FREE • News, Views, Music, Film, Arts & Entertainment • August 19, 2010 • Volume 7, Issue 33 • www.chattanoogapulse.com
Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative 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, Townes Webb Graphic Design Jennifer Grelier Staff Photographer Louis Lee Photography Intern Corinne Oglesby Contributing Writers Gustavo Arellano, Maggie Behringer Erik Bhatnagar, Rob Brezsny Chuck Crowder, Hellcat Joshua Hurley, Phillip Johnston Matt Jones, Mark Kehoe D.E. Langley, Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D. Alex Teach, Michael Turner
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cover story
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14 CHANGING OF THE ART GUARD By Janis Hashe There’s been no shortage of recent stories praising the thriving state of Chattanooga’s arts community. With the support of dedicated boards and volunteers, the big nonprofits are weathering the Great Recession, even if it has meant tightening belts to the last notches.
Editorial Cartoonist Rick Baldwin Calendar Editors Bryanna Burns, Josh Lang Editorial Assistant Sean Lee Contact Info: Phone (423) 265-9494 Fax (423) 266-2335 Email Inquiries 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.
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ontents
AL THE Y: gn NU OF R B esi AN TE OVE er D A t ST S C ns o T AR g M un Yo
AUGUST
feature stories
"Something Like That" by Tara Harris
17 A VISIT WITH THE MAESTRO By Janis Hashe Few local arts lovers would dispute that Maestro Robert Bernhardt is not only one of the best-beloved figures of recent city arts history, but that his expertise and influence have elevated the Chattanooga Symphony.
18 SIGNS ARE SOLID FOR MUSIC SCENE By Chuck Crowder A host of diverse local musical talent, top-notch recording facilities and choice of performance venues over the last five years have revived what had become a somewhat stale landscape for in-town tunes.
23 DANCING IN 2011 By Janis Hashe As the arts scene continues to develop in Chattanooga, one aspect of performance is a little slower in picking up steam: dance. Though there are plenty of places in the city to learn to dance, fans of professional dance performances are hoping for more, both from local groups and from touring companies.
news & views 7 8 12 44 50 62
PULSE BEATS BEYOND THE HEADLINES SHRINK RAP LIFE IN THE NOOG ON THE BEAT ASK A MEXICAN
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICE BLOTTER NEW MUSIC REVIEWS MUSIC CALENDAR A&E CALENDAR NEW IN THEATERS PULSE DINING SPIRITS WITHIN JOY STICK FREE WILL ASTROLOGY JONESIN’ CROSSWORD
Letters to the Editor Crime In Chattanooga I didn’t know quite what to expect when I picked up The Pulse last week to see a cover story on crime in the city only to note it was written by Alex Teach. I’ve been a fan of Alex’s columns ever since he started writing for your paper, but I was afraid that he would gloss over what is really going in this city with weird anecdotes, odd dreams or other such inanity. So I have to share that I was pleasantly surprised by the honesty and direct approach he took in telling the truth. We do have gangs. Hamilton Place Mall is in fact a high crime area. The city is not nearly as dangerous as certain media people and politicians make it out to be. And even more obviously, we have a mayor who seems completely out of touch. I still shake my head whenever I think about Littlefield’s “flash mob” speech after the gang shootings in Coolidge Park. Good job, Officer Teach. You be safe out there. Terence Carter How much trouble is Alex Teach going to get into from his new superiors if he keeps telling the truth instead of following the “official” line coming from the mayor’s office? This administration and their hand-picked new police chief (promoted over several more qualified and experienced officers, I might add)
cannot tolerate any member of the department to actually say things like “we have gangs” and “the mayor is an idiot”. I applaud him for speaking the truth, I just hope the best for him in whatever his new career will be. William Fitzclarence Downtown Fireworks I’ve worked across the intersection from where the Majestic 12 Theater is now for many years and I’ve never heard of any building’s fire alarms going off because of the fireworks [from nearby AT&T Field]. Even the buildings much closer have not had any issues I’m aware of. Are their alarms set to detect particulates in the PPT (parts per trillion) range? Seriously, if their alarms are that sensitive, they need to dial them down or replace them with more suitable models. The fireworks are a tradition that everyone enjoys, especially children. The manager should be forced to reshow How the Grinch Stole Christmas and watch it over and over until something clicks. Cy Fuller Red Bank & East Ridge I think it’s time for Red Bank and East Ridge to turn these two cities over to Chattanooga so this in-house fighting can stop. It needs to stop in both cities. It would be better for the taxpayers
just to have one big city then a bunch of small towns fighting and being in the news all the time. Mike M. East Ridge City Manager How is it all the city manager’s fault [the recently discovered budget deficit for East Ridge]? There are other people such as the mayor, council members, etc., who are involved and should have known what was going on. Granted he should have known, but others are at fault also. Wade Hinkle
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Pulse Beats
Quote Of The Week:
A rundown of the newsy, the notable, and the notorious...
“You think you have the better idea, and then you lose. Some people just have sour grapes, and it takes them more time to get over it.” —Gregg Juster, campaign manager for recent congressional candidate Van Irion, commenting on the absence of Robin Smith at a recent GOP “unity” breakfast.
Combining Business, Art and a Credit Union How to Have a Happening
When we talk about the state of the arts in the community, one aspect that often gets overlooked is how businesses combine art and commerce—and not just for the bottom line. A shining example of this commitment to art and community is the Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union. Two years ago, TVFCU created an arts initiative in conjunction with the Riverbend Festival in which they collaborated with middle- and high-school art students at the Chattanooga School for the Creative Arts to paint tabletops for the TVFCUsponsored Riverbend stage. Each tabletop was an individual work of art and gave the students an opportunity to showcase their talent. A total of 30 tabletops were painted, which added a unique look to the “under-the-bridge” stage at the festival. A sampling of the tabletops was then placed on display in the TVFCU’s Youth Gallery at the Creative Discovery Museum last summer. During the most recent Riverbend Festival, the entire collection was brought back to the stage underneath the Walnut Street Bridge. TVFCU President Blake Strickland, a painter himself who studied graphic design in college, was very impressed by what he saw. “These are some extremely talented young artists. Their use of color and vivid imaginations are amazing,” he said. “They have created some beautiful works of art.” A few examples of the subject matter in the paintings includes: a sunset view of Ross’s Landing with a Riverbend stage and the Aquarium, a blues singer with a retro microphone and 30th anniversary sign, a unique depiction of the Walnut Street Bridge, and a woman with Chattanooga landmark buildings sprouting from her hair. Then last fall, the tabletops were auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the CCA’s art department. The success of the program was such that it has now become an annual art initiative for TVFCU. Next year will be their third year collaborating
with CCA. “This is a great example of what organizations can do to benefit the community by working together. It is also a prime example of the credit union philosophy of ‘People Helping People’,” said Strickland. But that’s not all. This past April, TVFCU decided to launch another art initiative for local visual artists while giving back to the community. They purchased art from two local artists at the 4 Bridges Art Festival: five paintings from Jake Kelley who specializes in landscape oil paintings, and three photography prints from Daryl Thetford, which were then put on display at TVFCU’s lobby, where they will stay for one year. After a year, the artwork will be donated to Junior Achievement of Chattanooga to be auctioned off at their annual fundraiser. For arts lovers, it’s exciting to see private businesses work to support the arts and use art to benefit worthy causes and organizations, as well as seeing how other businesses can follow their example.
It’s not too early to plan for the Trenton Arts Council’s “Happenings” event on September 11 on Pee-Wee’s Farm in Rising Fawn. According to organizers, “artists have been asked to explore the edge of their ideas.” Along with performances from regional artists, including Rich Curtis, Mirabai Bellydance, the Shaking Ray Levis, Nada, Jim Pfitzer, Butch Ross, LaDonna Smith, Ann Law and many others, food vendors will provide sustenance for hungry Happeners. Overnight camping is included with admission. Admission is $10. Event starts at 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.trentonartscouncil.org or call (706) 657-8858.
Get the very latest local news and information updated multiple times a day chattanoogapulse.com
www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 12, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | The Pulse
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Beyond The Headlines
By Mark Kehoe
Running Into Susan I was recently riding my bike in downtown
Chattanooga when a lady pulled out onto the street. I swerved to avoid her and as I rode by her car I said, “You wanna look where you’re going?” Then I headed down Broad Street. I was just past the Majestic when I looked over and saw the lady mouthing something to me.
Before she could speak, I was trying to tell her that I wasn’t mad. Yet she had to let me know that it was just a mistake, she simply did not see me, and she would never try to hit anybody. I said it was OK and I was sure that she would not try to hit someone. I also told her that we’ve all pulled out in front of somebody or cut someone off and I truly appreciated her talking to me. I wanted to know who this lady was. I mean, she felt the need to track me down and apologize for—well, something that actually wasn’t that close. So I started asking her questions like, “What do you do for a living?” and she said she was a novelist. “What’s your latest novel?” and she said it wasn’t out yet. “OK, what is your last book that’s in bookstores?” and she told me Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen. I would have liked to grill her some more, but after all she was on Broad Street and I certainly did not want to contribute to an accident. So I said goodbye and we went our separate ways. So now, I had to get a copy of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen. I have to admit that when I started reading “Salvation”, I did not expect it to be very good. I mean a lady that nice could not possibly be a very good writer, I thought to myself. But I was wrong. The story takes place in Ringgold, Georgia and is told by Catherine Grace Cline as she tries to get through childhood and adolescence—and out of Ringgold. As a reader, I was captured from the first page when Catherine summed up small-town life by saying, “It was a place where everybody knew everything about you, down to the color of underwear your mama bought you at the Dollar General Store.” Of course, young Catherine has many struggles along the way. I’d find it hard to believe that most readers would not have at least a little tear in their eye when Catherine does finally leave Ringgold or finds out about her Daddy. Susan writes in a way that is not only engaging and charming, but the dialogue is perfect. On August 17, Susan’s new book came out. The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove takes place in Nashville
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“On August 17, Susan’s new book came out. The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove takes place in Nashville during the 1960s.” during the 1960s. Her sophomore book sounds more grown up than “Salvation”, as it deals with issues like racism. I look forward to getting a copy so I can see what another Susan Gregg Gilmore heroine takes on. In “Salvation”, Catherine’s best friend Lolly said, “Catherine, your daddy always said that the Lord plants a small seed of goodness in each and everyone of us. Sometimes that seed grows into a mighty tree, and sometimes it struggles to take hold at all.” Well, the seed of goodness definitely took hold in Susan Gregg Gilmore and I hope to run into her again someday. I don’t mean with my bike or anything. Maybe I’ll just happen to see her the next time I’m at the Dollar General Store. The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove, Shaye Areheart Books, $23.
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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. • We’ve all heard the phrase “going postal”, but one man has taken a unique spin on the phrase by making a habit of robbing post offices. Federal agents have arrested a man accused of robbing the Whiteside Post Office in Marion County. They noted the man has a long history of robbing post offices. In fact, in 1999, he was convicted of robbing the same post office. And in 2002, he was convicted of stealing cash, blank money orders and even the money order machine from the Pelham, Tennessee post office. Back in May of this year, the suspect allegedly stole cash, money orders and the machine from the Whitside office, and held the postmaster hostage for a time. He’s being charged with robbery of a post office, carrying and brandishing a firearm during a federal crime of violence, and bank fraud. • The “Dalton Groper” is now behind bars. Dalton Police have arrested a 20-yearold Trenton man and charged him with two counts of sexual battery and one count of simple assault in connection with a series of groping incidents during the past month in Dalton. Investigators received several tips after the groper’s image was circulated by area media after the most recent incident last week, when the suspect approached a woman in the parking lot of the East Walnut Avenue Walmart and offered her $100 to show him her breasts. All told, the young man is facing charges for three similar incidents.
• It’s not often you hear about a judge turning himself in to authorities. Yet that is just what happened last week when Judge William T. Boyett of the Conasauga Judicial Circuit issued warrants for Anthony E. Peters for criminal trespass and disorderly conduct in connection with the incident on June 16 at the Catoosa County Courthouse. The ongoing dispute between two of the magistrate judges led to Peters voluntarily surrendering himself at the Catoosa County Sheriff ’s Office where he was booked on the two misdemeanor charges. He posted a cash bond of $1,000 and was released pending further court action. • And Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond is asking motorists to be extra cautious. With children returning to school this past week, Sheriff Hammond has asked the help of the media in reminding everyone to be extra careful when entering posted school zones. “Please be aware of children walking as well as either entering or getting off school buses and crossing streets,” the sheriff said in a statement. Deputy Chief Ron Parson has requested deputies patrolling around area schools to watch for children and unsafe driving, especially at the start of this new school year. School patrol officers will be in place at their designated schools to assist the children and be on the lookout for drivers who may not drive in a safe manner.
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Shrink Rap
By Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D
Art for the Heart O
K, this one may be a little schmaltzy, sort of like a Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movie, but hang in there, and I think you’ll like it.
