Elmo Historic District is a 19th-century book by Augusta J. Evans, St. Elmo. Ms. Evans became enamored with the town after spending several summers on Lookout Mountain and decided that the view from atop the mountain rivaled that of St. Elmo Castle in Naples, Italy.

The book was, as was most of Augusta Evans’ literary work, very much in support of the Confederate cause and served her “noble cause” of helping to raise the spirits of people and armies facing defeat. The book sold more than a million copies in its first four months and was one of the top three best-selling novels of the 19th century. St. Elmo was and remains proud to carry on the book’s name.

But who has heard of a small farming community just this side of Dayton called Owl Roost? There is a book about that place, too, called The Fields of Owl Roost, which won an Indie Excellence Award in 2005. Bruce Majors, the author of the book, describes it as “a collection of poetry based on my experiences growing up and living in the hills and hollows of that ancient community near Dayton called Owl Roost. “Only three or four families live there now, but the place is rich with history and tales of the folk who lived there a hundred or two hundred years ago,” says Majors.

“I have a cabin on the original Owl Roost Road and that’s where I do a lot of writing. I’ve lived in this region most of my life and my poems are tied to the countryside around Dayton and Chattanooga.”

That cabin on the old Owl Roost Road is typical of the sequestered discipline it takes for most writers to perform their craft. Writing is necessarily a lonely endeavor.

Nowhere besides the writer’s mind do the words flow out of a pen like the fireworks fly from a glassblower’s pipe.

Nobody cares when a writer says, “Watch this!” and types on a keyboard or scribbles on paper the way some do when an artist splashes paint across a stretched canvas. The act of creating written works of art can be terrible and lonely, as is often the author’s admiration of a finished work once the exhilaration of having had the discipline to complete it has subsided. You can’t hang a book on a wall for people in the

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Cover Story

coffee shops to walk by and admire. The writer doesn’t need people to look at what they’ve done—they need someone to listen to what they have said. Literature requires a patient dedication from a reader and local literary artists require support and dedication from the local community that Chattanooga has yet to offer.

For this reason, then-graduate students Rebecca Cook and Jennifer Hoff brought the Chattanooga writing community together in 2001 to found the Chattanooga Writer’s Guild (CWG), a not-for-profit organization whose stated mission is “to promote, encourage and support the craft of quality writing and to create a supportive environment for writers in the greater Chattanooga Community.” The group was proud of the 20 members it was initially able to acquire—but not everyone thought it was such a great idea. Ms. Hoff once said of the group’s beginning efforts, “We were advised against

organizing, not because it wasn’t a good idea, but because there was fear that there was not enough interest in the Chattanooga area.” Today the CWG boasts more than 150 local writers and is still growing, proving that the interest was and remains there.

Pris Shartle is the current president of the Chattanooga Writer‘s Guild. Under her guidance, the Guild is revamping its web site and expanding the already existing Independent Writers Groups. The new web site will offer all members the opportunity to post personal profiles detailing each individual’s skills and writing experience. An online discussion forum and information about upcoming readings, member publications and other events will also be available.

The Independent Writers Groups have become one of the most vital aspects of the Chattanooga Writer’s Guild. These groups provide opportunities for Guild members to meet in critique groups and offer educated feedback on current works-in-progress. Each group is unique and decides its own time and place to meet. Non-member guests are welcome to attend one of these group meetings, though to attend regularly and to share work it is necessary to become an active member. There are currently seven critique groups and four independent, open to the public groups organized and available through the Guild.

In addition to the somewhat private critique groups, the Chattanooga Writers Guild organizes public readings for its members to showcase their work. The most recent of these readings was Read Around Tennessee, an event hosted by David Smotherman of Winder Binder Gallery of Folk Art on Frazier Avenue. Among the local writers who read at the event were Penny Dyer (a Pushcart Prize nominee), Rebecca Cook (founding member of the CWG), Bruce Majors, and Jenny Sadre-Orafai.

One of the first to have the nerve to stand behind the event’s microphone was CWG founding member Rebecca Cook. She admitted immediately to being only the slightest bit inebriated, for which those interested in full disclosure should give her the greatest respect, then with her contradictory laughing eyes began reading work that immediately raised the bar to a formidable height. The following is an excerpt: “Once she saw a bull mounting a cow. She was afraid but her father barked, ‘He’s breeding her’ and that was that. She thought someone might die and then there was a burning

Support For Writers In The Area Here is a list of the current Critique and Independent writing groups organized by the Chattanooga Writer’s Guild. Anyone is welcome to visit these groups and see if they might be a fit. Membership in the Chattanooga Writers Guild is required for regular participants. To join, ($25 annually, $15 for students) go to www. chattanoogawritersguild.com.

Fiction: Ryan’s Steakhouse in Hixson, 1st Tuesday, 5:30-6:30 p.m. psculley@scullysnet.com Poetry: Hixson, 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m. Call Helga Kidder, (423) 875-0378.

Nonfiction (evening): New Hope Presbyterian Church, Shallowford Road, 4th Tuesday, 7 p.m.

(423) 892-9408.

CWG Critique Groups: Fiction: Wally’s Restaurant-East Ridge, 3rd Wednesday, 7 p.m. (423) 893-5539.

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Nonfiction (mid-day): Panera Bread-Battlefield Pkwy, 2nd & 4th Thursdays, 12:30 p.m. eat, critiques 1-3 p.m. (706) 866-1387.

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 18 | May 13, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

bush and a prophet. She washed the dirt from his feet and he held her in the air, up and up until she touched the ceiling of the sky. They say your first god is your father bouncing you on his knee. They say salvation is just a holding on for dear life. There was something she meant to say but she didn’t want to fall off. There was something she tried to reach but she couldn’t hold on. When it stops, it stops forever. But really there was only an afghan, red with black stripes and she pulled it up to her chin. She went to sleep and didn’t dream.

She was too dangerous for dreams. When she dreams, the stars fall down. When she dreams, it starts all over.”

Jenny Sadre-Orafai read soon thereafter. Jenny is a Chattanooga native who began writing when she was a child, and eventually studied under poet and UTC professor Earl Braggs while attending college. It was under his tutelage, she says, that she really began to understand her craft and began giving public readings of her work. She has since been published in numerous literary journals such as Plainsongs, Poetry Midwest and Boxcar Poetry Review and has had a book chosen for publication by Finishing Line Press. She currently serves as poetry editor of New South, Georgia State University’s Journal of Art and Literature.

Jenny read a poem entitled “Where Wedding Bands Go”, which was originally published in Dash Literary Journal and is reprinted here. The problem with Jenny is that she is as captivating in body as the words she reads, leaving the listener wondering what they’re really paying attention to. By the time she’s done, you realize that, despite her initial disclaimer that the words and the writer cannot be held accountable for one another, the girl and the poetry really are one and the same.

She read: I tried to sell it, tried to swallow it.

I tried to bury it in a field behind a house that didn’t belong to me.

I tried to throw it over some blue bridge where I had once thrown a horseshoe charm.

I tried staring at it until it vanished.

I tried sliding it on my dog’s tail, hoping it would glide off her stumpy thing and fall into hands that could give it what it needs—a good polishing, and a finger that wants it The mention of the “blue bridge” rings a bell in all of our minds. When asked about the poem, Jenny says, “The blue

Christian Writing: First Presbyterian Church, McCallie at Douglas St., Rm. 405 of the Tower, 3rd Tuesday, 6-8 p.m. (423) 842-6477.

Restaurant. $25 annual dues. Ages 17 and older, free for ages 16 and younger, open to all area poets. (423) 544-1597.

Memoir: First Presbyterian Church, McCallie at Douglas St., Rm. 405 of the Tower, 1st Tuesday, 6-8 p.m. kphillipso@aol.com.

Open Mic Night: Barnes and Noble on the final Friday of each month. Contact KB Ballentine at drinaalbert@bellsouth.net

Independent Groups:

New Voices Poetry Reading: Pasha Coffee House, 3914 St. Elmo Avenue, on the third Saturday of each month. Contact Ray Zimmerman at znaturalist@ yahoo.com.

Owl Towne Writers: Resurrection Lutheran Church, 4309 Ooltewah-Ringgold Rd., every other Tuesday, 7 p.m. Free, open to any writing style, Contact Ken Crane at owltowne@catt.com Rhyme N Chatt: Every Monday, 7 pm, at Mudpie

Other Writing Groups: New to the area is the Center for Contemplative Writing. Contact Anne at (423) 605-0525.

Cover Story bridge, of course, is the Walnut Street Bridge.