“If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to live.” 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 web site at www.DrRPH.com
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Katherine and Gus loved art. When they met in Boston some 60 years ago, they were young, poor, struggling to pay for their respective educations, and had almost no earthly possessions to call their own. But when they were first dating, they frequented museums and galleries because there they could see art for free. They befriended many artists and poets through their love of all things creative and felt that while poor, they were rich in exciting, diverse friendships. Then one day, they saw a painting in a museum gift shop of an enormously fat, overscaled striped cat sitting on the Golden Gate Bridge, a wry, comical smile on its face as fog and airplanes passed by its ears, and the bridge itself barely holding its weight. They fell in love with that painting both for its humor, and because they believed that they, too, would someday be “fat cats.” Katherine has said, “When I saw that he loved that picture as much as I did is when I actually fell in love with him.” So they saved their money, and before they ever bought a car, sofa, or television, they bought their beloved fat cat painting. Cut to 50-plus years later. The couple has lived a good life. They worked, traveled the world, raised a good family. Though never rich in money or material possessions, they nevertheless got their wish: they were certainly “fat cats” when it came to the abundance of love from family and their creative group of friends—almost all artists,
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musicians, and writers. Not long ago, Gus died, and Katherine went to live with her eldest daughter in New Orleans. Once again, her worldly possessions were minimal, having given away or sold almost everything she and Gus had accumulated in order to more easily, more lightly, live with her daughter. But she never abandoned the fat cat painting. And when hurricane Katrina came barreling into town, and they needed to quickly pack whatever would fit in the car, that painting was the one possession Katherine insisted on taking with her. They’ve resettled now, mother and daughter, and on any given afternoon Katherine can be found on the sun porch, rocking in her chair and looking at her painting with the same smile and sparkle in her eye as when she first saw it in that museum gift shop so many decades ago. Her daughter understands. That fat cat was the first tangible bond between Katherine and Gus that would be witness to their whole lives: the good times and hard times, laughter and grief, job transfers, kids and grandkids. And over the years it came to represent their love for each other, their ability to be bigger than adversity, and their belief that riches come with friendships and a loving family. And as long as Katherine had her fat cat painting, Gus was with her. Art for love. Inscribed at the Kennedy Center for the performing Arts is a 1963 quote by John F. Kennedy that reads, “The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction, in the life of a nation, is very close to the center of a nation’s purpose...and is a test of the quality of a nation’s civilization.” So why did I tell you the story of Katherine
and Gus? Is art going to help you fall in love? Are you going to find your soul mate at a museum gift shop, or a concert, or a poetry reading? Will art make you more civilized? Maybe, maybe not. But imagine your life without music. Without literature. Without architecture. If art can guarantee any kind of quality of life, it can promise a life more dimensional, more stimulating for the senses, more soothing for the heart. I bought a picture recently—a humorous, almost cartoon-like rendering of a Boston Terrier. Fat, like the fat cat, and just sort of sitting there with a slightly goofy, delightfully contented look on his face. He reminds me of my own pup, Betty Lou, and gives me a giggle every time I walk by. Art for giggles. President Kennedy is also quoted as saying, “If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to live.” In a city like ours, art is abundant, and often free to experience. And psychologically, I just believe it’s good for you. My suggestion: Listen to your favorite music…and close your eyes while you listen. Check out the galleries and museums, and when looking at a piece of art, breathe, and tune out the rest of the world. Attend a play and imagine yourself as a character in it. Drive through downtown for the express purpose of enjoying the wonderful, old, Southern architecture, and imagine its roots. Catch the next dance or performance piece at Chatt State or UTC. In short, soak it all in. And let yourself fall in love. Maybe with the person beside you, maybe with the experience of artful enrichment that, I promise you, is good for your heart.
Chattanooga Street Scenes
Photography by Louis Lee
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State Of The Arts 2010 Symphony & Opera, the Hunter Museum, and the Association for Visual Arts (AVA) about leadership change, and what it’s likely to mean for them and for the community.
Beyond Bob: the CSO transitions from an arts icon Molly Sasse, Executive Director of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, is well aware that replacing one of Chattanooga’s favorite arts leaders, music director Robert Bernhardt, will not be easy. But fortunately, the CSO is making the transition over a fouryear period, which began last year. “We are halfway through a twoyear search to find our new music director,” Sasse says. “We had four guest conductors last season and will have five this season, including four women. We have a search committee, headed by Spencer McCallie and made up of board members, musicians, and community representatives. The search committee will make the final recommendation regarding the new music director. We also have the services of two of the leading figures in the field of orchestras in this country: Henry Fogel and Cathy French, both of whom headed the League of American Orchestras, which is the national trade association for orchestras. For the first year of the search, we invited candidates
Changing of the Art Guard By Janis Hashe
There’s been no shortage of recent stories
praising the thriving state of Chattanooga’s arts community. With the support of dedicated boards and volunteers, the big nonprofits are weathering the Great Recession, even if it has
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meant tightening belts to the last notches. But along with having to re-do budgets and reexamine priorities, three of the city’s biggest arts organizations are dealing with changes at the top. Inevitably, this will result in new looks at their missions and goals. The Pulse talked with representatives of the Chattanooga
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State Of The Arts 2010 “Several of the candidates are young and just beginning their careers, so one of them might have new ideas about reaching broader audiences. Several are minorities or women, which again would be different for the CSO.” based on either our musicians’ or our consultants’ recommendations. For the second year, we have selected five candidates from more than 250 who applied for the position.” The CSO hopes to announce a new music director before the end of the 2011 season next May, at which time Maestro Bernhardt will assume his new role as “music director emeritus.” Sasse notes that the CSO board, “thought it best to save any major review of mission and direction until the new music director is hired. Any change in artistic leadership brings opportunities for new approaches, new visions and new directions,” she says. “Several of the candidates are young and just beginning their careers, so one of them might have new ideas about reaching broader audiences. Several are minorities or women, which again would be different for the CSO.” She adds that the many fans of Maestro Bernhardt will still be able to enjoy concerts under his baton. “He will continue to conduct for the CSO as our Principal Pops Conductor. We also expect him to play a major role with opera, but the details will be ironed out once we know who the new music director will be.”
Hunting a new director at the Hunter Innovative executive director Rob Kret left the Hunter Museum last year to take a position with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. Since
that time, the Hunter’s board of directors has been facilitating a search for his replacement. “Rob did a great job, particularly during the time of the 2005 expansion,” says Hunter BOD member Andrea Crouch. “We’re currently using the same ‘headhunter’ firm that found him to send us qualified candidates for his replacement.” She explains that the board felt it best not to create a specific timeline for hiring a replacement. “We’re consciously taking our time, although of course we are eager to get the right person in place as quickly as possible,” she says. “During his tenure, Rob did a great deal to ‘take the Hunter off the hill’ and broaden its appeal to more audiences,” she notes. “As we interview candidates, we’re looking not only at credentials and experience, but enthusiasm, vision, and the ability to connect with the staff.” Crouch commends the Hunter staff for their willingness to step up during the transition period. “It’s been a seamless transition,” she says. “People have filled in in outstanding ways; we have been able to continue our strong exhibitions.” As for what Hunter patrons might expect from a new leader: “We want to continue down the path of what has been accomplished,” Crouch says. “The Hunter plays a significant role within the arts community. And we’re reaching out to a diverse group of people who have passion for the arts.” www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 12, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | The Pulse
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State Of The Arts 2010 A new vision at AVA In May, the Association for Visual Arts (AVA) announced that Christa Mannarino, who had headed the organization for 10 years as executive director, was stepping down. According to AVA Board of Directors Chairman David Hudson, the organization has “instituted a nationwide search through several arts web sites, and we have received more than 125 resumes so far, from all over the country.” The AVA board formed a search committee, but Hudson says it will also consult with “other people outside the committee” as the list is whittled down to “three to five candidates that we will interview in three different interviews,” he says. The committee has been tasked with finding a director who is “both a CEO and a supporter of the arts.” The board also decided at the time of Mannarino’s leaving that it would not try to come up with a new strategic direction for AVA before hiring. “The decision was made to listen to people’s ideas during the interview process, and focus on that their strategic vision of AVA should be,” he says. This is vital, Hudson explains, because “AVA is in a critical point in its life. Our programs are working so well; we all feel it’s time to go to another level. We see the new executive
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“AVA is in a critical point in its life. Our programs are working so well; we all feel it’s time to go to another level. We see the new executive director as the person who will take us there.” director as the person who will take us there.” Though the board has not set a deadline for a new hire, Hudson says that the vacancy is not affecting AVA’s programs. “We have spread the work out among the staff and they have graciously stepped up to fill the void,” he says. “Fortunately, Christa left us in very good shape, and the BOD has
stepped up as well.” “We see this as an opportunity and are very excited about it. There are opportunities to serve the community in a much broader fashion,” he says. “The Media Lab has been wildly successful, 4Bridges is becoming a major regional art festival, and we want to build on that success and keep growing.”
State Of The Arts 2010
A Visit with the Maestro By Janis Hashe
Few, if any, local arts lovers would dispute
that Maestro Robert Bernhardt is not only one of the best-beloved figures of recent city arts history, but that his expertise and influence have elevated the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera to a level beyond that of other cities Chattanooga’s size. During his 16-year tenure as music director, the CSO has expanded programming, reached out into the community in unprecedented ways, and opened the doors of classical and pops music to an entire generation. With his broad musical knowledge and taste, along with a warm personality and penchant for corny jokes, the man known universally as “Bob” is truly a hard act to follow. We caught up with the peripatetic maestro to ask about his transition with the CSO. The Pulse: Why did you decide that it was time to make a change in your position with the CSO? Robert Bernhardt: I put the process in motion when it was time to renew my contract after 15 years [in 2009]. I decided that 15 years was a really good number, and that it was time for a change. My wife and I love Chattanooga, so we arranged a four-year contract, in which the first two would be full-time, as before, and then I’d have two years part-time as “Music Director Emeritus”. During that time, I’ll conduct the Pops series, and also opera, although as you know that’s in limbo as of right now. TP: You will be leaving some big shoes to fill. How do feel the replacement process is proceeding?
RB: I’m just as excited about the search as anyone, although I deliberately took myself out of the candidate selection. I’m going to as many of the [guestconducted] concerts as I can and it’s wonderful to see how differently the orchestra plays under different leaders. This year will be similar to last, with the guest conductors, and we hope to have an announcement by May 2011. The new person will have new ideas that excite the staff and the audience and take this organization to the next level. TP: What do you plan to do at the end of the fouryear contract? RB: I’ve been conducting for 32 years professionally, and at the end of the four-year contract, I’ll evaluate where it is…I also have been conducting pops for 24 seasons with the Louisville Orchestra, and done
some guest conducting. I’m also looking at exploring expanding my role in adult education when I’m parttime here. If my “music director emeritus” position is working at the end of the contract, we may look at continuing that. TP: Where is the Chattanooga arts scene in generally headed? RB: The recession has had an impact on all of us. Even our most loyal people don’t have as much money to give as before. Our single-ticket sales have been hit. I think the key to it all is, “What is the new normal?” after things have settled down a little bit. But Chattanooga is in a better position than many cities, with Volkswagen coming in and a vibrant community. I think we are all in this together, and can keep the city moving upward.
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Not since the days of the mid-to-late ’80s and By Chuck Crowder
Signs Are Solid for the Music Scene
State Of The Arts 2010
early ’90s has Chattanooga been so musically inclined. A host of diverse local musical talent, top-notch recording facilities and choice of performance venues over the last five years have revived what had become a somewhat stale landscape for in-town tunes.
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One band that has received a lot of positive attention both within Chattanooga and, better yet, points elsewhere, is the ’80s-influenced, local power-pop combo affectionately known as Moonlight Bride. Not only are they tearing up the Southeast with their infectious musical stylings, but they’ve generated buzz across the country and even in Europe as a powerhouse to
State Of The Arts 2010 keep your eye on. Comprised of keyboardist/guitarist/ singer Justin Wilcox, bassist Tyke Calfee, guitarist Justin Grasham and drummer Matthew Livingston, Moonlight Bride has earned numerous accolades from national media like Paste.com, as well as being named recently by Paste Magazine as one of the “Best of What’s Next.” They’ve even caught the attention of radio stations in Europe and serious interest from Runaways creator and infamous songwriter/producer Kim Fowley. Even with opportunities far and wide, Moonlight Bride remains here in Chattanooga, powered by the Internet to reach global audiences. Musical blogs and download sites have leveled the playing field for bands no matter where they live; however, there’s still no replacement for taking the show on the road and playing live. But sometimes that can be hard for a struggling young band.
executives at both.” So on the advice of many around him, Wilcox applied for a MakeWork grant from CreateHere at the eleventh hour and the band was awarded the money to purchase a van (as well as band merchandise to sell) in order to make safe and affordable travel a reality. And, since their Los Angeles-based attorney is working hard to ensure more and more exposure of their debut CD Myths, the time to strike is now, while the iron is hot. But even if Moonlight Bride makes it as big as like-sounding bands such as the Killers, where would an act that can draw as many as 2,500 fans play a homecoming gig? Some might say the Tivoli or Memorial Auditorium, but limitations with libations make the financial outlay of promoting bands of that level a risk most aren’t willing to take. Venues in other Southeastern cities have
“On the advice of many around him, Wilcox applied for a MakeWork grant from CreateHere at the eleventh hour and the band was awarded the money to purchase a van.” “We were offered slots at two major showcases happening in the same week, South By Southwest in Austin and another in New York City,” said Justin Wilcox. “But since we didn’t have reliable transportation and had to rent a van, we had to make a choice between one of the two instead of playing in front of music business
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State Of The Arts 2010
“You have to have the right venue in
the right location, plenty of parking, affordable overhead, and of course, the right mix of acts.” found that success and longevity are rooted in adult concessions sales. Atlanta has the Tabernacle, Knoxville the Valarium, Nashville the Mercy Lounge and Cannery, and Birmingham has Work/Play. Even Asheville, a town smaller than Chattanooga, has the Orange Peel, recently named by Rolling Stone as one of the top live venues in America. So why not Chattanooga? Local developer and entrepreneur Adam Kinsey is currently exploring the likelihood of making this dream a reality right here at home. He’s been researching the aforementioned venues and assessing the viability of such a facility, to be located in a neighborhood like the Southside. “You have to have the right venue in the right location, plenty of parking, affordable overhead, and of course, the right mix of acts,” Kinsey says. “But one of the most important bits of advice I’ve received in thinking about this venture is that the talent must be taken care of.”
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Club owners, as well as Drive By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood, have provided Kinsey with a list of some simple amenities sure to increase a venue’s street cred among the band community in ways that can make it desirable to play, and thus, easier to book. “Bands freak out when a club’s dressing room area has nice couches, Internet access, a printer and definitely a private bathroom with maybe even a shower,” adds Kinsey. “[If] the reality of this venture actually comes to fruition...it’ll be done right, that’s for sure.” And that’s a good thing. With a major state university downtown, revitalization in every corner and a two-year-old soccer franchise drawing an average game attendance in the thousands, Chattanooga is primed to up the ante musically as well. Local bands like Moonlight Bride and progress towards filling a void in venues are just two of the many examples of how the state of the arts in town is solid as…rock.
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State Of The Arts 2010
Dancing into 2011 By Janis Hashe
As the arts scene continues to develop in Chattanooga, one aspect of performance is a little slower in picking up steam: dance. Though there are plenty of places in the city to learn to dance, from classes at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre, to active programs at both Chattanooga State and UTC, as well as private studios, fans of professional dance performances are hoping for more, both from local groups and from touring companies. Last year saw Contrapasso Modern Dance Company give up its space on Rossville Avenue, but we hope to see the talented troupe of young dancers return this year in individual events. Meantime, here’s what we know will be out there in the next few months for dance fans:
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State Of The Arts 2010 “Dayton Contemporary Dance Company boasts the world’s largest collection of African American choreographed dance. This event should be a don’t-miss.” • On September 11, Barking Legs’ own Ann Law will be directing in the Trenton Arts Council’s Happenings. Billed as a “multi-media performance,” her piece, entitled Happens That We Are Here, is another excursion into innovation for Law, whose Passion Flower, performed at Barking Legs and elsewhere in the country, was one of the most-talked-about dance events of the recent past. Law has performed improvisational dance for 21 years, teaches dance both at her own Barking Legs Theater and at Chattanooga State, and is regarded as one of the top dance talents in the region.
a favorite company, the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Based in Dayton, Ohio, the company is now in its 42nd season, entitled “No Boundaries.” It has presented more than 100 original works, and, according to PPS materials, “boasts the world’s largest collection of African American choreographed dance.” This event should be a don’t-miss.
Happenings, September 11, Pee Wee’s Farm, Rising Fawn, GA. Day’s events begin at 4 p.m. For more information, www.trentonartcouncil.org
• November provides a special treat this year, as the Chattanooga Ballet collaborates with the Chattanooga Theatre Centre and the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera to present Amahl and the Night Visitors. This first-time collaboration will bring out opera and
• On October 12, the Patten Performance Series brings back
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Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, October 12. (Part of the Patten Performance Series. For more information, (423) 425-4269, www. tickettracks.com
State Of The Arts 2010 dance patrons alike and is the perfect way to launch the holiday season. Amahl and the Night Visitors, November 12. For more information, www.chattanoogasymphony.org • December is “Nutcracker” month in Chattanooga, and both resident ballet companies will be presenting their annual versions of the classic. Chattanooga Ballet’s The Nutcracker will be at the Tivoli December 7 – 12, and Ballet Tennessee’s The Nutcracker will be at the Roland Hayes Concert Hall in UTC’s Fine Arts Center December 17 and 18. It just isn’t the holidays without at least one visit with the Sugarplum Fairies. Chattanooga Ballet’s The Nutcracker, December 7-12. For more information, www.chattanoogaballet. net. Ballet Tennessee’s The Nutcracker, December 17, 18. For more information, www.ballettennessee.org • On January 31, 2011, the pride, sorrow, love and passion of flamenco will strike dance chords, as the Patten Performance Series presents Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. Flamenco originated in the Spanish region of Andalusia, and the many cultures that
“Though there are plenty of places in the city to learn to dance, fans of professional dance performances are hoping for more, both from local groups and from touring companies.” influenced this region can all be seen in the dramatic flamenco. Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana is considered one of Spain’s foremost dance companies, and “believes that the spirit of flamenco, a multicultural art form, has the power to build
bridges between cultures and inspire audiences from diverse backgrounds.” Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, January 31. (Part of the Patten Performance Series. (423) 425-4269, www.tickettracks.com
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State Of The Arts 2010 • In April, the Chattanooga Ballet will present its annual Children’s Concert (and there is very little cuter than this), and we also hope to see the company follow up on its Spring Concert, which last year featured The Dream of Don Quixote along with original compositions by Alia CrutcherZachary, Katie Kasch, Cortney Mild and Karen Smith. For more information, www. chattanoogaballet.net • Ballet Tennessee’s Annual Festival of Dance will be a highlight of May, and will take place in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall at UTC on May 20 and 21. For more information, www. ballettennessee.org • Another favorite event from Ballet Tennessee, its annual Dance Alive concert with the company’s dance students, will return in July, dates TBA. For more information, www. ballettennessee.org We’ll continue to update you about dance performances, and if you know of performances slated to take place within the next few months, be sure and let us know by emailing jhashe@ chattanoogapulse.com
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Music Feature
By Hellcat
The Tammys Play Musical Chairs...Again added Ryan Fortenberry and it became even more Everly Brothers inspired, with the twoand three-part harmonies. I literally wanted to put on my saddle shoes and neckerchief and rock out to an updated sock-hop. Then, it changed again, with the addition of Will Martin on bass and Andrew Minnick on drums, and while it sounded good, it was just the same material played by different musicians. We all know you can’t really do that and have it work out well. So, what’s the solution? Reformation and new material. Now, Will is out and a new flashy youngster, named James “Snappy” Cole is in. Dustin swears that this line-up change is the last, and that finally The Tammys have evolved into something he believes will have staying power. Hellcat: So, James, or “Snappy”, what’s your deal? Tell me about you. Snappy Cole: I played in my family’s band from the time I was 11 years old until I was 15. The band was called Shellis. My dad played lead, my mom played bass, and I played drums. It was kind of blues/rock. HC: Wow. So, playing out with your folks when you were 11, huh? Big time. SC: Yeah. (laughs) HC: What other things have you done? As if playing shows as a preteen wasn’t enough. SC: I played in a short-lived project called Lowstrung Assassins with Josh Hyde. It was a Primus-influenced metal band. HC: Dustin, what’s the big deal here? What’s different? This is like your fourth line-up change, correct?
Dustin Concannon: Yeah, but it’s the last change. It’s different because ol’ Snappy can play just about any instrument and he collaborates with me. He writes his own bass parts and Andrew writes his drum parts. We all have a part in the writing, which has led us to a lot of new material and a new direction for our sound. HC: New sound? Wait a minute, I liked the old one. DC: It’s not entirely different, the old sound is still there, it’s just more complicated musically. Andrew Minnick: It’s not as straightforward rock… it’s more progressive sounding. It’s more experimental, yet it still has a lot of hooks. We took a little bit of the ’50s out of it. DC: You can definitely hear the influence of the ’50s and it still has a bit of The Cars in there, but we’ve added to it. We’ve also added to our set list. We have ten new songs with this new line-up.
“You can definitely hear the influence
of the ’50s and it still has a bit of The Cars in there, but we’ve added to it.”
I absolutely loved the original Tammys. The line-up was Dustin Concannon, as the lead singer and guitar, with Chris Eves on drums and Jeff Hiett playing bass. I loved it. It sounded like very classic, ’50s-style rock. Then they
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HC: So I take it you’ve been inspired? DC: Yeah, you could say that. The first project with The Tammys was more vintage rock. I was creating what I like to listen to. But in the last two years of writing, my tastes have changed a little, and of course, that influences your writing. The current band meshes well. You can hear the band really click in the new songs. The musical backgrounds of each member leave their fingerprints all over what we create. Each member is fairly represented in our new sound, I think. Plus, going from a three-piece to a four-piece was more than I wanted, so I am glad it’s back to a three-piece band. We
Music Feature have more of an ambient quality to us now, but we’re still raw. We’re cutting our EP, which we will be giving out for free (one time only) at the show. We really hope that this new take on The Tammys will help broaden our appeal to new fans, while still keeping our appeal to our current fans. HC: That’s a respectable goal. What can we expect from this new line-up at the upcoming show? DC: We will be playing the most songs we’ve ever played. We are going to play our entire catalog to show our evolution. Probably 20-25 songs, which is a lot of rock and roll. We will finally have merch, which is another first. We will have Tshirts for sale, along with the free EP. AM: There will be surprises as well. HC: Awesome. I love surprises. The Tammys will be playing with the Nim Nims, who are a personal favorite
of mine, and Jason Ewton will be opening up the night of rock, with his solo set. This should prove to be a very enjoyable night of rock, so I will see you guys there. Support local music.
The Tammys with the Nim Nims, Jason Ewton $7 10 p.m. Friday, August 27 JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia
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New Music Reviews Best Coast Crazy for You (Mexican Summer)
“Richard Baluyut explained that, to him, getting older means getting ‘more nihilistic,’ which is reflected in the lyrics.”
Quick, what’s your favorite album by the Supremes? Uh…uh…The Supremes’ Greatest Hits? That’s sort of a trick question. Of course, pop music history was first paved with seveninch singles, not albums, and there’s a good reason for that. Great pop music grabs your attention, pulls you in with hooks, and makes you want to pick up the needle and play the song again. Musicians sometimes unnecessarily indulged themselves in the CD age with bloated 70-minute albums, but even though in current times with MP3s and iTunes, while consumers can zero in on individual tracks, the full-length format still seems obligatory—yet needlessly so. Now, there’s the case of Best Coast, featuring front woman Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno, which has built up a buzz with several endearingly warm and fuzzy pop songs that recall both ’60s girl groups and underground indie-pop bands. Best Coast’s debut album Crazy for You clocks in at around a half-hour, including the utterly irresistible 2009 a-side “When I’m with You” as a bonus closer, and it feels more like a singles collection than a proper album with a crafted sequence. The good news is that it holds your attention for the duration, but just barely. A few of the songs, particularly the opener “Boyfriend,” are among the group’s best, but others get a little lost in the proceedings and perhaps could have flourished better as stand-alone numbers. It’s pointless to criticize pop music for being formulaic or using clichés; straying from triedand-true structures can be risky—any of the Brill Building songwriters of the ’60s would agree. And clichés are useful for being shorthand
Vertical Slit Slit and Pre-Slit (Smudge) There‘s a mystique surrounding the Columbus, Ohio musician Jim Shepard, who took his own life at the age of 40 and fostered a devoted underground following with raw, off-center rock and home-recorded sound experiments, inspired by prog, post-punk, down-and-out types, and even mind-bending sci-fi. It’s odd to recall that his band V-3 had a major label dalliance in 1996 with Photograph Burns, released on the Onion imprint of Rick Rubin’s American
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By Ernie Paik
for universal sentiments and moods, to which listeners add their own baggage and associated feelings. It’s apparent that pop-music-making comes easy to Best Coast, but the band probably shouldn’t draw attention to that. Another somewhat distracting thing is the noticeably repeated clichéd rhymes and phrases of youthful hormone-fueled longing and despair; there are plenty to choose from, so why use the same ones over and over? Still, there are several choice moments, like the ramped-up ending of “I Want To” and the octave-separated guitar melody on “Our Deal,” that demonstrate that Best Coast knows how to pull the puppet strings of pop music lovers to make them dance.
Recordings, and Shepard had a sprawling, fascinating catalog, with albums (many of which were low-run cassette or vinyl releases) as a solo artist and leading the groups Vertical Slit and V-3. Perhaps the most legendary release of them all, and often considered to be the holy grail of Shepard’s catalog, is the first Vertical Slit album, Slit and Pre-Slit, which was self-released in an edition of 100 back in 1977. Purportedly, Shepard hand-delivered a quarter of these records to his musical heroes like John Cale and Robert Fripp, leaving merely a couple dozen for the record-buying public. A few months ago, a copy exchanged hands on eBay for an astounding $1,425, which one ventures to guess is much more than it cost to record and press the album originally. Recently, Smudge Records reissued Slit and Pre-Slit in a limited vinyl edition, finally drawing open the curtains slightly on this
shadowy record; the big question, of course, is whether or not it truly merits its legendary status. It begins in an uneasy, downright creepy way with a recording of a phone call to a woman who answers “Hello?” a few times to no response before hanging up, painting a picture of Shepard as a misanthropic outsider. Low-fidelity rock songs, like the twisty garage rock of “In-No-Sense” or an enthusiastic cover of Be-Bop Deluxe’s “Fair Exchange,” rub up against abstract sound pieces built from loops and tape abuse and manipulation, at times with a quasi-dub, homebrewed avant style. The most affecting number is a tender rendition of “The Bed” from Lou Reed’s Berlin, which actually rivals the original. Calling the rough, basement recordings of Slit and Pre-Slit a masterpiece might be a stretch, but it’s far from being disposable ramblings from a pathetic loner, featuring inspired moments, an unfettered peculiarity, and a gritty sonic appeal.
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Music Calendar Thursday Spotlight
Dread Clampitt Dance to funky bluegrass with the long-awaited return of Dread Clampitt. $12 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347. www.barkinglegs.org
Thursday Happy Hour Serenade with David Anthony 5 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. Project 86, The Wedding, Tir Asleen, Since September, Shades of 7 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. www.myspace.com/warehousetn Live Team! 7:30 p.m. T-Bones, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240. www.tboneschattanooga.com Jimmy Harris 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. Dread Clampitt 8 p.m. Barking Legs, 1322 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347. www.barkinglegs.org Whisky Gentry, Josh Roberts and Hinges, Have Gun Will Travel 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia Jordan Hallquist 9 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com
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Friday Spotlight
Tim and Reece 9 p.m. Bart’s Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777. www.bartslakeshore.com Two Penny Fish 9 p.m. Riverhouse Pub, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066. Downstream with Camp Normal 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com Soul Sessions 10 p.m. Table 2, 232 E. 11th St. (423) 756-8253. www.table2restaurant.com Joy Buzzer 10:30 p.m. Riverhouse Pub, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066.