I’ve read that poem all over the country and outside the country but never actually in Chattanooga before the reading Saturday. It was hard to read it without smiling…”

Honorable mention must go to poet Mike Bodine, the self-proclaimed “Poet Laureate of East Ridge”. His reading combined good humor, unashamed honesty and a certain poignancy that elevated him a step or two above some of the others. The Shaking Ray Levi Society would do well to look into recording him. He is a writer who is a lot better than he thinks he is.

The most influential writer in the Chattanooga area seems to be Sadre-Orafai’s former teacher, Earl Braggs. Though he did not read at Read Around Tennessee, Braggs has carved out his own prominent place in the city’s literary history by publishing such works as Crossing Tecumseh Street and, perhaps his most well known book, Walking Back From Woodstock. In 1995, he won the Jack Kerouac International Literary Prize.

When asked about how the region he lives in influences his work, Braggs says, “The South is a writer’s place, and Chattanooga is a writer’s town. There is something in the air that I can’t quite articulate with words. An inviting richness hovers over downtown and along the river. Something here beckons the creative to create, to sing, dance, improvise.”

Braggs is right. Chattanooga has journeyed from being a polluted steel and river town to one of the most vibrant small cities in the Southeast. This bright vibrancy is shadowed by a sometimes-dark, haunted past, which makes Chattanooga representative of the South as a whole, of the human condition as a whole, and a deep wellspring of inspiration for the artist.

Chattanooga beckons visual artists from all over the country and welcomes them upon their arrival, offering countless opportunities, from city-organized art shows to wealthy patrons willing to help these artists achieve that one elusive goal: to sell their work. Our writers these days are picking themselves up by their bootstraps with the help of the Chattanooga Writer’s Guild and people like Earl Braggs who have decided to make Chattanooga their home.

In the end, despite not having the support, recognition or community endorsement the visual artists are afforded, our city’s writers remain as passionate about their art as any of our other more celebrated artists are. It is a way of life that tortures as much as it sustains, a sort of addiction that the writer secretly

endures, nurses and hides away. As Bruce Majors explains it, “I write because I need to write. Old memories and old sins haunt the paper all the time. I really think most poems are made in the subconscious mind and come out like having a baby. You can’t help it.”

We’ll end here with a poem of his that, luckily for all of us, he couldn’t help writing.

Passing By Pleasant Hill Baptist Church At Dusk A sinner in a Ford truck sucking on Pabst Blue Ribbon half drunk, not half in love with anything, I wonder what the Lord must think?

Tires rip and crack on the graveled road, offering jolted prayers on my behalf to a God who does not entirely believe in me.

I don’t even know what prayer really is cicada’s choiring through pines? an owl’s hoot over a shadowed lake or me stranded on uncertain knees to beg forgiveness of sins I don’t even remember?

My old truck brakes at the ramp.

I stand upright in my spirit, wholly lighted, baptized in moonlight, and slide a john boat into the dark waters of absolution The only salvation I may ever know.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | May 13, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 19 | The Pulse

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Music Calendar Thursday Spotlight

The Verve Pipe with Brad Passons The VP have been around since the ’90s and they are completely themselves. $15 9:30 p.m.

Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market Street.

(423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com

Thursday Jennifer Daniels 5:30 p.m. Chattanooga Market, Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. (423) 265-3700.

Eddie James Ministries 6 p.m. His Song Ministries, 519 Urbane Rd. (423) 473-1962.

Sanctus Real, Firelight 7 p.m. Mosaic, 412 Market St. www.myspace.com/clubfathom The Wedding, Wavorly, Hollywood Lies, Becoming the Archetype, To Speak of Wolves 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. www.myspace.com/warehousetn The Woodgrains 8 p.m. Riverhouse Pub, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066.

Karaoke 9 p.m. Images, 6500 Lee Hwy. www.imagesbar.com Jason Lyles 9 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9043. www.mudpierestuarant.com Tim Lewis 9 p.m. Barts Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777.

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The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 18 | May 13, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Friday Spotlight

Open Mic Night with Gabriel Newell 9 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Channing Wilson 9 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878. www.budssportsbar.com Pink Cadillac 9 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com The Verve Pipe with Brad Passons 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www. rhythm-brews.com

Friday In This Hour, Heartcake Party, Half Price Hero, Old Hands, November Sky 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. www.myspace.com/warehousetn Overture for Rent 7 p.m. The Original Blue Orleans Restaurant, 3208 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 629-6538. blueorleanscreolerestaurant.com Rock N’ Roll Spectator 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000.

Dave Walters Trio 7:30 p.m. The Foundry, 1201 Broad St. (423) 424-3775. www.chattanooganhotel.com Rod MacDonald 8 p.m. Charles and Myrtle’s Coffeehouse, 105 McBrien Rd. (423) 892-4960.

Husky Burnette 8 p.m. Magoo’s Restaurant, 3658 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge.

(423) 867-1351.

Odist, Jungol 8 p.m. Ziggy’s Hideaway, 607 Cherokee Blvd.

(423) 634-1074. myspace.com/ziggyshideaway Bounty Hunter 9 p.m. The Palamino Club, 2620 Rossville Blvd.(423) 624-6600.

The Tijuana Donkey Show 9 p.m. Barts Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777.

Backwater Still 9 p.m. The River House, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066.

Karaoke 10 p.m. Chattanooga Billiards Club East, 110 Jordan Dr. (423) 499-3883. www.cbcburns.com Breakfast Club 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com The Nim Nims, The Rayons, Dirty Lungs 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia Nathan Farrow 10 p.m. T-Bones Sports Café, 1419 Chestnut Ave. (423) 266-4240. www.tboneschattanooga.com Downstream 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878. www.budssportsbar.com Mark Holder 10 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com

The Nim Nims, The Rayons, Dirty Lungs Popping with power at JJ’s. $7 10 p.m.

JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

Saturday Decyfer Down with The Blue City Band and Shades of 7 5:30 p.m. Lee University, 150 Eleventh St. (800) 533-9930.

Benefit for Marsha Moss 6 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com Rampage Under the Stars 6 p.m. The Colonnade Theatre, 264 Catoosa, Ringgold.

(706) 935-9000.

Bluegrass Jamboree 6 p.m. Harrisons, 5709 Tyner Lane, Harrison.

Peter Moon Band 7 p.m. Chattanooga Zoo, 1254 E 3rd St. (423) 697-1322.

Dave Walters Trio 7:30 p.m. The Foundry, 1201 Broad St. (423) 424- 3775. www.chattanooganhotel.com Deathloch, Shadowdepth, Sordid Blood, Coathanger Abortion, Her Virgin Womb 8 p.m. Ziggy’s Hideaway, 607 Cherokee Blvd.

(423) 634-1074. myspace.com/ziggyshideaway Mr. MeanR 8 p.m. The River House, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066.

Music Calendar Saturday Spotlight

Gaslight Street Southern rock/soul out of Charleston, SC. 10 p.m.

Market Street Tavern, 850 Market Street.

(423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Hegarty & DeYong 8 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter Steet (Inside Days Inn).

Open Mic Night 9 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9043. www.mudpierestuarant.com Dana Rogers 9 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055.

Bounty Hunter 9 p.m. The Palamino Club, 2620 Rossville Blvd.(423) 624-6600.

Gaslight Street 10 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Downstream 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878. www.budssportsbar.com Night Moves with DJ’s Dust, Gambit, and Axis One 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia Subway Mars 10 p.m. T-Bones Sports Café, 1419 Chestnut Ave. (423) 266-4240. www.tboneschattanooga.com Billy Hopkins and Friends 10 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com

Sunday Spotlight

Sunday Hannah Miller 12:30 p.m. The Chattanooga Market, First TN Pavilion, 1826 Carter St. (423) 266-4041.

Emily Lynch 2 p.m. The Chattanooga Market, First TN Pavilion, 1826 Carter St. (423) 266-4041.

Open Mic w/Jeff Daniels 4 p.m. Ms. Debbie’s Nightlife Lounge 4762 Highway 58, (423) 485-0966. myspace.com/debbieslounge Irish Music Sessions 6:30 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com Open Mic 8 p.m. Gene’s Bar & Grill, 724 Ashland Terrace, (423) 870-0880. myspace.com/genem14 Live DJ 9 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Live DJ Party 9 p.m. Barts Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777.

Karaoke with DJ Stoll 9:30 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878. www.budssportsbar.com

Monday Old Tyme Players 6 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com

Paul Lohorn and the Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m. Lindsay Street Hall, 901 Lindsay Street. (423) 755-9111.

O’Pioneers, Junior Battles, Hisdaywillcome 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

Tuesay Billy Hopkins 6 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260.

I Am Terrified, A Love Not Lost 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge.

The Ben Friberg Trio 7 p.m. Table 2, 232 E. 11th Street, (423) 756-8253. www.table2restaurant.com Billy Hopkins 8 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Open Mic Night with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com Tim Starnes 9 p.m. Barts Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777.

Open Mic with Hellcat 9 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919.

Open Mic 9 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com American Aquarium w/ Dave Dykes & Grateful Hearts 9:30 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644.

Hannah Miller, Emily Lynch Female singer/songwriters highlight the Market’s music.

Free.

12:30 - 3 p.m.

First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Carter Street.

(423) 648-2496. www.chattanoogamarket.com Karaoke with DJ Stoll 9:30 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878.

Forest Magic, Arbortiaum, Pontiak 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400.

DJ ScubaSteve Fox and Hound Pub & Grille, 2040 Hamilton Place Blvd., #150, (423) 490-1200.

Wednesday Ben Friberg Trio 7 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com DJ Spins, Karaoke 9 p.m. Barts Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777.

Johnston Brown 9 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Open Mic featuring Deep Dark Woods 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

www.chattanoogapulse.com | May 13, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 19 | The Pulse

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Music Feature

Murder Medleys Do you

By Hellcat

“How often have you found yourself wishing for a band that sings about death, destruction, and flesh-eating monsters, without screaming or growling into the microphone?”

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like horror?

Do you like zombies? Do you find yourself leaning to the darker side of things?

Have you voluntarily watched Raising Arizona more than ten times, or possibly own it? Do you fancy yourself as open minded when it comes to music? How often have you found yourself wishing for a band that sings about death, destruction, and flesh-eating monsters, without screaming or growling into the microphone? Perhaps you may even long to hear death metal themes with the more calming and friendly sound of a banjo or upright bass in accompaniment.

If this sounds like you, then I have the perfect band for you: The Murdergrass Boys.

Consisting of Jason Kaylor, who plays guitar and sings, Matt Eslinger on upright bass and vocals, Mike Kite on banjo, and Dennis Johnson rocking the mandolin, The Murdergrass Boy have developed a sound all their own. It’s interesting yet familiar, warm and dark. If there was such a thing as “pirate bluegrass”, this would be it. Intrigued? You should be.

Hellcat: I love the name. What gave you the idea for it?

Mike Kite: Well, most of our songs are about killing, zombies, and death. So I just started referring to the band by that name to my friends, sort of as a euphemism, and people liked it, so I brought it to the guys, and we took the name.

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 18 | May 13, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Matt Eslinger: We were called the Ye Olde String Band Odyssey. I’m glad we changed it.

HC: So how did this band come to be?

How would you describe it?

MK: Well, I always put it like this, “What if a bunch of guys who are successful metal musicians decided they wanted to play folk music?” That’s what you get. I mean, I traded in my Les Paul for a banjo.

HC: Dennis, what made you pick up the mandolin?

Dennis Johnson: I played guitar for a while, but then saw a bluegrass band with a mandolin player. It made me want to play one, too.

HC: Who writes the songs?

ME: Jason and I write the songs.

HC: What gave you the idea to write about macabre subject matter to the tune of bluegrass?

ME: It’s pretty music mixed with something very dark.

MK: It’s funny because while the lyrics are often about death or destruction, the music itself is very beautiful and uplifting.

Most Appalachian music is macabre. It’s about heartbreak and pain.

ME: Yeah, murder ballads are nothing new.

MK: Our songs are arranged like metal songs in structure, just with folk instruments.

Jason Kaylor: I just love old horror movies and videogames. I like the darker side of things and I think a lot of our sound comes from our metal backgrounds.

HC: What are your backgrounds, specifically?

JK: I played in Moscow Theater Siege, mainly a metal background.

DJ: I’ve always played music and jammed, but never in bands. Metal music is my favorite.

MK: I have played in a number of bands.

Needle, Sasquatch, more recently, Bring the Witch. I am a classical guitarist that now plays banjo. I play the banjo in a Spanish guitar style. I can’t play it like those bluegrass pickers do. It’s not loud enough.

Metal and punk bands make up my background.

ME: I’ve got a background in electric bass. Jazz and concert band. I played in Double Dick Slick for the better part of ten years.

HC: Where did the bluegrass element come in then?

JK: We all grew up around it. Our grandfathers picked and played. It’s almost like we rebelled against it for years, and now here we are.

HC: What goals do you have as a band?

MK: Well, we aren’t interested in drawing a visor-wearing fan base.

JK: Yeah, forget them. We just wanna have fun and open people’s mind to different kinds of music. We would like to see this style accepted here.

HC: Where are more people accepting your music?

ME: They are playing our music in Austin, Texas.

MK: Indianapolis, Indiana and Michigan.

JK: Even Sweden.

MK: Murdergrass is becoming its own genre.

HC: Well, I should probably Google it.

Do you have any shows coming up?

ME: May 22 at Inherent Records that just opened in Cleveland.

MK: Look for upcoming shows at JJ’s Bohemia.

HC: Inherent Records?

ME: Yeah, it’s an all-volunteer record shop, owned by Bobby Rayfield. Come check it out on the 22nd.

Also, you can go to our Myspace page, www.myspace.com/murdergrass and download all of our songs for free. The lyrics are there as well.

MK: They are raw recordings from practice sessions, but are good sound quality.

HC: Sweet! Everybody loves free music!

Check out The Murdergrass Boys, and find out for yourself what you think of this unique pairing of death and despair with the foot-tapping, upbeat rhythms of bluegrass.

The Murdergrass Boys $5, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 22 Inherent Records, 2372 Bluesprings Road, Cleveland. www.inherentrecords.com

New Music Reviews Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings I Learned the Hard Way (Daptone)

“The Daptone family has created some of the most convincingly authentic soul records released in the last decade.”

By Ernie Paik

Much has already been said about the Daptone Records family, its obsessive attention to retro soul-funk detail, and how Amy Winehouse owes a part of her success to the label’s house band, the Dap-Kings, which served as her backing band. The Daptone godfather is one Gabriel Roth (a.k.a. bassist Bosco Mann, guitarist Cosmo Bann, pianist Sam Boncon, and other anagrams), an analog devotee and studio wiz who compulsively listened to the James Brown album Hot Pants in college, absorbing every nuance. The Daptone family has created some of the most convincingly authentic soul records released in the last decade, and one would swear that these were recorded in the ’60s and ’70s if found on vinyl in some dusty crate in a record store.

The fourth album from Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, I Learned the Hard Way, isn’t a departure nor a surprise; but actually, that speaks much for the quality of the album— the bar has been set high, and they’ve met it. The opener, “The Game Gets Old,” is brimming with details that each make its presence felt—a brass blend, perfectly equalized drums, a twinkle of glockenspiel, a timpani roll—and Jones does her thing with a commanding, yet approachable voice.

The woes of “Money” aren’t necessarily pointedly topical but are more a knowing statement that they’ve always been topical in soul music; it’s a distinguished number with squeals and screams and an odd musical grin

Galaxie 500 On Fire/Peel Sessions (20|20|20) The band Galaxie 500, composed of three Harvard graduates, never quite received the kudos it deserved domestically before its break-up in 1991. Actually, this is understandable, since Galaxie 500 is perhaps a band that requires a break-in period. I remember listening to 1989’s On Fire for the first time, nearly 20 years ago, and not really getting it—I found the simple chord patterns to be a bit maddening (and incorrectly,

among the misery.

Someone’s got to ask the question: why does this exist? Why buy this before, say, tackling a significant chunk of the discographies of Stax or Motown Records?

Listeners like to be part of something alive, and who’s to fault people for wanting to share something, feeding from music’s social aspects? It’s a record release or live show versus solitary crate-digging for obscure vinyl. Jones, Roth, and company are at the height of their powers, and when listening to this album—tight, practically flawless, while unabashedly derivative—all those existential questions melt away.

dull) and the occasional falsetto vocals from Dean Wareham to be awkward. I stayed with it, though, and gradually found it to be a hugely rewarding album, appreciating the subtly executed fluctuations between understatement and glorious swells. All the elements—Naomi Yang’s mellifluous, upperregister bass lines, Damon Krukowski’s restrained, evocative drumming, and Wareham’s fragile, exposed vocals and Velvet Underground-inspired guitar work—fit together as a perfectly matched set, also benefiting from producer/engineer Kramer’s attentive, dreamy studio touch.