Friday Happy Hour Serenade with David Anthony 5 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Little Gold, Inoculist 5:30 p.m. Discoteca, 304 E. Main St. (423) 386-3066. www.myspace.com/discotecabar Ben Friberg Trio 6 p.m. Table 2, 232 E.11th St. (423) 756-8253. www.table2restaurant.com MeloManiacs 7 p.m. Bluff View Art District, Terrazine between Tony’s and Back Inn Café, 411 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033. Jimmy Harris 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd #202. (423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com
Rock N’ Roll Spectacular 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo Centennial Theatre, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000. Tim Hughes Quartet 7:30 p.m. Blue Orleans Creole Restaurant, 3208 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 629-6538. blueorleanscreolerestaurant.com Civil Twilight 8 p.m. Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. www.nightfallchattanooga.com Steve Monce 9 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919. Shadow of the Destroyer, Getto Bird, Gravebound 9 p.m. Ziggy’s Hideaway, 607 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 756-4786. myspace.com/ziggyshideaway Ever Vigilance 9 p.m. Riverhouse Pub, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066. Jager Girls 9 p.m. Bart’s Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777. www.bartslakeshore.com Autovaugn, Casper and the Cookies, Elekibass, Bows and Arrows 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia Chris Gomez Duo 10 p.m. T-Bones, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240. www.tboneschattanooga.com Gabe Newell 10 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. Zoso: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute with Cadillac Saints 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com
Civil Twilight with Moonlight Bride Alt-rock trio originally from Capetown, South Africa along with local faves. Free 7 p.m. opener, 8 p.m. headliner Nightfall, Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. www.nightfallchattanooga.com
Saturday MeloManiacs 7 p.m. Bluff View Art District, Terrazine between Tony’s and Back Inn Café, 411 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033. Piercing Deception, Crash Cadilac, Death Shroud, The Flood Shall Flow 7 p.m. Ziggy’s Hideaway, 607 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 756-4786. myspace.com/ziggyshideaway AJ Valcarcel 7 p.m. Blue Orleans Creole Restaurant, 3208 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 629-6538. blueorleanscreolerestaurant.com Jimmy Harris 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. Rock N’ Roll Spectacular 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo Centennial Theatre, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000. Rick Bowers 8 p.m. Riverhouse Pub, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066. Rich and the Po’ Folk 8 p.m. Barking Legs, 1322 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347. www.barkinglegs.org
Music Calendar
Send your calendar events to us at calendar@chattanoogapulse.com
Saturday Spotlight
Majestico, Machines Are People Too Nashville’s Majestico is “rock/surf/psychedelic”. Yeah. $6 9 p.m. Discoteca, 304 E. Main St. (423) 386-3066. myspace.com/discotecabar Alan Rhody 8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse, 105 McBrien Rd. (423) 892-4960. www.christunity.org Majestico, Machines are People Too 9 p.m. Discoteca, 304 East Main St. (423) 386-3066. Power Players Show Band 9 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919. Ryan Oyer 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (inside Days Inn) Open Mic Night 9 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9043. www.mudpierestuarant.com Gabe Newell, Kyle V2 Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. Davey Smith 10 p.m. T-Bones, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240. www.tboneschattanooga.com Jescoe 10 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreetavern.com Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644.
Sunday Spotlight
Sunday
Tuesday
New Binkley Brothers Noon, Rock City, 1400 Patten Rd. Lookout Mountain, GA. (706) 820-2531. www.seerockcity.com Stephen Hunley 12:30 p.m. Chattanooga Market, 1826 Carter St. (423) 266-9270. www.chattanoogamarket.com Alan Rhody 2 p.m. Chattanooga Market, 1826 Carter St. (423) 266-9270. www.chattanoogamarket.com 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 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
Ben Friberg Trio 6:30 p.m. Table 2, 232 E. 11th St. (423) 756-8253. www.table2restaurant.com Gentlemens Jazz Quartet 8 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. Thad Cockrell 8 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com Spoken Word/Poetry Night 8 p.m. The Riverhouse, 224 Frazier Ave., (423) 752-0066. Lightning Billy Hopkins 9 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. Bong Kong 9 p.m. Discoteca, 304 E. Main St. (423) 386-3066. www.myspace.com/discotecabar Blues Night: Tim Starnes, Jacob Newman 9 p.m. Bart’s Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777. www.bartslakeshore.com Peewee Moore with special guests 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia DJ ScubaSteve Fox and Hound Pub & Grille, 2040 Hamilton Place Blvd.,ß #150, (423) 490-1200. DJ GOP The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055.
Monday Old Tyme Music 6 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Paul Lohorn and the Monday Nite Big Band 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Open Mic Night with Christian Collier 8:30 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (inside Days Inn)
Live United at the Chattanooga Market Support the United Way and listen to Chickamauga Rodeo, Stephen Hurley and Alan Rhody. Free Noon: Chickamauga Rodeo, 12:30 p.m. Stephen Hurley, 2 p.m. Alan Rhody Chattanooga Market, First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Reggie White Blvd. (423) 266-9270. www.chattanoogamarket.com
Wednesday Ben Friberg Trio 7 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Jimmy Harris 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. Johnny B. and Friends 8 p.m. Bourbon Street Music Bar, 2000 E. 23rd St. (423) 826-1985. 80s Night with DJ Andy Leonard 8 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (inside Days Inn) Open Mic Night 9 p.m. Riverhouse Pub, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066. Downstroke 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com DJ GOP The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055.
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Arts & Entertainment
Ain’t Nothing Bland About Bobby’s Blues well as contributed to wider recognition of Chattanooga’s ability to present quality music.
By Michael Crumb
“In the company of greats like BB King, Jimmy Witherspoon and Big Joe Turner, Bland honed his vocal talents.”
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The Bessie Smith Cultural
Center brings the third annual Heritage Festival to its grounds on MLK Boulevard on Saturday, August 21. Festival chair Erskine Oglesby explains that this event has become a premier heritage festival in the Southeast. It’s had a huge impact on the revitalization of the MLK Boulevard neighborhood, as
The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | August 12, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com
This year’s festival headliner will be legendary vocalist Bobby “Blue” Bland. It’s been a long time since I last saw him in the company of the very best blues and jazz artists in Ann Arbor, at a festival the likes of which would be impossible to field these days. At 80, Bland imparts an air of accomplishment and humility. Concerning his long and arduous development as a vocalist, Bland concedes that he’s “been a good singer for the past few years.” Bobby “Blue” Bland began recording for the Duke Peacock record label out of Houston in 1955. Born in the very small town of Rosemount, Tennessee, he grew up listening to his mother singing in church. He discovered that he, too, had a natural vocal ability. Nevertheless, he spent a long time developing this gift, listening to all types of singers. While he appreciated the vocal abilities of Tennessee Ernie Ford and Frankie Laine, he
especially liked listening to Nat King Cole, who had “perfect diction,” he says. “Too Young” and “Mona Lisa” ranked among the young Bobby’s favorites. Later, he got to know Elvis when Presley was moving through Beale Street, learning the music he would soon bring to a much wider American audience. Even later, in the army, Bland would perform with Elvis in NCO clubs. In 1963, Bland sang the blues at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. He also did shows with T-Bone Walker, and he recorded “Stormy Monday Blues,” a blues anthem. In the company of greats like BB King, Jimmy Witherspoon and Big Joe Turner, Bland honed his vocal talents. Lyric writers who paid attention to his voice began to pen songs that would suit his delivery. For a long time, Bland worked with lyricist and arranger Joe Scott. Bland saw Big Joe Turner as someone able to crossover to white audiences, and he recorded Turner’s “Chains of Love.” It’s worth noting here the complex development of American blues. So much of American music, especially the blues, was repressed and segregated, and ironically, this became the root of the socalled “British Invasion,” when English artists brought the blues back to America, because these musicians listened to blues recordings when most white Americans were barely aware of their existence. Eventually, Bland evolved from a
Arts & Entertainment blues singer to a “singer of love stories.” Popular music presents the art of the vernacular. Songs come from everyday life, often from the fast and hip lifestyles of the artists themselves. Bobby “Blue” Bland notes that Smokey Robinson had “such a gift for taking moments from life” and turning them into hits that became the Motown juggernaut. Bland now records with Malaco Records in Jackson, Mississippi—Delta country. As with other major figures in the arts, people know more about the effects of Bland’s accomplishments than they may about his work directly. For example, it’s a cultural commonplace that Mr. T’s saying, “I pity the fool” is from the TV show The A-Team—but few know that it was taken from a Bobby “Blue” Bland song, “I pity the fool who falls in love with you.” One of Eric Clapton’s better-known blues, “Further On Up the Road”, was also originally a Bland record. Bland will perform both old and new
material at the Bessie Smith Heritage Festival, from blues standards like “St. James Infirmary” to “Turn On Your Love Light” and “That’s the Way Love Is.” Other festival performers include female vocalist Maysa, who sings jazz, pop and r&b. Nashville-based Joe Johnson will provide a jazz emphasis, while Atlanta’s Grammy-nominated David Travers, along with Phil Perry will bring in the rhythm and blues. Additionally, the “Artists in Action” will be painting performers while they perform. Let me just testify to the excitement and versatility to the Bessie Smith Heritage Festival!
Bessie Smith Heritage Festival $35 advance, $40 door Doors open 5 p.m., music through midnight Saturday, August 21 Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658. www.bessiesmithheritagefestival.com
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A&E Calendar Highlights Friday
Thursday
Radcliffe Bailey at the Hunter Artist Bailey talks about his art and African American art today. Included with $9.95 museum admission 6 p.m. Hunter Museum, 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968. www.huntermuseum.org
Send your calendar events to us at calendar@chattanoogapulse.com
Chattanooga Market Thursday Plaza Party 4 p.m. Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. www.chattanoogamarket.com Meet the Artists Reception: “Figures” 5:30 p.m. Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 N. Terrace Rd. (423) 493-0270. www.jewishchattanooga.com An Evening with the Coker Classic Car Collection 5:30 p.m. Coker Tire Company Museum, Chattanooga’s Southside. (423) 624-6914. www.chickchatt.org Photographic Society of Chattanooga Meeting 6 p.m. St. John’s United Methodist Church, 3921 Murray Hills Dr. (423) 591-2916. www.chattanoogaphoto.org The Producers 7 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com Julie Scoggins 8 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com
The Producers The classic tale of two inept producers who accidentally create a hit. $15 - $25 8 p.m. Main Stage, Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River Street. (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com
Saturday
Bessie Smith Heritage Festival Get down with Anthony David, Joe Johnson and the legendary Bobby “Blue” Bland. $35 advance, $40 door 6 p.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658. bessiesmithheritagefestival.com
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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. Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) Potlikker Film Festival 5 p.m. Warehouse Row, 1110 Market St. (662) 915-5993. www.southernfoodways.org Dinner and Dialogue – Sex and the City 6 p.m. Kingdom Center, 730 Martin Luther King Blvd. (423) 933-1030. Jed Wright Booksigning Event 6 p.m. Books-A-Million, 200 Paul Huff Pky NW, Cleveland, TN. (888) 361-9473. Julie Scoggins 7:30, 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com Luck of the Draw 7:30 Humanities Theatre, Chattanooga State, 4501 Amnicola Highway. (423) 697-3246. Treasure Island 7:30 p.m. The Colonnade Center, 264 Catoosa Crl., Ringgold, GA. (706) 935-9000. www.colonnadecenter.org
Wild Ocean in 3D 8 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695. The Producers 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com Mystery of Flight 138 8:30 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839. Female Impersonation Show Midnight. Images Showbar, 6065 Lee Hwy. (423) 855-8210. www.imagesbar.com Chattanooga Professional Photography Group Exhibit North River Civic Center, 1009 Executive Dr. Ste. 102. (423) 870-8924. “Fresh Coastal Scenes” Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453. “Figures” Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 N. Terrace Rd. (423) 493-0270. “The Myth of Mary Gregory” Houston Museum of Decorative Arts, 201 High St. (423) 267-7176. www.thehoustonmuseum.com
Sunday Chattanooga River Market 10 a.m. Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695. www.tnaqua.org Brainerd Farmers Market 10 a.m. Parking lot, Grace Episcopal Church, 20 Belvoir Ave. Chattanooga Sister Cities Fundraiser 11 a.m. Saint Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 630 Mississippi Ave., Signal Mountain. (423) 332-4152. Mosaic Market 11 a.m. 412 Market St. (corner of 4th/Market). (423) 624-3915 Art Til Dark Noon, Northshore. (423) 413-8999. arttildark.wordpress.com New Voices Poetry Reading 6:30 p.m. Pasha Coffee House, 3914 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 475-5482. Bat Night at the Chattanooga Nature Center 6:45 p.m. Chattanooga Nature Center, 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160, ext. 2. Julie Scoggins 7:30, 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233.
The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | August 12, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com
Luck of the Draw 7:30 Humanities Theatre, Chattanooga State, 4501 Amnicola Highway. (423) 697-3246. Treasure Island 7:30 p.m. The Colonnade Center, 264 Catoosa Circle, Ringgold, GA. (706) 935-9000. www.colonnadecenter.org Back to the 60’s Party 8 p.m. Delta Queen Hotel, 100 River St. (423) 468- 4500. www.deltaqueenhotel.com Wild Ocean in 3D 8 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695. The Producers 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.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 Showbar, 6065 Lee Hwy. (423) 855-8210. www.imagesbar.com
Luck of the Draw Improvised full-length musical. $10 2:30 p.m. Humanities Theater, Chattanooga State, 4501 Amnicola Highway. (423) 697-3426.