This recent edition of On Fire is among a trio of double-disc reissues, which pair each of the group’s three studio albums (Today, On Fire, and This Is Our Music) with one of its miscellaneous releases (respectively, the odds-and-sods Uncollected, Peel Sessions, and

the live Copenhagen), and this is the place to start, for the uninitiated. As interpreters, the members of Galaxie 500 manage to transform any cover song so it sounds like their own, tackling disparate acts on the Peel Sessions disc such as the Sex Pistols and postpunk minimalists Young Marble Giants.

But among the reissue’s highlights (and the band’s high points, as well) are revelatory covers of Joy Division’s “Ceremony” and the Modern Lovers’ “Don’t Let Our Youth Go to Waste,” in an unstoppable, one-chord fashion. Galaxie 500 made deceptively simple, sweeping, transportive music, enhancing some lyrical moments of odd, cheeky alienation (“Strange”) and escape (“Blue Thunder”)—themes that might naturally appeal to youngsters—while requiring the studied patience of seasoned listeners.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | May 13, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 19 | The Pulse

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Life in the Noog

By Chuck Crowder

Come Hell Or High Water Like some of you, I’ve been

“Much of the character left in Nashville lies in places like Ernest Tubb Records, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Hatch Show Prints, Robert’s Western World, the Ryman, Gruhn Guitars and other places that were likely affected by the flood very deeply.”

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 popular website www.thenoog.com

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thinking a lot lately about Nashville. As the details come trickling in on what is being called a 1,000-year flood, it amazes me that this tragic story isn’t getting the kind of media attention that natural disasters generally merit. Maybe because the river rising wasn’t preceded by a hurricane or tsunami, it didn’t make for as sexy a disaster story as say, Katrina.

But, like New Orleans, Nashville is an extremely beloved city that is in bad, bad shape. At least 16 people have died. Phone lines are down. The entire city of a little over a million residents is without its two water treatment plants.

People are boiling water to drink. The Cumberland River crested 52 feet beyond its banks and took out highways, malls, hotels, attractions, Opryland and—God forbid—Kenny Chesney’s house. Seriously though, I’m just glad Kenny was at one of his many other homes at the time.

The story I found most intriguing was the extremely popular recording artist equipment storage facility down by the river that is completely under water, ruining millions and millions of dollars worth of gear owned by noneother-than some of Nashville’s biggest, brightest stars. Apparently anyone who’s someone entrusts this single storage facility with their most prized musical possessions. Vintage amps, historic— nearly irreplaceable —instruments, arena-size PA and lighting systems, and much, much more was all housed in this massive facility on the banks of the Cumberland River.

All I could think is that the owner of this place must be one helluva salesman.

“I want country music’s heaviest hitters to put all of their priceless eggs in my cinderblock basket—down by the river.” Now, you know and I know that

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 18 | May 13, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

the banks of the Cumberland haven’t peaked this much since long before this facility opened its doors. But what about fire, tornado, even theft?

I doubt there’s the same type of facility in London where Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and Ray Davies run into each other in the halls all of the time as they’re picking up and dropping off the guitars they used to record “Lola,” “Brown Sugar” and “Stairway to Heaven.”

But even if there were, I’m sure it would have the latest, greatest climate control system, stealth-like laser beam museum alarms, heavy metal (no pun) locking doors, doberman pinschers trained to kill for Milk Bones and a team of crack, round-the-clock security personnel whose weekend hobbies include cage fighting. So where did it all go wrong when the water started rising?

They say the area experienced 19 inches of rainfall within a 48-hourperiod. The river must have started rising around that time. And anyone who reads stories about floods knows that the river banks don’t fully crest until a day or so after the rain stops. At least a high-end musical equipment warehouse owner with a facility located on the banks of a river should know that.

If anyone were on duty during the rains, it might have been a good idea to start calling tenants around the time their socks started getting damp. And what about the tenants? Vince Gill and Brad Paisley lost nearly all of their instruments, including many priceless acoustic guitars and mandolins. I could see Vince sitting around watching Dancing with the Stars during the rain storm wondering the whereabouts of the

’47 mandolin Bill Monroe gave him on his deathbed. “Oh, it’s at that warehouse on the river, I’ll just go get it when the rain lets up.”

What was learned from the Katrina flooding that we can expect from this disaster is that the rise in water is only the beginning. When the cresting water subsides back to its normal level is when the real tragedy of the whole situation unfolds. And for me, that’s going to be the saddest part.

Much of the character left in Nashville lies in places like Ernest Tubb Records, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Hatch Show Prints, Robert’s Western World, the Ryman, Gruhn Guitars and other places that were likely affected by the flood very deeply. These small businesses are not only historic, but rely on heavy tourist traffic to keep the doors open— especially in this economy. What will happen to them now?

Having lived in Nashville for a while, I have a special view of the city that you’d just have to live there to get. While it’s full of cookie-cutter country music sheep that would follow each other into a warehouse down by the river, it’s also a place that still has a genuine side. A lot of musical history happened in Music City, and like New Orleans, you don’t want the slightest puddle to spoil the past.

Spirits Within

By Joshua Hurley

Walking on the Green Moon

F or this edition of Spirits Within, I want to focus on a coming attraction that will soon be a “Great Buy” at Riley’s. Great Buys is where Riley’s Wine and Spirits on Hixson Pike in Hixson picks something special from our large selection of wine and spirits from around the world and shares it with the readership of The Pulse. For this week, we return to absinthe for the exciting and unique vodka/absinthe combination, Green Moon.

Absinthe is an anise-flavored spirit often mistaken for a liqueur. Upon bottling, no sugar is added; therefore it must be classified as liquor. Absinthe is derived from herbs, including the leaves and flowers of the herb artemisia absinthium, also known as “grand wormwood”.

Absinthe is usually green in color, but can be colorless. For over a century it has been known as la fee verte—The Green Fairy.

Absinthe originated in Switzerland and gained great popularity as a drink in 19th century France, rapidly spreading to England, Denmark, Spain, Portugal and the United States, especially cities such as New York, San Francisco and New Orleans.

Absinthe was particularly embraced by 19th-century artists and Bohemians, such as Vincent Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Aleister Crowley and Alfred Jarry. It was considered the LSD of the day, and painters and poets such as Verlaine and Rimbaud consumed it in vast quantities. Absinthe’s phantasmagoric effects can be seen in some of Pablo Picasso’s earlier paintings. All of these great artists were considered “bad men” by social reformers and conservatives because of their association with the “Green Fairy.” In fact, it was Oscar Wilde who once said, “A glass of absinthe is the most poetic thing in the world.”

Absinthe contains high alcohol content and a flavor of anise. Supposedly, if consumed in large quantities, it causes hallucinations and certainly addiction.

Throughout history, absinthe has been portrayed as a dangerous, psychoactive drug. A chemical known as thujone is present in absinthe, but only a very small

quantity. Critics of absinthe singled out this chemical and blamed it for the allegedly harmful effects of the drink. By 1915, absinthe was banned in the United State and most European countries (except the U.K.) and not seen again in its original recipe until 2007.

Although once vilified by social reformers, conservatives and prohibitionists of yesteryear, absinthe today holds a beguiling allure—but is no more dangerous than any other alcoholic spirit.

The new product Green Moon fuses together vodka and absinthe. It is made in France and comes from ultra-premium French vodka distilled from wheat, barley and hops and absinthe distilled from traditional wormwood, anise, fruit, bark, herbs, citrus and honey. Light green in color, this mysterious blend carries a nose containing strong aromas and flavors of vodka, anise, licorice, orange peel and honey. Preview sample tastings have brought a positive response and spirit lovers are abuzz with anticipation for this new product. Here are some drink recipes.

Green Moon is coming to Riley’s soon.

Classic Luna 2 oz. Green Moon 2 oz. mineral water 2-3 sugar cubes Shoot the Moon!

2 parts Green Moon 1 part melon liqueur’ 2 parts lemon-lime soda Garnish with green cherries Green Tabu 2 oz. Green Moon 1 8 oz. can of Red Bull Either shake or stir into glass with or without ice.

Lunartini 1 oz. Green Moon ½ oz. green apple liqueur ½ oz. cinnamon schnapps Pour into shaker with ice. Shake and strain. Pour into glass.

See you on the moon! Cheers! www.chattanoogapulse.com | May 13, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 19 | The Pulse

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The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 18 | May 13, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Arts & Entertainment

Opera to Dine For While I

By Stephanie Smith

“When I first heard the term ‘edible opera,’ I thought of Lady and the Tramp eating spaghetti while Chef Tony sang ‘Bella Notte.’ It turns out I wasn’t far off.”

have written several articles about opera for The Pulse and am a former opera singer myself, when I first heard the term “edible opera,” I thought of Lady and the Tramp eating spaghetti while Chef Tony sang “Bella Notte.” Romantic lyrics being sung to a couple of pooches so in love they don’t notice they’re eating the same strand of spaghetti until their noses touch. It turns out I wasn’t far off.

I interviewed Eric Smithey, director and founder of OperaSouth, the company that produces Edible Opera, to find out what kind of experience patrons can expect to have.

The Pulse: So what is OperaSouth?

Eric Smithey: [OperaSouth] is a regional opera company based out of Atlanta. We’ve been around since 2006, and in that time have performed all throughout the southeastern United States. We started Edible Opera from the

beginning.

TP: So what exactly is Edible Opera?

ES: It is our dinner series, of course.

We team with a restaurant—it is a reservations-only event—for an evening with a four-course dinner. We typically have four singers, a pianist and a narrator.

[The atmosphere] is very, very casual but the food is the utmost best and the singers are as well. We put singers right at the tables and the cool thing is that the [patrons at the] tables seem to be rooting for their singers as much as possible.

[The singers] are right in front of them, touchable normal people who just like to sing.

TP: How is Edible Opera different from a regular opera?

ES: Really the acting is no different from a regular opera—or it shouldn’t be. We don’t want our actors to die of consumption obviously, but it’s not unusual for a singer singing about her dying husband to be crying. One of our performers does “Habanera” from Carmen and I will only hire her to play Carmen because she goes out into the audience and sits in their laps. It’s no senior recital—it’s Carmen right there! We want our singers to be as wrapped up in the reality as possible. I loathe opera that is unrealistic.

TP: How do you select the singers for each performance?

ES: Our singers usually have a master’s in vocal. Some have a doctorate. We do accurate age casting as much as possible;

there’s nothing worse than singing to a damsel in distress who’s a grandmother. I’d much rather keep it real—if the guys are swooning over a lady she’d better be pretty and young. We try to take different singers for each show and give them as many opportunities as possible [to perform].

TP: How did you decide to bring Edible Opera to Chattanooga?

ES: We had targeted Chattanooga awhile back because the CSO’s [opera program] had fallen on hard times. Opera is not unpopular at all; it’s just still so terribly expensive. We didn’t want to come in and take over turf; we just wanted to give the community a touch of opera here and there. I’m from Dalton and about half of our singers are also from the Chattanooga area, so we’d wanted to come up to Chattanooga for a long time.

We settled on The Chattanoogan [because] it has lots of room for us to grow and, even though the rooms are carpeted, the sound check was good. I approached them, they were receptive to it and we did it on a handshake.

OperaSouth presents: “Opera to Dine For” $60, $80 with wine pairing 7:30 pm Thursday, May 20 The Broad Street Grill, inside The Chattanoogan 1201 Broad St. (423) 424-3700 for reservations

www.chattanoogapulse.com | May 13, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 19 | The Pulse

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A&E Calendar Highlights Friday

Thursday

Yee Haw Industrial Letterpress Art Show Opening Reception Posters and prints from the ubercool Knoxville printers.

Free 5 - 7 p.m.

Warehouse Row, 1110 Market St. www.warehouserow.net

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

Freedom Writers with Erin Gruell Lecture 6 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8583. www.chattanoogaonstage.com The Mystery of the TV Talk Show 7 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839.

Chattanooga Boys Choir Concert 7 p.m. Second Presbyterian Church, 700 Pine St. (423) 634-2299. www.chattanoogaboyschoir.org Dan Mengini 8 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com Austin Center & Lawrence Mathis Exhibit Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 N. Terrace Ave. (423) 483-0270.

“Horizons” Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453. www.shuptrinefineartgroup.com “Picture This” North River Civic Center, 1009 Executive Dr. (423) 870-8924.

Works by Helen Exum St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 305 W. 7th St. (423) 266-8794.

Columbinus A theatrical response to the events at Columbine in 1999. $10 7:30 p.m.

Ensemble Studio Theatre, 1918 Union Ave, (inside St. Andrews Center).

(423) 987-5141.

Saturday

Jack and the Beanstick Fairy tale comes to life with the Youth Theatre. $7- $9 2:30 p.m.

Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Circle Stage, 400 River Street.

(423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com

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Wild Ocean in 3D 10 a.m. Noon, 2, 4, 6, 8 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695. www.tnaqua.com/IMAX Hubble in 3D 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695.

Chattanooga Girls Choir Concert 7 p.m. First Baptist Church, 401 Gateway Ave. (423) 629-6188. www.chattanoogagirlschoir.com Jack and the Beanstalk 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com Dan Mengini 7:30, 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com Mystery of Flight 138 8:30 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839. www.funnydinner.com Female Impersonation Show Midnight. Images, 6065 Lee Hwy. (423) 855-8210. www.imagesbar.com

“Fresh Coastal Scenes” Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453. www.shuptrinefineartgroup.com “Birds of a Feather” Houston Museum of Decorative Arts, 201 High St. (423) 267-7176. www.thehoustonmuseum.com “Earth Day with Daniel Bigay” Bill Shores Frame and Gallery, 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 756-6746. www.billshoresframes.com “Harmonic Inspirations” Chattanooga African American Museum, 200 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-8658.

“Transformation 6: Contemporary Works in Glass” Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. www.huntermuseum.org “All That Jazz: Fiberworks of Carole Harris” River Gallery, 400 E. Second St. (423) 265-5033. www.river-gallery.com “Seeds” Asher Love Gallery, 3914 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 822-0289. www.asherlovegallery.blogspot.com

Sunday “Fresh Coastal Scenes” Open House 10 a.m. Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453.

Hubble in 3D 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695.

Mosaic Market 11 a.m. 412 Market St. (corner of 4th/Market) (423) 624-3915.

Art Til Dark Noon. Northshore, (423) 413-8999. www.arttildark.wordpress.com Wild Ocean in 3D Noon, 2, 4, 6, 8 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695.

Pop Tots Wind Quintet 2 p.m. Creative Discovery Museum, 321 Chestnut St. (423) 756-2738. www.cdmfun.org Columbinus Poetry Project 2 p.m. St. Andrews Center Theater, 1918 Union Ave. (423) 987-5141. ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com New Voices Poetry Reading 6 p.m. Pasha Coffeehouse, 3914 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 475-5182. www.pashacoffeehouse.com

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 18 | May 13, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

The Mystery of the Nightmare Office Party 6 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839. www.funnydinner.com Wayne White Booksigning & Lecture 7 p.m. Winder Binder Gallery, 40 Frazier Ave. (423) 413-8999. www.winderbinder.com Chattanooga Roller Girls 7 p.m. Chattanooga Convention Center, 1130 Carter St. www.chattanoogarollergirls.com Dan Mengini 7:30, 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com Mystery of the Red Neck Italian Wedding 8:30 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839. www.funnydinner.com Female Impersonation Show Midnight. Images, 6065 Lee Hwy. (423) 855-8210. www.imagesbar.com “Spring Selections” Landis Gallery, AVA, 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-1282. www.avarts.org

Chattanooga Market Strawberry Festival Stuff yourself with the sweet red berries—and take some home for later.

Free.

11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Carter Street.

(423) 648-2496. www.chattanoogamarket.com

Wild Ocean in 3D Noon, 2 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695.

Hubble in 3D 1, 5 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695.

32nd Annual Tennessee Watercolor Exhibit artist demonstration by George James 2 p.m. Bond Auditorium, Chattanooga State Community College, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 478-5262.

Jack and the Beanstalk 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534.

Columbinus 3 p.m. St. Andrews Center Theater, 1918 Union Ave. (423) 987-5141. ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com Female Impersonation Show 10:30 p.m. Images, 6065 Lee Hwy. (423) 855-8210. www.imagesbar.com “A Breath of Fresh Art” In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9214.

A&E Calendar Highlights Monday Joseph Campbell Roundtable 7 p.m. Grace Episcopal Church, 20 Belvoir Ave. (423) 894-5371.

Speak Easy: Spoken Word and Poetry 8 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9040. www.mudpierestaurant.com “Solid and Round” Tanner Hill Gallery, 3069 Broad St. (423) 280-7182. www.tannerhillgallery.com “French Venues” Linda Woodall Fine Arts, 7836 Ooltewah-Georgetown Rd. (423) 238-9985.

Austin Center & Lawrence Mathis Exhibit Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 N. Terrace Ave. (423) 483-0270.

“Horizons” Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453. www.shuptrinefineartgroup.com 32nd Annual Tennessee Watercolor Exhibit Olan Mills Bldg., Chattanooga State Community College, 4501 Amnicola Hwy.(423) 478-5262.