Chattanooga Market 11 a.m. First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Carter St. (423) 266-4041. www.chattanoogamarket.com The Producers 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com Julie Scoggins 8 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com “Street Art” The Arts Center, Athens, TN. (423) 745-8781. www.athensartscouncil.org “New Imagery” River Gallery, 400 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033. www.river-gallery.com Cherokee Stone Carvings Bill Shores Frame and Gallery, 307 Manufacturers Rd. (423) 756-6746. www.billshoresframes.com Stephen Rolfe Powell Glass Exhibition Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. www.huntermuseum.org
A&E Calendar Highlights Monday Nirvana Bead & Trade Show 4 p.m. My Color Image Boutique and Gallery, 330 Frazier Ave. (423) 598-6202. www.nirvanabeads.com Chattanooga Lookouts vs. Mobile Baybears 6:15 p.m. AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley. (423) 267-2208. www.lookouts.com Speak Easy: Spoken Word and Poetry 8 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9040. “Transformation 6: Contemporary Works in Glass” Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. www.huntermuseum.org “All Doe Eyed” Leo Handmade Gallery, 22 Frazier Ave. leogallery.blogspot.com “Keeping It Alive” Asher Love Studio and Gallery, 3914 St. Elmo Ave., Ste. G. (423) 822-0289. asherlovegallery.blogspot.com
Tuesday Booksigning with Allan Ansorge: Crossing the Centerline 4 p.m. Rock Point Books, 401 Broad St. (423) 756-2855. www.rockpointbooks.com Flick’s Café: Films of the 1990s: Flamenco 6:30 p.m. Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library, 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310. lib.chattanooga.gov Chattanooga Lookouts vs. Mobile Baybears 7:15 p.m. AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley. (423) 267-2208. www.lookouts.com “Jellies: Living Art” Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. www.huntermuseum.org “Skins and Skeletons” AVA Gallery, 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-1282. www.avarts.org “Horizons” In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave. (423)267-9214. www.intowngallery.com
Wednesday Chattanooga Lookouts vs. Mobile Baybears 11:15 a.m. AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley. (423) 267-2208. www.lookouts.com Main Street Farmers Market 4 p.m. Main St. at Williams St. www.mainstfarmersmarket.com “Summer Salon 2010” Hanover Gallery, 111 Frazier Ave. (423) 648-0533. Chattanooga Professional Photography Group Exhibit North River Civic Center, 1009 Executive Dr. Ste. 102. (423) 870-8924. “Fresh Coastal Scenes” Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453. www.shuptrinefineartgroup.com “Figures” Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 N. Terrace Rd. (423) 493-0270. “The Myth of Mary Gregory” Houston Museum of Decorative Arts, 201 High St. (423) 267-7176. www.thehoustonmuseum.com
Editor’s Pick: Featured Event Of The Week
Potlikker Film Festival The Southern Foodways Alliance presents potlikker, cornbread, fried chicken by Daniel Lindley, BBQ pork tacos and three films about Southern-style food. Music with Gerle Haggard. $50 (advance reservation only) 5 p.m. Friday, August 20 Warehouse Row, Market and 12th St. www.southernfoodways.org
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Arts & Entertainment
Mit a Bang, Mit a Boom
By Maggie Behringer
“Director Magge Cabrera Hudgins and Music Director John Echols went for the moon, appropriately disregarding all rules of decency.”
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Before The Producers was a
runaway Broadway success and an updated Hollywood version, it was the first feature film of show business’s satirical dark knight, Mel Brooks. The 1968 movie opens with a onceacclaimed Broadway producer, laid low by a series of flops, brazenly and literally squeezing old biddies for money: the first grandma is known simply as Hold Me, Touch Me. Though the later musical, including the
The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | August 12, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com
Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s current presentation, begins with the same character moping outside his latest failure’s premiere, Brooks’ original initiation into a plot so outrageous that major studios in the ’60s ran from it perfectly distills the delightful mayhem about to unfold. It’s hard for a rendition of anything Brooks writes to be dull and the CTC’s production, running on the Main Stage through August 29, handles the layered humor and the over-the-top campy characters, costumes and choreography very well for a thoroughly entertaining three hours. The Producers follows Max Bialystock, the same once-great Broadway figure, and Leo Bloom, a modest account who dreams of the theater’s bright lights, as they set out to make it rich by producing the worst musical ever and pocketing their investors’ money. The pair finds an inflammatory script, Springtime for Hitler, and a director whose major directorial note is to “keep it gay”, and prays the cast of singing and dancing Nazis will offend all the right people while they escape to Rio. The CTC’s production particularly delivers in the ensemble numbers. Director Magge Cabrera Hudgins and Music Director John Echols went for the moon, appropriately disregarding all rules of decency. A troupe of gray-haired little old
ladies push walkers through choreography in an ode to geriatric sex. The queeniest group of theater queens extols the virtue, the necessity, of keeping the stage snappy and happy, complete with a smattering of the Village People and a conga line. Finally, the headline number, “Springtime for Hitler,” nails Brooks’ shameless satire. There are showgirls flaunting Germany’s traditional exports. Think beer steins, sausage and pretzels, Vegas-style. Highkicking Nazi youths in gold glitter tops and military hot pants spin in a swastika formation. A fruity Fuhrer even trills a stage-side soliloquy. The same Nazi youths prove fine dancers with a surprising tap section, skillfully choreographed by Jessica Laliberte Bowman. In fact, the ensemble as a whole provided a strong backbone for the main cast, as well as showcasing a few standout players. Jennelle Gilreath has a natural comic talent as an awkward chorus girl, a token lesbian and a dirty old broad who plans to get her jollies before handing over the dough. David Couter and Tony Dagnan garner laughs as unabashedly gay caricatures and are fun to watch whenever they appeared on stage. Zachary James Craven’s portrayal of Bloom flawlessly captures the role’s requisite squirminess with hilarious facial twists and hysterical shrieks reminiscent of Gene Wilder’s Bloom. The actor’s voice is also the show’s strongest, managing to transfer the character to the singing rather than simply
Arts & Entertainment flexing his not-unremarkable vocal chords. Craven’s Bloom fits well with Allan Ledford’s Bialystock. This isn’t Ledford’s best role at CTC, but he plays Bialystock with the right tarnished charm and tongue-in-cheek humor to cinch the duo’s comedy. The play’s loudest comedy may be with the campy song and dance, but the dynamic between the two opposites carries just as much wit. Bialystock is an admittedly unconscionable man, too amusing to really hate and Bloom is initially a mouse, terrified of showgirls in nothing but pearls. One is an old hand at show business, the other an innocent, and both sprint towards producing the work of a deranged Bavarian national who hopes to clear Adolf Hitler’s name through song. Rodney Van Valkenburg has a crowd-pleasing turn as the lederhosen-clad playwright. Scott Dunlap and Andrew Chauncey as Roger DeBris and Carmen Ghia are treats from the moment Dunlap waltzes down the stairs in full drag and Chauncey, dressed in pitch-perfect high waters and
loafers, sashays to the door. They enrich each scene in which they appear. Dunlap pulls triple duty, designing costumes and scenery in addition to acting. Both sets of designs excel in adding clever touches to the musical’s established design scheme of flamboyant costumes and colorful sets, such as panels decorated with portraits of Bialystock’s elderly harem during one ensemble number and Carmen’s ever-present gold necklace. For all its high points, make no mistake: This is not Broadway. There are timing and off-key issues, notes too high for actors’ voices and missed comic opportunities. But on the whole, the CTC’s production is worth seeing and does a respectable job of bringing Brooks’ genius to Chattanooga.
The Producers $15-$25 Through August 29 Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Main Stage, 400 River St. (423) 267-8354. www.theatrecentre.com
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Arts & Entertainment Annual Calendar
What's Coming Soon In Arts & Entertainment The Hunter Museum of American Art Tradition: Tennessee Lives and Legacies Sept. 26—Dec. 5 This fall, a new exhibition, Tradition: Tennessee Lives and Legacies, will highlight the state’s folk heritage through photographs and profiles of 25 people across Tennessee who preserve arts and culture distinctive to their families, communities, or places. Tradition will be on view at the Hunter from Sept. 26 through Dec. 5 in the lobby hallway gallery.
Hunter Invitational II Nov. 26—Jan. 16 The second Hunter Invitational promises to be just as vibrant as I was and will also include several artists from the region, all of whom have been working for a number of years in their chosen mediums and have consistently challenged themselves to be fresh and innovative. The artists in the 2010 exhibition are Daud Akhriev [Chattanooga], Michael Aurbach [Nashville], Pradip Malde [Sewanee], Lin Parker [Chattanooga], Amy Pleasant [Birmingham], Billy Weeks [Chattanooga] and Sun Koo Yuh [Athens, GA].
Lois Mailou Jones Jan. 30—April 24 The Hunter Museum will present an exhibition in winter/spring of 2011, Lois Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color on view at the Hunter Jan. 30—April 24. This
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exhibition examines the prolific, sevendecade career of this influential artist (1905-1998). Comprised of approximately 70 works, this exhibition spans Jones’ career from the late Harlem Renaissance to her contemporary synthesis of African, Caribbean, American and African-American iconography. This exhibition marks the first time the artist’s estate has released many of its major holdings for public presentation.
Between the States: Photographs of the American Civil War May 7—Aug. 28 Commemorating the150th anniversary of “Mr. Lincoln’s War,” Between the States: Photographs of the American Civil War will present a selection of facsimile photographs of historical Civil War sites and circumstances by photographers including George Barnard, Mathew Brady, and Alexander Gardner. Hunter Museum, 10 Bluff View. (423)2670968. www.huntermuseum.org
AVA (Association for the Visual Arts) FRESH: Emerging Artist Exhibit Sept. 11 – October 23 Eleven young, emerging artists are featured in the annual juried exhibit. Featured this year are Angela Dittmar, Jennifer Clay, Daniel Wroe, Heidi Vasterling, Cynthia Cusick, Maury Gortemiller, Tara Harris, Todd Stewart, Ericka Walker, Emily Scott Beck and Alicia M. Beach.
The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | August 12, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com
AVA, 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-4282. wwwavarts.org
Gallery Hop 2010 Always one of the most fun events all year, this year’s Gallery Hop is Saturday. Sept. 11. This year, more than 30 galleries and studios are participating. Refreshments will be provided at most venues. ”The Gallery Hop has become a quite popular event in Chattanooga,” said AVA’s Jerry Dale McFadden, who organizes the event. “With different art-heavy areas having their own collective gallery openings throughout the year, this is the one time each year when we can combine all of the distinct downtown areas into a citywide celebration of the arts.” A brochure, which features a map and a listing of gallery and artist descriptions, along with detailed contact information, will be available at all participating galleries. This specially designed guide will enable “hoppers” to create their own route during the event and can also be used by visitors to Chattanooga throughout the year. A special barcode will also be printed on the brochures, so that hoppers can scan the code and be taken directly to the Gallery Hop map on their smart phones. For more information, visit www.avarts.org/ galleryhop
Patten Performance Series Sept. 24: Kathy Mattea Oct. 12: Dayton Contemporary Dance Company
Nov. 16: Anthony Zerbe presents “It’s All Done With Mirrors” Jan. 16: Eroica Trio Jan. 31: Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Feb. 19: Walnut Street Theatre presents Glass Menagerie Mar. 29: SF Jazz Collective Performances are in the UTC Fine Arts Center, Vine & Palmetto Sts. Both single tickets and season packages are available. (423) 425-4371 or www.utc.edu/Administration/ FineArtsCenter/dp.php.
Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Masterworks: Sept. 16, 17: Symphony No. 5 Schubert & Shostakovich Oct. 14, 15: Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Nov.18, 19: Symphonic Shakespeare Jan. 13, 14: Symphonie Fantastique Feb. 3, 4: Bernstein & Dvorak Mar. 24, 25: Pictures at an Exibition Apr. 7,8: Mahler Symphony No. 2
Pops: Oct. 2: Classical Mystery Tour, A Tribute to The Beatles Oct. 30: The Phantom’s Leading Ladies Dec.18, 19: Home for the Holidays Feb. 11, 12: Big Band Fever Apr. 2: Bob’s Favorite Things
Opera: Nov.12: Amahl and the Night Visitors Chattanooga Symphony & Opera. (423) 2678583. www.chattanoogasymphony.org. Most performances take place at the Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St.
Arts & Entertainment Annual Calendar Chattanooga Theatre Centre: Main Stage • Sept. 24 – Oct. 10: THE FANTASTICKS!, the world’s longest running musical and the longest running show in American theater history. • Dec. 10 – Dec. 23: A CHRISTMAS STORY. A holiday comedy for the entire family. Ralphie has to convince his parents and teachers that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940’s. • Feb. 18 – Mar. 6: THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK. Powerful new adaptation by Wendy Kesselman. • Apr. 1 – Apr. 17: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. This version was prepared by Tennessee Williams for the American Shakespeare Festival production in 1974, with all the changes that satisfied the playwright’s desire for a definitive text. • May 13 –May 29 THE WOMEN. The efforts of a group of women to play their respective roles in an artificial society that consists of vain show, comedy, tragedy, hope and disappointment.
• July 1 – July 24: HAIRSPRAY. It’s 1962, and pleasantly plump Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire—to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star. Coproduction with Destiny Theatre Company.
Chattanooga Theatre Centre: Circle Stage • Oct. 22 –Nov. 6: SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD. Four performers who do not literally play the same characters throughout the show but who do have consistently developing character arcs nonetheless. Songs reference well-known historical and fictional characters, including Mrs. Santa Claus, Christopher Columbus, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Betsy Ross. • Dec. 3 – Dec. 18: TIMES SQUARE ANGEL. Charles Busch’s campy melodramedy is a satire of the Hollywood fantasy films of the 1940s such as It’s A Wonderful Life and The Bishop’s Wife with a bit of A Christmas Carol thrown in.