Tuesday Flick’s Café: Jean de Florette 6:30 p.m. Chattanooga-Hamilton Library, 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310. www.lib.chattanooga.gov Tennessee Orinthological Society Discussion 7 p.m. Olde Towne Books, 3249 Brainerd Rd. (423) 475-7187.

Riverdance 7:30 p.m. Memorial Auditiorium, 399 McCallie Ave. (423) 642-TIXS. www.chattanoogaonstage.com “Fresh Coastal Scenes” Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453.

“Picture This” North River Civic Center, 1009 Executive Dr. (423) 870-8924.

Works by Helen Exum St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 305 W. 7th St. (423) 266-8794.

“Birds of a Feather” Houston Museum of Decorative Arts, 201 High St. (423) 267-7176. www.thehoustonmuseum.com “Earth Day with Daniel Bigay” Bill Shores Frame and Gallery, 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 756-6746.

Wednesday Riverdance 7:30 p.m. Memorial Auditiorium, 399 McCallie Ave. (423) 642-TIXS. www.chattanoogaonstage.com “Harmonic Inspirations” Chattanooga African American Museum, 200 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-8658.

“Twenty American Etchings” Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944.

“All That Jazz: Fiberworks of Carole Harris” River Gallery, 400 E. Second St. (423) 265-5033.

“Seeds” Asher Love Gallery, 3914 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 822-0289. www.asherlovegallery.blogspot.com “Spring Selections” Landis Gallery, AVA, 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-1282. www.avarts.org “A Breath of Fresh Art” In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave. (423)267-9214. www.intowngallery.com “Solid and Round” Tanner Hill Gallery, 3069 Broad St. (423) 280-7182.

Editor’s Pick: Featured Event Of The Week

Tennessee Watercolor Society 32nd Exhibition Opening Event The month-long event kicks off with a demonstration by well-known artist George James, who will present various types of watercolor technique.

Sunday, May 16, 2 – 3 p.m.

Free C.C. Bond Humanities Building, Chattanooga State, 4501 Amnicola Highway.

(423) 478-5262.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | May 13, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 19 | The Pulse

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On The Beat

By Alex Teach

The Part-Time Immigrant I

was sitting in a craphole Days Inn ten miles outside of Mobile, Alabama watching HGTV and sipping wine from a plastic cup when I heard a noise outside the door that took my mind off of just what could been so damp for so long to cause the smell I was currently living with.

I pulled back a curtain slightly to see that my neighbors to the left had moved their rolling desk chair and accompanying breakfast nook seats onto the walkway in front of their rooms, and chocked their door open to better facilitate the acoustics provided by the single-speaker television inside. The oldest (whom I decided was the father, the oldest brother, or both in the family) had the heel of a pointed boot propped up over the rail with the rest of his slim form reclined back in the office chair, and he reached without looking into a bucket of ice next to him that held his Natural Light beer supply. The bucket, by the way, was a garbage can.

Ah. Alabama.

While I honestly applaud the adaptability displayed by the indigenous and incestuous population of the “Yellowhammer State”, I was ready for a break and this was underscoring that need…and italicizing it and bolding it for that matter. I glanced over and took comfort in the Glock on the bedside table and went back to watching Property Virgins. (It was a rerun.)

Forty-eight hours later I was in an entirely different craphole known as “Calica, Mexico”, sipping tequila while shopping for a cheap pair of sunglasses to replace ones I’d lost earlier in the morning while straddling an inverted bottlenose dolphin named “Sparta”.

(There’s more to Mexico than donkey shows and diarrhea, you know; the urge to specify this is brought on only by the recent mention of the Alabama Populace at large.)

The market was the usual haven for tourist dollars; a place successfully tempting people to travel 700 miles over the Gulf of Mexico to purchase knock-off items shipped from the same country they just traveled from, though justified as being local for also selling cheap sombreros for people known as “assholes” to wear on the plane ride or cruise ship back to The Big Paycheck. I walked along

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its storefronts, and just as anyone who has seen the outskirts of Washington, D.C. and marveled at its majesty just prior to stepping over the line in a little place called Anacostia, D.C. and suddenly considering crapping their pants, the view past the polished stones of the market square was more than disturbing to the average suburbanite on holiday.

There beyond the fortified walls of this economic fortress lay the graffiti-covered poured-concrete structures that dominated the sunbaked streets here, as they supported the half-assed structures built against and around them from seasonal storms and arson. This was the real Mexico, the “Stab You” Mexico that doesn’t make the brochures any more than the Section 8 areas of our own nation’s capital do, despite the valiant efforts made therein to keep it the “Murder Capital” of the United States.

As I surveyed these surroundings, muscle memory kicked in, and I subconsciously drew my right forearm in to my waist to simultaneously feel the comfort of a gun butt above my belt and make mental note of its distance to my palm should it need to slide up and draw it, when deep alarm bells rang in my head alerting me that it was not there.

I wasn’t on American soil, and it was a feeling worse than simply having left my gun locked in the car or in my safe. Should the feces hit the fan, I wasn’t just unarmed… as far as I was concerned, help simply wasn’t coming.

No matter how much you hated George Bush two years ago or photo enforcement in the current one, or even the Baby Jesus in the school system in any given year…

EVERYONE is patriotic when they’re scared and on foreign soil. Even if your nightmare of being naked on a school bus comes true, at least in America, no matter what the current “Why I hate and fear the police at this particular moment” issue is, you don’t worry about help not being there at all. In America, even the fiercest critic of police hates them until their back is against the wall and those same cops are the first ones they call for help…not Momma, not their bestest buddies. But when you slip towards the Third World? Hell. Honest cops in Mexico are the ones found headless in the desert… not a hypocritical cell-phone call away.

I’m not afraid of an ass-beating; you can’t be an inner city cop and think that way. But I was sensible enough not to want to risk

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 18 | May 13, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

“EVERYONE is patriotic when they’re scared and on foreign soil.” being stabbed for a pair of fake Oakley’s on the outskirts of a town that looked like a crater gouged from the side of a bleak jungle seascape, where even the overgrown scrub that passed for a “jungle” looked as starved and beaten as its populace. No. That’s this week’s theme, you see. This week’s lesson. Like not appreciating a good woman (or man) until they’re gone…take a walk down South Kelley Street or Calica’s Federal Highway 307 and see how much you hate the police then. What an awful feeling, walking under a different flag.

I eventually found the glasses I sought, and several rum-based drinks that aided in that quest, and returned to the safe haven of the ship I’d arrived on (which like the dolphin ride is a completely separate story). It was safe again; a little floating America with its pleasant façade of safety, and I felt normal again.

It was about that time I saw my neighbors from the Days Inn trying sushi for the first time just down the Promenade deck from me, and I realized again, not only was I not that far from home…I wasn’t better than anyone else for leaving in the first place. I smiled… but I did not covet their new sombreros.

(Assholes.)

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. Follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/alexteach

The Pulse • Dining Out Spotlight

The Burger of Your Dreams at Five Guys

by Colleen Wade So by now, most everyone in the Tennessee Valley has heard of 5 Guys Burgers and Fries.

I mean, they have four locations right here in our own backyard. But what I have always wondered is, “Why five guys? Why not six guys? Or ten guys? Are there only five guys who work there?” When I have the opportunity, I take advantage of whatever information I can glean from the Internet. With this particular restaurant, I found a plethora of material.

For instance, the first 5 Guys Burgers and Fries was opened in Arlington, Virginia in 1986

by Janie and Jerry Murrell and their four sons: Hence the name 5 Guys Burgers and Fries.

By 2002, there were six 5 Guys Burgers and Fries in Northern Virginia, all run by the Murrell family. The Murrells had found their niche.

The popularity of 5 Guys Burgers and Fries continued to grow, and the Murrell family decided to franchise the restaurant. As of early April, there are more than 500 locations throughout the United States and Canada.

The concept of 5 Guys Burgers and Fries began with a home-cooked burger. That’s right—a home-cooked burger. The founders of 5 Guys Burgers and Fries felt like customers should be able to go out to dinner, get a burger, and have it be just as good as a home-cooked one. So that’s what they set out to do…make the best burger possible.

All burgers at 5 Guys Burgers and Fries are made with all-American fresh beef. The patties are hand pressed every morning and are cooked when the customer places their order. All burgers are served well done to ensure consistency and, frankly, 5 Guys is of

the opinion that, “Our burgers taste best cooked juicy and well done.” It seems to be working for them. The locations here have been winning People’s Choice awards left and right—and not just for their burgers.