• Apr. 15- Apr. 30: DIVIDING THE ESTATE. Set in the fictional town of Harrison, Texas in 1987, it focuses on the Gordons, a clan of malcontents ruled by octogenarian matriarch Stella . • June 17 – July 17: RENT. The popular rock opera, with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson, based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Bohème. It tells a story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com
Destiny Theatre Company: Main Stage • Sept. 25, 26: The Piano Lesson. CoProduced with New African Grove Theatre Company of Atlanta. • Dec. 10-12 & 17-19: Black Nativity. By Langston Hughes, directed by Hope Alexander. • Feb. 12-13, 18-20 & 25-27: Blues For
Mister Charlie. Celebrating Black History Month. • Apr. 22-24 & April 29: To Be Young, Gifted & Black. By Lorraine Hansberry, (based on her life and in her own words, adapted by Robert Nemiroff ). Directed by - Dawn Axam • July 1-24: Hairspray. The hit musical, coproduced with the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. (This show at the CTC.)
Destiny Theatre Company: Children's Theatre • Oct. 13 – Nov. 6, 2010 (Saturdays) World Premiere Musical: Lil Red. Based on “Little Red Riding Hood.” • Mar. 12 – Apr. 9, 2011 (Saturdays) Rumpelstiltskin Destiny Theatre Company, The ChaunceyGoode Auditorium, 1815 Union Ave. on the campus of Tennessee Temple University. (423) 242-5156. www.destinyentertainment.org
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Life in the Noog
By Chuck Crowder
Better Late Than Never A
“I better think fast or you might have to read two Alex Teach pieces this week. Oh, the horror.”
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 thenoog.com
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s I sit here on Monday morning composing this column I am treading on the thin ice of my dreaded “deadline.” Usually I have my piece in on Fridays, but last week was hell and I couldn’t think of anything to write about over the weekend, so here I am on the day the paper goes to bed for the week typing away as if some breaking news was in danger of stopping the presses. But my column is not enough to stop anything, and the paper will go to print with or without my drivel. So I better think fast or you might have to read two Alex Teach pieces this week. Oh, the horror. The newspaper deadline is one of the few true “deadlines” that actually means something. The newspaper can’t wait for content, or the very content it’s waiting on ceases to become “news.” That would just leave a “paper” in danger of going straight from the driveway to the birdcage. I guess another true deadline would be a death row execution date, except even that can be postponed numerous times through appeals. At some point though, there’ll be a day and time when you’ll find yourself polishing off your last meal before heading down the hallway one last time. Now that’s a deadline. Most deadlines however, are arbitrary. Someone declares a date when something must happen or all hell is sure to break loose. As an advertising writer, I know there
The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | August 12, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com
are deadlines that mean something and those that don’t. Copy deadlines are only meant to give art directors enough time to do their jobs and are therefore arbitrary. Art directors on the other hand, are working to meet the client presentation deadline which, if you ask Don Draper, is more of a firm date. Copywriters are therefore notorious for taking their own sweet time, because we know that 1) artists have no idea how long it takes to write something, they’re just glad they don’t have to do it, and 2) we copywriters know that artists are accustomed to burning the midnight oil to “make it pretty,” so we think about them and sometimes feel sorry for them when we are at the bar clinking a job well done while they are back at the ranch plugging away all night. Speaking of advertising, furniture store owners and car salesmen are the P.T. Barnums of deadlines. “We’ve lost our lease, it’s the end of the model year, we’re dealing like never before, no reasonable offer will be rejected, everything must go (either) to make room for more inventory (or) because we’re closing our doors foreveeerrrrr!” Back in the Old West, cowboys used the sun to determine when things had to happen. They’d declare “by sun up,” “high noon” or “sundown” for some cattle rustler to hand over the steer or else. I can’t figure out why they didn’t just say “right now.” I guess they wanted to give the perpetrator time to think things over and maybe decide to have a “showdown,” which meant a gun
fight where one of the two at odds would meet their own “deadline.” I’ve always wondered why there’s difference between delivering something “by midnight tonight” versus “first thing in the morning.” Are there really people who must have something while everyone else who might need it is sleeping? What about the poor art directors who have to work all night because we writers didn’t deliver the copy until 5 p.m. when it was time (for us) to go home? I think they’d prefer “sun up.” What if you’re late? What time is it acceptable to declare “sun up?” Is “half-past sun up” just as good? It’s understood that “first thing in the morning” usually refers to the recognized start of “business hours,” or 9 a.m. If it were me though, it’d have to be 9:15 a.m. That’s because anyone who knows me knows that I am notoriously 15 minutes late for anything and everything. I can’t remember the last time I actually saw the previews before a movie and friends who meet me out are always holding down a table by the time I get there. It’s not that I’m disrespectful of other people’s time, it’s just that I have a knack for misjudging how long it takes for me to get somewhere and a terrible habit of leaving the house at the very time I am suppose to be there. Thankfully my peeps understand my disregard for arbitrary timeframes, possibly due to all of the deadlines I have to meet as part of my job. Like the one for this column, which I have now officially…met.
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Film Feature
By Phillip Johnston
Eat, Pray, Make Money Eat Pray Love, the new film adaptation
of Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestselling memoir, is directed by Ryan Murphy. If you watch television, you will recognize that name. His two hit shows—Nip/Tuck and Glee—have become cult sensations in the past few years, attracting an absurd amount of loyal devotees. His adaptation of Eat Pray Love has the existential searching nature of Nip/Tuck, the popping colors of Glee, all wrapped in the star power of Julia Roberts (if she can be said to possess it anymore). Roberts plays Elizabeth Gilbert, an unhappy New Yorker. Though married to a relatively nice guy, she is currently advancing her writing career by penning dramatic works based not-so-loosely on her fantasy life, in which attractive, charisma-drenched young men tell middle-aged women things like “I love your pain…and I love that when we’re together, I make it go away.”
from bed late one night and kneels in prayer to God. “Tell me what to do,” she says. God says, “Go back to bed.” She does. Her husband turns to her and mutters, “I don’t want to go to Aruba.” “I don’t want to be married,” she replies. And so it is with six words that Elizabeth Gilbert seemingly unlocks the door to freedom and happiness and takes the first step in a spiritual quest that will take her to Italy, India, and Indonesia where she’ll discover pleasure, some traces of God, and, of course, love. Ryan Murphy’s emotional sense as a director has certainly matured since his horrific first film, Running with Scissors. In Eat Pray Love, he digs as deep as he can into the pathos of Elizabeth’s journey and tries to express it visually. He has an eye for the little things—the way Elizabeth’s hand glides across her dining room table before she kneels in prayer, the operatic bliss of her first experience eating spaghetti in Rome, and the unassuming way she discovers the
“Though a sometimes a fun watch with its popping colors and honeybathed glow, it never rises above being a piece of consumerist wish fulfillment.” To Elizabeth’s chagrin, this is not an adaptation of her married life. Itching to find herself in non-New York locales like Aruba and Rome, Elizabeth rises
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key to successful meditation—but he invests more genuine interest in the supporting characters than in his protagonist The brilliant Richard Jenkins contributes the film’s finest performance as a Texan named Richard who has come to seek enlightenment from the same guru as Elizabeth. Unrecognizable behind a full beard, Jenkins is first introduced as a cold, sardonic old codger before finally telling all in a heartbreaking monologue. For three searing, utterly riveting minutes the camera stays locked on Richard’s face. It’s impossible to look away. Please put this man in more films. Even in moments like this, Murphy’s script gives Julia Roberts no room to act. After each emotional
Film Feature sting, she assumes the characteristics of a rag doll before contemplatively pointing her gaze to the skies, a gesture meant to say, “Look: Elizabeth has just learned something.” There are so many details bubbling up all around her—exotic locales, luscious food, and attractive men—that Elizabeth herself gets lost in all the fury. Part of the charm of Elizabeth Gilbert’s 2006 memoir was that it felt like a travelogue. Every page was full of luscious description and oozed with the charm of her self-deprecating wit. It was a characteristically fun read, and though the movie adaptation is a sometimes a fun watch with its popping colors and honey-bathed glow, it never rises above being a piece of consumerist wish fulfillment. And wishes it may fulfill, particularly in one scene where Javier Bardem, playing a divorced and exotic love interest, looks directly into the camera
while dancing with Elizabeth. His lusty gaze penetrates the fourth wall and will no doubt find its way into the few hearts that haven’t fallen asleep while tagging along on Eat Pray Love’s overlong journey. Yes, in the end it’s all so typically American—an existential quest not about engagement of the local but cultivation of the self, another case of extravagant expectations yielding wasted potential. It’s a limitless circle: Elizabeth’s journey will wear off in a year-or-so, when she’ll need another book deal to make possible another journey that will be adapted into another end-of-summer dustbin flick. Eat Pray Love Directed by Ryan Murphy Starring Julia Roberts, Richard Jenkins, Javier Bardem Rated PG-13 Running time: 2 hours, 13 minutes
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New In Theaters
By Gary Poole
Nanny McPhee Returns Nanny McPhee arrives to help a harried young mother, Mrs. Green, with running the family farm while her husband is away at war. With Mrs. Green’s children waging a personal war with their two spoiled cousins, Nanny McPhee uses her magic to teach the kids five important new lessons. Sure, it’s a sequel, and sure, it once again features Emma Thompson in quite literally the ugliest makeup and costuming seen in a kids movie since the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, but when the first movie made more than $100 million in worldwide box office on a reported budget of $25 million, studio executives likely saw this movie as a sure bet for the summer. And they are most likely right, as the Nanny McPhee books have long been favorites among the pre-teen and tween audiences, and Thompson has been quoted many times saying how much she loves making the movies. In other words, expect to Thompson—wart and all—for many years to come. Starring Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes Directed by Susanna White
Piranha 3D After a tremor under the surface of Lake Victoria unleashes scores of prehistoric piranhas, a group of strangers under the direction of the local sheriff band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food. Plot sound familiar? Of course it does. Does it feature cheesy dialog? You betcha. Does it star a group of talented actors who really should know better? Why not…from the reports, the money was decent and it’s unlikely anyone takes the final product seriously, except possibly the special-effects teams. And best of all, it follows the new rule of Hollywood: If you’re going to make a sequel to a truly terrible film, make it in 3D. It’s not like audiences are expecting Shakespeare in August. Starring Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O’Connell, Richard Dreyfuss Directed by Alexandre Aja
Over the Fourth of July weekend, Kevin Carson has to protect his new prize possession—a lottery ticket worth $370 million—from his greedy and conniving neighbors. The film is supposed to be a star-making turn for rapper Bow Wow (who dropped the “Little” off his moniker when he reached adulthood), along the same lines as Ice Cube’s, when he started making his successful line of films back in the ’90s. Starring Bow Wow, Brandon T. Jackson, Naturi Naughton Directed by Erik White
The Switch
A spoof of vampire-themed movies, where teenager Becca finds herself torn between two “boys”. As she and her friends wrestle with a number of different dramas, everything comes to a head at their prom. Like the plot really matters. It’s a spoof film, following in a long line of spoof films popping up with machine-like regularity every few years to poke fun at the latest Hollywood trends.
An unmarried 40-year-old woman turns to a turkey baster in order to become pregnant. Seven years later, she reunites with her best friend, who has been living with a secret. Question: what happened to the rom-com genre when this is the type of film that gets dumped on the market? As attractive and talented as Aniston and Bateman are, one wishes they would stick with television where they truly shine instead of making such forgetful and one-dimensional films as these.
Starring Ken Jeong, Matt Lanter, Marcelle Baer, Parker Dash Directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Patrick Wilson Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck
Vampires Suck
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Lottery Ticket
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On The Beat
By Alex Teach
Perfectly Normal “A
nd be advised, your victim will be a mental health consumer.”
“It was 100 degrees outside and the beef lo mein was a day or so past its prime, but the day was freakishly weird and it wasn’t even past 11 a.m.”
When Officer Alexander D. Teach is not patrolling our fair city on the heels of the criminal element, he is an occasional student, carpenter, boating enthusiast, and spends his spare time volunteering for the Boehm Birth Defects Center. To contact him directtly, follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/alex.teach
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I acknowledged dispatch’s call, and reflexively shook a little while I considered this as I negotiated a left turn, nearly on the scene. “Mental Health Consumer.” The image of an extremely overweight and unshaven man wearing loose dark clothing and holding a mental patient by the shoulders popped into my mind; before I could stop the image, the man’s jaw dropped open and his mouth distended to slip over the patient’s head and neck, and quickly bit it off just below the shoulders. He sat there expressionless while he slowly crunched the head and neck between his yellowed and unevenly spread teeth, thinking whatever thoughts giant cannibals have throughout their days. The body hung limply in his hands, jagged collar bones stocking out from the crater that was its neck and I finally (literally) shook the vision from my mind’s eye. Whatever happened to calling the nutcases “psychiatric patients”? Jesus, being P.C. was downright disgusting at times; I made a mental note to write something to the chain of command about this. I arrived to find my Mental Health Consumer waiting by a coin phone with a small, mixed-breed terrier. He was unshaven, but in his late 60’s, short, and mercifully wearing an unbuttoned red plaid shirt, very unlike the man from my vision. I stepped out of my car carefully to avoid snagging my newest Taser holster (it was my sixth thus far; they had a tensile strength of roughly two pounds of pressure and broke off our belts like Legos) and I approached the man dispatch
The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | August 12, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com
stated had just been robbed. He looked at my marked car, then my uniform, and said, “Are you a police?” “Yes, sir,” I said. “Are you a cannibal?” “What? No…” He paused to think, then repeated “No” again, but with conviction. My relief was tangible. “Tell me what happened,” I asked, and he did, with great flourishing hand movements while frequently stopping to pet the dog and prompting it to stand on two legs. The gentleman had abrasions to his forearms that matched his disjointed but apparently accurate story. He had been sitting on his porch cursing passing children (his words), and a man on a bicycle with two fishing poles tied to its frame had pulled up into his yard and asked him for money. To his credit, (we’ll call my customer “James”) James complied and gave him $1.50 in change from his pockets, but this wasn’t satisfactory to the beneficiary of his good will and the man began to literally throw James around his front porch demanding more. “Over my dead body!” James said he cried, and fight he did until the man left, but not before stating he’d be back with a pistol. On his bicycle. I had called for an ambulance to have his arms patched up and a detective for followup, and after their arrival, I noticed that I was across the street from a venerable old Chinese joint on East 23rd Street at South Kelley and decided to pop inside for a bite while I wrote this up. I actually hadn’t been inside the place for a few years, and was relieved to see how little had changed. Its primary wastebasket for dumping your Styrofoam plates was still a trashbag liner in a laundry hamper, and they had even left up the posters I remembered, the most unforgettable being one of two tiny
Asian babies in camouflage outfits from hatto-shoes; I had no idea what it was selling or saying, but there it was. I ordered and began to write when an obese woman walked passed my window wearing a skin-tight gray outfit with bright yellow shoes, and that sight led my eyes to the distance beyond her where I could see the terrier my customer left behind across the street (it wasn’t his dog as it turned out), still standing on its legs and turning circles in the heat although no one was there around it anymore. I was just wondering if this could get any more surreal when my editor randomly walked inside this, of all restaurants, still in mid-conversation on his cell phone. “… can’t you wait an hour to have sex legally?” he said. “I mean, really. Oh, hey, Teach!” he said with a fresh smile. He walked toward my table but stopped in mid-stride, suddenly seeing the Asian baby poster. “Creepy,” he remarked, then proceeded on to the table. “Sorry, that was Mom on the phone. What’re you having?” It was 100 degrees outside and the beef lo mein was a day or so past its prime, but the day was freakishly weird and it wasn’t even past 11 a.m. I smiled to myself, catching my editor off-guard (since my smiles usually indicated something bad had happened, or was about to happen; fair enough). “What’s up?” he asked, to which I replied “Nothing. Just feeling at home.” Dancing dogs, cannibals, scorching heat and poorly sanitized Chinese cuisine…I continued to smile, and dug into my noodles. The Universe tends to unfold as it’s intended to, and I liked the way things were going. Officer Teach was definitely at home.
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The Pulse • Dining Out Spotlight
Table 2 Makes Local Exceptional by D. E. Langley Chattanooga’s evolution over the past decade can be seen in many different fields. The revitalization of the Riverfront, the reemergence of large industry, and the ever-growing art scene have all garnered international acclaim for our city, and evidence the Scenic City’s transformation into a cosmopolitan center of the Upland South. Another distinct trend has been Chattanooga’s early and emphatic embrace of the “locavore” movement that has now become all the rage across the country. Among the frontrunners utilizing the approach are Table 2 and its Executive Chef, Eric Taslimi. Far from jumping on the sustainability bandwagon, Table 2 has been open for almost four years now, exercising the same commitment to using locally sourced produce and meats. The seafood served at the restaurant has never been frozen, and is shipped in every single day, without exception. While many restaurants change their menu with the seasons, Table 2’s actually changes within each season, and specials are updated daily. “I get great product and then execute it properly. Our food is very seasonal,” Taslimi told me, “and as local as we can get. Anything we get from outside the area is organically grown and chemical-free.” That promise of ‘”great product” was discernibly honored in the dish I tasted. As one of the only items commonly on each of the separate lunch and dinner menus, I chose the Table 2 Shrimp and Grits as my introduction to the chef’s palate. Taslimi’s take on the dish relishes the ingredients, highlighting them rather than drowning them out with a heavy sauce. The shrimp were perfectly seasoned and cooked, popping in the mouth the way that only fresh
seafood can, and the raw tomatoes atop the dish were the most delicious I’ve tasted this season. The pancetta included in the sautéed peppers added an additional layer of complexity without overpowering the shrimp or taking away from the creamy, comforting polenta. The light, delicious sauce was ideal for sopping up with the Parmesan Drop Biscuits that the restaurant puts on each table. Table 2’s contemporary approach to food is complemented by an exceptional wine list, which consists of more than 400 bottles and continues to expand by the day. They have now been awarded Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence two years running. I asked during my visit if I might speak with the sommelier. “Actually, he’s in Napa right now,” I was told with a smile. The glass of Hey Mambo’s
2008 “Sultry Red” suggested on the menu to accompany my meal was (despite my misgivings about shrimp with red wine) perfectly paired, its spicy finish a superb companion for the dish. The ambience is impressive, as well. Often, restaurants with this level of confidence in their selections exude snobbery and exclusivity. Something entirely different emanates from Table 2. Organic curves, wood, and warm colors invite the diner to unwind and be treated—there are no expectations here. Guests are treated to the sounds of the Ben Friberg Trio on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Wine Down Wednesdays present opportunities to sample some of the restaurant’s extensive wine selection at only $5 per glass. “We’re not pretentious,” the chef related. “There are no white tablecloths here. Our food isn’t everyday fare, but it is honest and relatable.” A chef’s bar allows curious diners to enjoy their meal while watching the experienced staff at work in the truly open kitchen. In contrast to “a lot of places that have ‘open’ kitchens, where all you can see is the back of the cooks’ heads,” he told me, Table 2 allows patrons to actually witness everything that goes on in the preparation of their meal. “Our kitchen has almost no turnover. These are professionals that do what they do because they love it. We want people to be able to see that.” Taslimi concluded, “You should pay attention to where your food comes from.” Table 2 and its staff ensure that diners can do exactly that, while at the same time enjoying themselves in a modern, laid-back environment. Table 2, 232 East 11th Street. Open for lunch Monday - Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open for dinner Monday - Thursday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Call (423) 756-8253 or visit table2restaurant.com.
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Spirits Within
By Joshua Hurley
Margaritas To Go
Several weeks ago, I was watching a science-fiction film involving space travel. A character in the film offered another character a drink. He then produced a brown cube, which he placed into a rocks glass. The character then placed the glass on what looked like a coffee machine’s broiler, but instead of water streaming through the filter’s spigot, the machine shot a laser to the cube that then melted into brown whiskey. How’s that for portability! Sadly, we may be 100 years from such an invention, but today and for this week’s “Great Buy”, we can offer a pre-made margarita in a pouch that you freeze to enjoy a slushy margarita that can be taken anywhere. Great Buys is a weekly column where Riley’s Wine and Spirits on Hixson Pike in Hixson picks something exciting from the area’s largest selection of wine and spirits from around the world and shares it with the readership of The Pulse. Cordina’s Mar’go’ritas were created by two gentlemen vacationing together with their families. The two guys, who work in the spirits industry, were relaxing with frozen margaritas on a beach and wondering how they could package a single-serving margarita that you could freeze and would stay slushy for a period of time after removed from the freezer. Ultimately, one of the men’s sons passed by enjoying a Capri Sun (the popular fruit punch in a foil bag) and bingo!— they had their package. The foil pack works perfectly to insulate the frozen drink and keep it slushy for up to five hours. Now, having the packaging figured out, the two inventors went about figuring the drink’s formula. Number one, it contains real lime juice, nothing artificial or fake. Number two, it’s got real salt—both blended together with 100 percent agave wine. What is agave wine? Well, first of all, tequila is made from the agave, which is a cactus-like plant found in the desert. The agave can stand up to 10 feet tall and contains long, threatening, sword-
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like clusters that make it look similar to the aloe plant—but in fact the agave plant is a relative of the pineapple. Once every eight-to-twelve years, the plant’s sap rushes to the base of the plant, which causes the agave to bloom. This alerts the farmers that the plant is ready for harvesting. Once harvested, the plant’s stalk is cut into pieces and crushed to extract all its juice. If the juice were to become tequila, it would then be distilled and aged in oak. To become “agave wine”, that same juice is fermented much the same way port wine is made. Like port wine, agave wine can be fortified. This means distilled spirits can be added to it to increase its alcohol content from its initial 7.5 percent. The fortified wine is between 20 and 25 percent alcohol. Agave wine’s similarity to port allows it a wine classification; therefore it is not subject to liquor’s harsher regulations and can be sold at bars with beer and wine licensing. Riley’s Wine and Spirits offers Cordina’s Mar’go’ritas in four-packs for $9.61 plus tax or onepack for $2.50 each plus tax. Available already frozen. Cheers!
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Art Of Leisure
By Michael Turner
Honey Do, Honey Won't This past weekend, I decided to
“After a week of battling dragons in the offices and hallways of corporate America, the weekend is set aside to relax, unwind, let the batteries recharge.”
Husband, father, brother-in-law, nephew and son Michael Turner likes to think his life is normal., but unfortunately feels like his life is more like a telelvision sitcom.
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do something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time: absolutely nothing. As in: sleep in until I felt like getting up, not worry about wearing the “right” clothes, eat when I felt like eating (and what I felt like eating), and basically just taking my brain out for a couple of days of downtime.
Alas, as poet Robert Burns once famously said about the plans of mice and men, my lofty (or rather, un-lofty) plan to indulge in complete and utter leisure ran into a serious reality check. In the form of, as I like to call her, my long-suffering spousal unit. Don’t get me wrong, I love my wife. I am often a bit amazed that she agreed to marry me (something my brother-in-law likes to wonder about, loudly, at family get-togethers), but even so, sometimes we just don’t see eye-to-eye on the most basic things. Such as leisure. From my way of thinking, after a week of battling dragons in the offices and hallways of corporate America—and often wishing I could use a real sword instead of a pen to wage my inter-office battles—the weekend is set aside to relax, unwind, let the batteries recharge as I gird myself for another week of ritual combat. My wife, on the other hand, sees the
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weekend as the time to do all the things that there isn’t time for during the week. In other words, all the work that “has to be done” but for which I never seem to get paid. At least in the corporate world, I get a check every couple of weeks. At home, I get a list. A “honey do” list. Every husband out there knows exactly what that means, but for the (lucky) single guys out there, it’s a list a wife makes up of all the things that need to be done by you, her “honey”. As in, “honey, can you fix the sink?” I think what has happened is that Americans have forgotten how to do nothing. The thought of simply sitting in a hammock and watching clouds flow by, or sunbathing on a patch of grass, or even lying on a couch with a good book (the kind with pages that can be turned by hand) and not worrying about clocks or computers or cell phones or the 101 other distractions of the modern world seems to have become completely foreign. Think about your last vacation. Did you go somewhere nice and relax for a few days? Or did you go someplace “exciting”, complete with daily plans of where to go, what to see, where to eat, complete with schedules and time checks? Did you lug your phone and your laptop with you? Did it ever even occur to you to leave your phone in the hotel room before going out? Chances are, you did none of those things. Americans are the most active of vacationers, to the point where we come
back from vacation more exhausted than when we left. It’s the same way with weekends. After tackling the weekly “honey do” list, most men end up more exhausted than they are after a couple days at the office. Look—for all you women reading this, I do understand that there are a lot of things that do, in fact, need to be done around the house on a regular basis. I’m not being lazy just for the sake of laziness, but I have begun to have very serious doubts as to why every weekend has to be a honey do weekend. What’s wrong with taking one weekend a month off completely? So what if Hobby Lobby is having a sale and she needs my advice on wall sconces. So what if Home Depot is having a sale on riding mowers. Trust me, they’ll have other sales in the future. When I told my wife about my plans of doing nothing, she looked at me as if I had grown a third head. Then she narrowed her eyes a bit and acted as if I hadn’t said anything as she described what “we” needed to do over the weekend. I waited for her to finish and then calmly repeated that I was going to take the weekend off, and invited her to join me in my leisure. She stared at me for a few more minutes, handed me her latest honey do list and walked into the kitchen. And as much as I wanted to do nothing—the fact is I had been wanting to go look at riding mowers.