Their fries are amazing as well. In fact, sitting there with Jim Richards and Glen Griffiths, partners and owners of the four locations here in the Chattanooga area (as well as a couple more in middle Tennessee), I noticed a sign on the wall. “Today’s potatoes are from Sugar City, Idaho, Riverside Farms.” I had to ask. “Do they change that sign daily?” Glen Griffiths was quick to answer. “Yes. Every time the source, where they come from, changes, we change the sign,” he explained. “We use a very dense potato out of Idaho or Washington State.

It’s really a baking potato that we cut for fries.”

Their fries are cut fresh daily and placed in a water bath to rinse the starches off, then fried in peanut oil. Both partners were eager to discuss the benefits of peanut oil. “No trans fats.” “No cholesterol.”

5 Guys has remained consistent in the face of economic challenges and changing times.

When tomatoes were difficult to find, and many restaurants only offered tomatoes upon request, 5 Guys still listed them proudly as one of their FREE toppings. Imagine this: You walk into 5 Guys Burgers and Fries for the very first time.

You love burgers. You eat burgers a lot, and you always order your burger “all the way.” You place your order. The person taking your order stops you. “Our all the way is with mayonnaise, onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, grilled onions and grilled portabella mushrooms.” WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? That’s a specialty burger. Surely that’s going to cost more! But no…all the available toppings are free! It’s just one more way 5 Guys Burgers and Fries goes above and beyond for their customers.

If you’re looking for quality food, spotlessly clean restaurants, and service any restaurateur would be proud of, 5 Guys Burgers and Fries is definitely the place for you.

5 Guys Burgers and Fries has four locations to better serve the Tennessee Valley, 5110 Hixson Pike, just north of Northgate Mall in Hixson; 2020 Gunbarrel Road, across from Hamilton Place Mall in the Hamilton Village shopping center; 1303 W. Walnut Ave., a half mile from I-75 in Dalton, Georgia; and 129 Stuart Road at Farmerland Corners in Cleveland. Visit www. fiveguys.com for hours.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | May 13, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 19 | The Pulse

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The Art Of Business

Books in the Running Brooks—and Brainerd

By Stephanie Smith

“Olde Towne houses a lot of leather-bound, vintage, rare and first edition books, the most valuable being a two-volume, full leatherbound complete collection of Hemingway.”

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When you walk through the

double doors of Olde Towne Books, you will instantly be seduced by wood—the gleam of the varnished wood floors, the grand simplicity of a vaulted ceiling made of recycled railroad ties, the smell of freshly hewn pine bookshelves. In short, you’ve entered an appropriate setting to showcase literary treasures of old.

In a “slowing down of life,” selfproclaimed “book nuts” Jeff and Beverly Whitley bought an old retail building near the Brainerd tunnels and converted it into the bookstore of their dreams. The owners opened Olde Towne Books in March of this year, not only to fulfill a personal dream, but also to help rebuild the community. With the blessing of the Olde Towne Brainerd Association, they restored the rundown building and soon made it “a positive piece of the neighborhood.”

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 18 | May 13, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

They opened up the space, tearing down drop-in ceilings and exposing the original brick walls and brought in antique furniture to make the interior space comforting.

There is always freshly brewed coffee at the ready–there are plans to open a coffee shop next door—and WiFi is available for those who must surf. In short, the Whitleys have created a space that is familiar and inviting, sure to be a booklover’s paradise, and they have added 40 parking spaces in the back.

Most of the readership of The Pulse did not learn to read in the digital age.

Information was found in books, and the source of literature was in the library or your local bookstore.

Romance and adventure were found on the pages of a book, the words exciting the imagination in a unique way that no television show or movie ever could. The Whitleys are both avid readers and want to bring the love of books back to the Scenic City.

“I like the physical feel of an old book in my hand,” says Whitley. “That’s one of the reasons our used bookstore is unique.

The advantage of a bookstore like ours is that you can look through all the books on a topic and make sure they’re for you. I’ve ordered books online before and then I open them up and they don’t speak to me.

I like to look through the books and see if me and the author are pals.”

Olde Towne houses a lot of leatherbound, vintage, rare and first edition books, the most valuable being a twovolume, full leather-bound complete collection of Hemingway. They also have signed first editions of Frank McCourt

novels and a To Kill a Mockingbird signed

by Harper Lee. With more than 15,000 volumes on the shelves, and more than 10,000 books in the back of the store, there is sure to be something to attract the ardent reader. The care with which the books are handled is also evident, as there is no discernable smell of mold or mildew, smells which frequently accompany used bookstores and put off potential buyers.

“Our books are not musty and old,” says Whitley. “If they’re not nice, we don’t put them on the shelves.”

Every Tuesday night there is a guest speaker for discussion groups. Former speakers have included a master gardener, a local historian, and a horse breeder before the Kentucky Derby. Admission is free and refreshments are provided.

“It’s open to everybody,” says Beverly.

“We try to make it a nice place for people to come in and relax. We do book signings with local artists and we’re planning to have children’s readings on Saturday mornings in the summer. We’ve had a couple of book clubs interested and we would welcome them. This space kind of belongs to [the community].”

Jeff agrees. “We’re also talking about setting up a tutoring program. We offer the space to anybody who needs it.”

And do they have any fears about Kindle? Not one.

“It’s like the difference between seeing a Broadway performance and television,” says Beverly. “Kindle is kind of like that; [literature] is not the same without the feel of turning pages and that sense of anticipation.”

Jeff exclaims, “Bookstores will never be impacted by technology. We would never have gotten into this business if we thought technology would take over.”

Olde Towne Books 3213 Brainerd Rd. (across from The Comedy Catch) (423) 475-7187 Visit them on Facebook.

JONESIN’

“Just For Kicks” –games of the leg.

Free Will Astrology TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “I can’t live the buttondown life,” says cartoon character Homer Simpson.

“I want it all: the terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles.” Born May 10, Homer is unusual for a Taurus. Many of your tribe love the creamy middles but are quite content to live without the terrifying lows, even if that means being deprived of your fair share of dizzying highs. While that may sometimes seem like a boring limitation, I don’t expect it to be any time soon. The creamy middles that are looming for you are the lushest, plushest creamy middles I’ve seen in a long time.

Terrifying lows and dizzying highs will be irrelevant.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Spanish painter Francisco Goya created an etching entitled “El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos.” Its two possible translations have very different meanings: “The sleep of reason produces monsters” or “The dream of reason produces monsters.” The first version suggests that when our reasoning faculties go dormant, we’re susceptible to doing dumb and crazy things. The second version implies that if we rely excessively on our reasoning faculty, it acquires a lunatic hubris that devalues our emotions and distorts our imagination. You’re more susceptible to the former than the latter right now, Gemini, but it’s crucial that you avoid both. A way out of your pain is available if you use your reason just right—neither too little nor too much.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Some of your illusions seeped into you before you learned to talk. Others sneaked into you later, while you were busy figuring out how to become yourself. Eventually, you even made conscious choices to adopt certain illusions because they provided you with comfort and consolation. There’s no need to be ashamed of this. It’s a natural part of being a human being.

Having said that, I’m happy to announce that you’re entering a phase when you will have the power to shed at least some of your illusions–especially the ones you consciously chose -- in ways that don’t hurt you. To begin the process, declare this intention: “I have the courage to see life as it really is.”

Across 1 “Cougar Town” network 4 Get the latest software version 10 Amortized money 14 Good buddy 15 A maiko may someday become one 16 Strange, in Scottish slang 17 With 21-across, leggy board game with jumping pieces?

19 Good buddy 20 It’s struck at a shoot 21 See 17-across 23 “Sorry, Blame It On Me” singer 25 Garage scrap that’s highly flammable 26 With 47- and 53-across, active marble game for your legs?

29 “Win, Lose or Draw” host Bert 30 Installation material 31 “Make Me ___” (Fleetwood Mac song)

33 Forerunner of the CIA 36 Leg-based game of questions and answers?

40 Tappan ___ Bridge 41 Eddie who pitched on five World Serieswinning teams 42 Wynken and Blynken’s partner 44 No-holds-barred tribute 47 See 26-across 49 Leftover dirt 52 Holiday starch sources 53 See 26- and 47-across 55 Fannie ___ (securities) 57 “Nurse Jackie” star Falco 58 Simple leggy game of three-in-a-row?

62 Dakota, once: abbr.

63 Spinning one’s wheels 64 Well-armed gp.

65 “Star Trek: The Next Generation” counselor

Deanna 66 Way out 67 Word on some jeans Down 1 Well-chosen 2 Scrooge’s kvetch 3 Quick accessory for a job interview 4 Disgusted grunts 5 Lap dog, for short 6 Clamor 7 “Hey, wait ___!”

8 What “I Got”, in a 1998 Master P movie title 9 Access slowly 10 Phrase for the fortunate 11 “___ Majesty’s Secret Service” 12 Maker of the MDX SUV 13 Chinese restaurant menu phrase 18 Sound on a Chuck Barris show 22 155, in old Rome 23 “I got you!”

24 Brando, in “Apocalypse Now”

27 Bollywood actress Aishwarya 28 Peruvian singer Sumac 29 $100 bill, in old slang 32 Like the eye on the back of the $1 bill 34 Do some karaoke 35 Tempest 37 Repetitive-sounding vitamin deficiency 38 Crowd cheer 39 Guy’s name after R? 43 Functional start?

45 “Deep Space Nine” shapeshifter 46 Em, to Dorothy 48 No, in Novgorod 49 Scarlett’s suitor 50 Duck down 51 Former VP Agnew 54 Appendectomy leftover 55 Art Spiegelman graphic novel 56 Takes to the stage 59 Three, in Torino 60 Major time period 61 Tree goo

Crossword created By Matt Jones. © 2010 Jonesin’ Crosswords. 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 #0467.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): According to a statute in the state of Indiana, you may not use your bare hands to catch a fish from a lake. In Fairbanks, Alaska, you’re breaking the law if you let a moose slurp an alcoholic drink. In Flowery Branch, Georgia, you may be arrested if you shout out “Snake!” Arizona doesn’t permit you to let a donkey sleep in your bathtub. And yet I’ve got to say that you Leos could probably get away with all of these acts and more in the coming weeks. The omens suggest that your levels of freedom are extremely high, as is your amount of slack. You’ll have clearance to do many things you wouldn’t normally be able to do.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I didn’t think it was possible, but paranoid visions of doom and gloom have become even more popular in the past few years than ever before. Apocalypse-watching is no longer a fringe hobby reserved for conspiracy fetishists; it has gone mainstream. And yet here I am in the midst of the supposed mayhem, babbling my eccentric ideas about how we are living in the single most wonderful time in the history of civilization. So let me ask you a crucial question, especially if you’re one of the millions of normal people who believes that cynicism is a supreme sign of intelligence: Do you really want to be getting your fortune told by a rebel optimist like me? You should know that all my horoscopes are rooted in the hypothesis that expecting the best makes you happier, safer, kinder, wilder, stronger, and smarter.

What happens in the coming weeks will, in my opinion, be dramatic proof of that.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The bad news is that climate change is really underway. That’s why Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal has sunk beneath the waves, swallowed up by rising sea levels and shifts in monsoon patterns. The good news is that its disappearance has ended a dispute

By Rob Brezsny Truthrooster@gmail.com between India and Bangladesh, both of which claimed it as their own. There’s nothing left to fight over. I foresee a metaphorically comparable scenario coming to your life, Libra: an act of nature that will render a conflict irrelevant.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Some experts say methamphetamine is more addictive than any other drug. Here’s one reason why, according to “Mothers Against Methamphetamines” founder Dr. Mary Holley: “The effect of an IV hit of methamphetamine is the equivalent of 10 orgasms all on top of each other lasting for 30 minutes to an hour, with a feeling of arousal that lasts for another day and a half.” At least that’s what it’s like in the early stages of using the drug. After a while, hell sets in and the body is no longer happy. Luckily, you Scorpios won’t be tempted to fall victim to meth splurges any time soon. Without relying on anything more than your natural powers, your capacity for experiencing erotic pleasure will be substantial.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your eyes can discriminate between about 500 various shades of gray. Let’s hope your moral compass is as precise in its power to distinguish subtle differences. Why? Because there will be no easy black-versus-white decisions to make in the near future; no simple, foolproof way to determine the distinctions between good and bad. I recommend that for now you give up hope of achieving utter certainty, and instead celebrate the refined pleasures of nuanced, complicated truth.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): These days you have an extraordinary capacity to perform magic.

And when I use that word “magic,” I mean it in a very specific sense: causing practical changes to occur in accordance with your most noble and beautiful desires. I’m not talking about the kind of “magic” that helps you gratify mediocre wishes or tawdry fantasies. I’m not saying you should go on an acquisitive binge as you gather up booty and bragging points. Rather I’m letting you know that you have the power to create inspiring transformations in the way your life works.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Do you want to know where all the power lies for you right now? It’s nowhere. Do you want to know what the nature of that power is? It’s nothing. But before you jump to conclusions about the meaning of what I just said, read this passage from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, translated by Stephen Mitchell: “We join spokes together in a wheel, but it is the center hole that makes the wagon move. We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want. We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it livable.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A Pisces woman I know was harried by ant swarms invading her kitchen. She could have run out to the drug store and brought home loads of poisonous little ant hotels. Instead, she gave her imagination the goahead to brainstorm. Soon she’d come up with a solution. She scooped up a host of ants and threw them in a blender with the other ingredients of her smoothie, then drank it all down. The next day, all the ants had departed, as if scared off by the Great Devourer. I suggest you learn from her example, both in the sense of being open to outlandish possibilities and in the sense of finding alternate ways to deal with adversaries.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): What happens when someone “sells out”? Typically, it refers to a person who overrides her highest artistic standards or her soul’s mandates in order to make a bundle of money. But I want to enlarge the definition to encompass any behavior that seeks popular appeal at the expense of authenticity, or any action that sacrifices integrity for the sake of gaining power. I think you have to be especially on guard against this lapse in the coming days, Aries—not only in yourself but also in those you’re close to.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | May 13, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 19 | The Pulse

29

Ask A Mexican!

By Gustavo Arellano

Regional Anti-Mexican Slur Edition

Dear Readers, I was supposed to deliver this column to ustedes for Cinco de Drinko, but Arizona’s reprehensible S.B. 1070 bill had to rear its ugly head. I could devote this column to the issue again, but Mexican-hating is a national sport, and we must darle chingazos wherever it pops out. Big shout-outs, though, to the Phoenix Suns for coming out en masse against the resolution, and the city of Tucson for suing its home state over the pendejada.

Root for the former, and eat a bacon-wrapped hot dog in honor of the latter—and don’t boycott either of them.

The issue before us: regional anti-Mexican slurs. I asked ustedes a couple of weeks ago to share with me your home region’s unique way of insulting Mexicans—in other words, hyper-local synonyms for wetback, beaner, and other anti-Mexican slurs.

Below are some of the better ones in alphabetical order, the region from where it originates, and its etymology, if any. If your hometown’s way of hating Mexicans isn’t

30

listed, e-mail it to me, por favor!

Brazer: Chicago. Shortened version of bracero (“fieldworker”) a term most famously known in the United States under the auspices of the Bracero Program. This agreement between the American and Mexican governments, lasting from 1942 through 1964, officially brought cheap Mexican labor into the United States and helped kick off in earnest the Reconquista.

Made famous in Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street.

Bronc: Santa Barbara, California. No known etymology.

Bully: Inland Empire, California. Refers to the bull decals wabs put on trucks.

Cheddar: Denver. An Anglicized shortening of ‘chero, itself an elided way of saying ranchero (“farmer”).

Chicali: Coachella Valley, California. A shortened version of Mexicali, the Mexican city two hours away.

Chook: I received this word from readers across the border region spanning New

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 18 | May 13, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Mexico to McAllen, Texas. Short for pachuco, a slur against Mexican youth during the 1940s that was eventually appropriated by them and turned into the iconic zoot suitwearing chuco suave.

Chopa/Chopita: The former spans California’s Wine Country, from Sonoma to Napa; the latter is more prominent in the San Francisco Bay Area. Etymology unknown.

Fronchis: El Paso, Texas. An abbreviation derived from “Frontera Chihuahua,” the legend printed on license plates for cars in the Mexican state of Chihuahau, just across the United States-Mexico border.

Jagger: California’s Central Valley. One theory says it’s a badly mispronounced version of llegar (“to come”), and refers to recently arrived wabs.

Mojarra: I received multiple entries for this word from the Dallas area, but I’ve heard mojarra uttered in other areas as well. The word is a play on mojado (“wetback”), as mojarra is the Spanish word for tilapia.

Paisa: American prisons. Short for paisano

(“countryman”), this is actually a widespread slur but has a distinct definition in our prison system, referring to inmates born in Mexico to differentiate them from the Mexican cons born in the United States (“raza”).

TJ: Oxnard, California. Acronym for Tijuana.

Wab: Orange County, California. No known etymology—theories range from it being an acronym for “went across border” to wab deriving from the classic anti-Italian slur, “wop.” The only problem with the latter explanation is that la naranja historically has had little Italian immigration and thus has as much reason to hate guidos as Know Nothing Arizonans does the Klan.

Ask the Mexican your question vir e-mail at themexican@askamexican.net