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Joy Stick
By Erik Bhatnagar
The Art of Video Games As someone who can still remember playing games on the Sega Genesis when he was a kid, it is fascinating seeing what has happened to the genre. Some of the classics are still fantastic to play, and in some ways will match whatever comes out in the future. But recently, especially this year, video games have become not just a fun thing to do, but for many gamers, a form of art that can be put up right alongside a painting or a classic film. The biggest change is in the storytelling. These days, if a video game is done right, the story can be just as engrossing as in film. This year’s open-world Western smash, Red Dead Redemption, is a perfect example. This isn’t just a simple game about a good guy fighting bad guys, defeating the main villain, and getting the girl. Instead, it is about a man named John Marston, who used to be one of those bad guys. In the game, he is trying to redeem himself for his dark past, and you can see that he isn’t your typical hero. What makes this game stand out is not just your hero, but the story he is in, and the world and characters that surround it. This world has everything from dry and dirty deserts, to snowy mountains, to forest trees that tower above you, when you are out and about with only your horse and a gun. At times, you may not feel like you are playing a video game, but are in a story full of twist and turns, where anything can and will happen, and you will find yourself not wanting to win just to win—but to see if Marston will finally get his redemption. And there was also Heavy Rain, a game that not only broke the graphic barrier, but the storytelling one as well. While the story itself is nothing new—a boy is kidnapped by the mysterious Origami killer—it is the characters and the control you have over the story that make it special. Each option you choose can alter the game, all the way to its final ending. The four playable characters, Ethan, Madison, Scott, and Norman,
all have unique personalities, different motivations and goals, and all have their own strengths and weaknesses. As you play these characters, you can also hear their thoughts, which makes them even more fleshed out. After the first few hours, you will feel a connection with them you might not even feel with your favorite movie or TV characters. You will wince in pain seeing what Ethan has to do to get back his son. You’ll react with disgust when Madison has to deal with a sleazy club owner. And those final hours, where everything comes together after the jaw-dropping reveal of who is the killer, will leave you breathless and on your toes. The graphics and the look of games have massively improved since the early days. Besides the games mentioned above, this year gave us great-looking games like Bayonetta and God of War III, where the graphics give every kill and fight scene a certain beauty to it, even during the violence. Alan Wake gave us the town of Bright Falls; a mountain town that was gorgeous during the day, and eerie and scary at night. The improvement of sound effects, music, and voice acting also plays a part. In God of War III, the sound of every blade attack that Kratos dishes can make you feel the impact. Music has become just as good as movie themes; from the epic Uncharted 2 score, to Red Dead Redemption and its perfect Western theme. Finally, voice acting has become a highlight, from a video-game veteran like Nolan North, or
from someone more famous, like Mass Effect 2’s all-star cast, including Martin Sheen, Yvonne Strahovski and Seth Green. These actors bring so much emotion to these characters and breath life into them. Video games are probably years away from gaining mainstream appeal. Industry award shows don’t carry the prestige of the Oscars or the Emmys. But these past few years have shown that video games are taking it to the next level. Not only are they commercially successful, but they are quietly matching and sometimes out doing other, bigger entertainment industries. The art of video games has really taken off, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store. Play N Trade, 5084 South Terrace, Suite 18, East Ridge.
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Free Will Astrology ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the 18th century, the French Academy laid down rules about the differences between professional and amateur paintings. For example, it was decreed that true artists must create a “licked surface,” hiding all evidence of their brushstrokes. The illusion was more convincing that way; viewers could sink their attention fully into the image without being distracted by thoughts about the artist’s process. When the Impressionists barged into the scene in the 1870s, one of their rebellions against convention was to reject the licked surface. By making some of their brushstrokes visible, they declared they weren’t interested in upholding the artifice. They wanted their audience to get involved in their subjective interpretation of the scene that was portrayed. In the coming week, Aries, I encourage you to be like the Impressionists. Forget about trying to present a licked surface. Reveal the inner workings that are whirling and humming behind your eyes. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): If your home is like a museum, a staid assemblage of fine memories, I suggest you shake things up a bit. If your imagination is filled with tape loops that keep running storylines you’ve heard a thousand times before, shake things up a bit. If your daily actions are so thoroughly possessed by the anesthetizing demons of habit that you can’t recall your last creative innovation, shake things up a bit. On the other hand, there’s no need for blame. Don’t berate yourself for your sluggishness. It was an inevitable byproduct of your efforts to solidify and stabilize your life. Just slip into a more playful mode and enjoy a bout of experimentation. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Maybe you know a person like my friend Joanna. She’s bright but terse, openminded but not chatty. Like an inscrutable Buddha, she watches everything closely and churns her thoughts carefully. Silence is her ally. Now and then, though, when moved by an inner prompting that has nothing to do with drinking wine, she will suddenly erupt with a torrent of sweet talk and pithy observations and wild explorations. I predict that for you, Gemini, the entire world—even the parts of it that are not usually very forthcoming—will soon resemble Joanna when she’s overflowing. CANCER (June 21-July 22): This would be an excellent time for you to get aggressively inventive about your education. It wouldn’t be too crazy, in my opinion, to launch your own school, with you as the only student. You could design your own course curriculum for the coming years. Decide who your teachers will be. Think about where you can get the stuff you’ll need to expand your mind, enhance your skills, and just plain increase your intelligence. You could call your center of higher learning the University of Wily Exuberance or the Academy of Astonishing Grace or the Institute of Getting Down to Business. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): For the people of Finland, the word sisu describes a quality they regard as integral to their national character. It refers to a courageous strength of will that can be sustained for a long time—a staunch ferocity that refuses to be defeated. We all could use more of that good stuff, not only to weather our personal ordeals but also to stay plucky in the face of the world’s lunacy. The coming weeks will be an especially good time for you to build up your reserves of sisu, Leo. How? Start by taking inventory of all the resources and allies and skills you have at your disposal. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Ever upstream from myself,” wrote Belgian poet Edmond Vandercammen. “I advance, implore and pursue myself.” I suggest you adopt that attitude, Virgo. Assume that your best self is sailing along at a rapid clip, somewhere in the distance ahead of you, and it’s your job to catch up. Your highest form of expression is eluding you, but you’re hunting it down. The most beautiful possible embodiment of all your potentials is surging toward the future, and it’s your fun job to close the gap between you and unite with it.
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The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | August 12, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com
By Rob Brezsny Truthrooster@gmail.com LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In one possible scenario I could foresee for you in the coming week, you’re sweaty and tearful, enmeshed in an extreme state that causes an internal blockage to dissolve. The sweat is purgative, the tears are cathartic, and you’re riding a wave of relief and release that clears out a backlog of emotional congestion. In a second possible future, I could see you as supernaturally relaxed and exuberant, periodically laughing so hard that you break up an internal blockage. The calm is purgative, the laughter is cathartic, and you’re riding a wave of relief and release that clears out a backlog of emotional congestion. Which scenario would you prefer? SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Last June, comedian Stephen Colbert reported that President Obama’s big TV address to Americans about the Gulf catastrophe was a failure because it went over the heads of too many people. Language experts who analyzed Obama’s speech determined that it was written at a tenth-grade level— too professorial, scolded Colbert. I wonder what he would say about the horoscopes I compose, which are designed for readers who enjoy thinking metaphorically and have a high degree of emotional intelligence. In the coming week, Scorpio, I suggest that you take the approach that Obama and I use rather than the one Colbert (farcically) recommended. Don’t talk down to your audience or pander to the lowest common denominator. Raise everyone up with your appeals. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): My favorite baseball player Tim Lincecum told San Francisco magazine: “I think you either get in the canoe with your oar and control the boat, or get into it and let the current take you. I’m kind of in between. I want to be able to enjoy the ride but don’t want to be swept away by it. I don’t want to be overwhelmed; I want to see what’s going on.” Whether you are customarily the type of person who controls the boat or the type who enjoys drifting dreamily along, I suggest you take Lincecum’s inbetween approach for now. Be half in charge and half surrendered. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The poet Jean Perrin dreamed “of marrying the dawn with the light of the moon,” and I invite you to do the same. The darkness you’ve been immersed in will leave you soon. As it does, please don’t forsake the pale, moon-like radiance that has provided you with a bit of guidance and consolation. Rather, bring along what it has taught you as you head into the far brighter phase you’re entering. In other words, retain some of the wisdom the dim light has compelled you to learn. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I know two people in their 80s who have accomplished a sensational longrunning creative art project: They’ve been happily married for 65 years. The amount of reinvention they’ve had to dream up in order to keep loving each other is so profound that it confounds the imagination. How could they possibly have continued to stay closely interwoven through all the changes each of them has gone through as they’ve aged? During the fascinating relationship tests that will be coming your way in the weeks ahead, Aquarius, I’d love for you to summon some of their dogged ingenuity and tenacious collaborative skills. In fact, I predict you will be able to do just that. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): For the last 20 years, I’ve worn just one brand of shoes—all-black Converse hightop sneakers. I’ve had them on them at weddings and while jogging, at my daughter’s high school graduation and while performing at my shows. Am I too set in my ways? Definitely. In any case, Pisces, don’t be like me. Whatever your version of covering your feet with nothing but black Converse high-top sneakers may be, the upcoming weeks will be an excellent time to change your ways. Break out and branch out! Try something new about how you present yourself—the equivalent of me switching over to suede moccasins or snakeskin cowboy boots.
JONESIN’
Across 1 Amanda who retired, then “unretired” from acting in 2010 6 Disaster zone 10 Kingpin 14 “To say the ___...” 15 Express lane unit 16 Tip-top 17 Org. with a shelter outreach program 18 Lord’s mate 19 Oodles 20 “East vs. West” sports event 23 Actor Keir who played Dave in “2001” 24 Dial 25 “Just look ___ now!” 26 Liqueur-saturated dessert 32 “___ Communication” (Beastie Boys album) 33 Ladd or Lane 34 Hip hop-pioneering DJ 41 Biblical food 42 Note in place of money
43 Saddam Hussein’s group 46 “___ Well That Ends Well” 50 Robert who played A.J. Soprano 51 Let out, like a fire hose 53 Duo from “The Lion King” 57 Endeavour launchers 58 “___ one...” 59 1970s Lincoln Continental 60 Augustana’s record label 61 The Dalai ___ 62 “Please make ___ of it” 63 Say no to 64 Website for handmade crafts 65 Kids, in Colombia Down 1 George who played a record 26 pro football seasons 2 “However...” 3 Incendiary jelly
“The Bleat Goes On” –Wolly? Bully.
4 Musician’s practice with four sharps 5 Like old pretzels 6 Measures of thickness 7 Floride or VirginieOccidentale, e.g. 8 Neil who sang “Laughter in the Rain” 9 Atlanta suburb named for an ancient Greek city 10 The toe of Italy’s boot 11 1970s PBS show 12 Pot starter 13 Lo-___ graphics 21 Word before majora or minora 22 Dutch dairy product 27 Nat. on the Adriatic Sea 28 Prime Minister two before Cameron 29 “Poodle ___” (“Weird Al” Yankovic album) 30 One, in Oaxaca 31 ___ culpa (“my fault”)
34 Foreign dignitary: abbr. 35 Gp. that monitors flights 36 Genetic messenger material 37 Common relationship fear 38 Role for Hayek 39 Word to the Oise? 40 Purchase all of 44 Like some implants 45 One of Time’s 1993 Men of the Year 46 Word on nice suits 47 He got heat for joining the Heat 48 Disseminate, as for the press 49 Emancipation Proclamation subject 52 Gary who sang “It’s the only way to live in cars” 53 Gift wrapping need 54 “The doctor ___” 55 Munches on, like an LOLcat 56 Sturdy cart 57 Beatty of “Deliverance”
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 #0481.
www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 12, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | The Pulse
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Ask A Mexican!
By Gustavo Arellano
Even More Mormons—and Pirates
“As for the husband domination? That’s what makes your religion so appealing to Mexicans—don’t start denying it now!”
Ask the Mexican at themexican@ askamexican.net, be his fan on Facebook, follow him on Twitter or ask him a video question at youtube.com/askamexicano!
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Dear Readers, As you read this, my trusty burro, pigtailed chica and I are crisscrossing Aztlán researching Mexican food. So now is as bueno as any time to do some housecleaning for the columna. Hay que start with a letter from the Mexican’s longtime amigo, William Lobdell. For years one of the most prestigious religion reporters in the United States, he’s also the author of the touching, brilliant memoir Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America—and Found Unexpected Peace, a book the Mexican recommends as much as he does Herradura. He wrote in recently regarding my piece from a couple of semanas back theorizing why so many Mexis are Mormons: The real reason why Mormons had such good luck at converting Mexicans is that the missionaries and even past prophets have told Latinos that they are the descendants of Lamanites, a lost tribe of Israel that came to America around 600 BC. As a Lamanite, therefore, Mexicans are part of God’s chosen people and very, very special and God has something incredible planned for them. This, naturally, is very appealing to people of poverty and hardship. Of course, recent studies show that native Americans (North, Central and South) come from Asia, not the Middle East. But this hasn’t stopped the majority of Mormons from using the you-are-a-Hebrew sales
The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 32 | August 12, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com
pitch to natives of North, Central and South America. And when those convert Mormons find out that they don’t have an ounce of Jewish blood in them, they are devastated. Gracias, Bill! On the other side of the Mexican Mormon equation is the following gentleman: Your “understanding of Mormonism” is partially incorrect and frankly offensive. Mormon men do NOT dominate their wife. Mormons do NOT hate homosexuals, nor anyone else for that matter. I suggest you do better research, and apologizes in print for these untruths. Good luck finding the courage to do that. Actually, señor, Mormons do quite hate homosexuals—otherwise, church doctrine wouldn’t classify the act as a sin, or unnatural. But what do I know? My Catholic faith preaches the same pendejadas—and we protect pedophiles much better than ustedes, to boot. As for the husband domination? That’s what makes your religion so appealing to Mexicans—don’t start denying it now! STOP THE DEPORTATION OF DREAMERS! Faithful readers know that the Mexicans favorite cause is the DREAM Act, a bill before Congress that would allow young people who are culturally American to qualify for amnesty. The pinche Obama
administration is now threatening to deport quite a few of them—my former intern Matías Ramos, Marlen Moren of Tucson, and even a gabacho: Ivan Nikolov, a 22-year-old student at Macomb Community College in Michigan, who might be back in Russia (a country he barely remembers) by the time you’re reading this. Fight the deportation of some of our best and brightest by visiting dreamactivist.org to learn how to raise the proper desmadre. CONTEST ALERT! The Mexican doesn’t mind pirated versions of his column, but he doesn’t like when pendejos use his picture without his permission. See, the awesome artist Mark Dancey owns my pinche portrait, and he enjoys people ripping off his work about as much as Arpayaso enjoys following the law. So, the contest: anyone who rats out anyone who uses this column’s logo anywhere in the world gets a free copy of my book. Send photographic proof of the piratería (previous examples I’ve seen is pendejos using the logo to sell Mexican food, beer, promote club nights and even as a phone card) to my email or snailmail address below. And for those of ustedes who won last year’s contest—the Mexican mail system screwed up my deliveries of your free book, so they’ll be coming in the next couple of weeks!