The Pulse - Vol. 7, Issue 38 by Brewer Media Group

Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative

Diamond In The Rough

In depth with John Meyers of the Black Diamond Heavies by Chuck Crowder

FREE • News, Views, Music, Film, Arts & Entertainment • September 23, 2010 • Volume 7, Issue 38 • www.chattanoogapulse.com

Advertising Sales Rick Leavell, Jonathan Susman, Townes Webb Graphic Design Jennifer Grelier Staff Photographer Louis Lee Contributing Writers Gustavo Arellano, Maggie Behringer Rob Brezsny, Jeannie Hacker-Cerulean Chuck Crowder, John DeVore, Hellcat, Joshua Hurley Matt Jones, D.E. Langley, Ernie Paik, Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D. Gary Poole, Alex Teach Editorial Cartoonist Rick Baldwin Calendar Editors Bryanna Burns, Josh Lang Editorial Intern Reginald Owens 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.

The Pulse is published by Brewer Media 1305 Carter Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402 Letters to the editor must include name, address and daytime phone number for verification. The Pulse reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity. Please keep letters within 300 words in length. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on culture, the arts, entertainment and local news.

Advertising Manager Rhonda Rollins

12 THE BALLAD OF JOHN JAMES WESLEY MYERS LEGG By Chuck Crowder Last week, local musician James Legg and his band Black Diamond Heavies served up their brand of blues punk to 3,000 screaming fans at France’s Paris Jazz Festival. Last night, John Myers served me three of my favorite beers at the Pickle Barrel in downtown Chattanooga. Both are one and the same person, but it just goes to show there are two sides to everyone’s story.

feature stories

Photography by David Ruiz, 423 Bragging Rights

18 NEED FOR A NEW VENUE By Hellcat I know that many of you have already thought of this idea. And rumors are floating about plans in the works. But let’s really think about it for a moment. We have several amazing smaller venues.

26 (THANK GOD IT'S) LAST FRIDAY ON MAIN By Maggie Behringer When artist Miki Boni first moved to Mitchell Avenue on the Southside, there were shoes hanging over the telephone wires. Now, she opens the door to her sunny artist’s gallery residence on an equally sunny avenue with spruced-up houses, landscaped front yards and a repainted YMCA.

32 AFFLECK RULES THE TOWN By John DeVore I like rooting for bad guys. I think a lot of Americans feel the same way. A sense of individualism is ingrained in us from very early ages; we learn about angry colonists rebelling against the tyranny of taxation, frontiersmen of the Old West defending their families, and so forth.

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News Editor / Art Director Gary Poole

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Contributing Editor Janis Hashe

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Publisher Zachary Cooper

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

everything else 4 4 9 9 19 20 27 31 34 36 37

EDITOON LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICE BLOTTER THE LIST NEW MUSIC REVIEWS MUSIC CALENDAR A&E CALENDAR ART OF BUSINESS SPIRITS WITHIN FREE WILL ASTROLOGY JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

Letters to the Editor Congratulations To Writers We, the Graphites Writers Group of Atlanta, would like to congratulate all of the winners of the Very Short Story writing contest. Your collective works were excellent examples of the craft of writing and storytelling. We look forward to reading more of your works and we look forward to competing against you in the next contest! Julian T. Reid III Cynthia Middleton Shaunnon Drake Nutrition Industry Very Safe I enjoyed the recent article on alternative healing by Dr. Pimental-Habib and I thought he did a fine job of covering part of this growing segment of our health care system. I have been involved in alternative health care thinking for over 30 years and see it as a movement that will continue to grow. If you look back in history and throw out the deaths at birth, deaths from poor sanitary conditions, and plagues, the human race is a very strong hardy breed that could live long healthy lives without having hospitals or drug stores on every corner. However, the statement that natural healthcare is

“unregulated” is simply not true. The FTC has the authority at any moment if evidence is pointing to a product that has any risk to the public, to remove it forever. The nutrition industry has a track record of the greatest safety in all industries that offer products that are consumed. Ed Jones Mind Over Matter I want to thank The Pulse and Dr. Rick for the wonderful and informative cover article on Alternative and Holistic medicine in Chattanooga. I think our community ought to know that there are many options worth exploring here for wellness. One other point: I personally don’t put much stock in whether an herb, methodology, or system has been FDA approved. If it helps and I feel better, isn’t that the point? I’ve always thought that when they do “blind studies” and give one group the meds and one group a sugar pill, it’s the sugar pill group we ought to pay attention to. Doesn’t that reflect the positive power of suggestion and the affirmative belief in making oneself well? Give me “mind over matter” over a prescription any day. Rev. Bill Wallace

Give ’Em Hell, Chuck The reasoning for people to take your and other opinion columns as a personal attack is far deeper an issue than any “shrink” could uncover in a standard hour long visit. Some people just think so highly of themselves that they automatically think everything is all about them. While I don’t always agree with your articles, I do find them entertaining. The last time I checked that was the point. Keep the columns coming. Paul Wilson

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

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Pulse Beats

Quote Of The Week:

A rundown of the newsy, the notable, and the notorious...

“There is the strategy that if you’re well ahead sometimes you ignore and don’t give any attention to what your opponent is saying.” —Vanderbilt University political science professor Bruce Oppenheimer, speculating on why GOP congressional candidate Chuck Fleischmann has all but ignored his opponents and the media since winning his party's primary.

A Busy News Week In Chattanooga Between criminals and politicians, the news media in Chattanooga has been extremely busy for the past several weeks. And with all the attention on the murders, assaults, and home invasions from the criminal side, along with all the various antics of elected leaders for the city, county and most notably school board, it seems that a lot of “smaller” news has been lost in the shuffle. For instance, Tennessee American has filed a request with the Tennessee Regulatory Authority to increase water rates by 28 percent. That’s not a misprint—twenty-eight, as in a two followed by an eight. The increase would go into effect next spring and affect residents in Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain and Lakeview areas. Oddly enough, customers in Suck Creek and Lone Oak would actually see a reduction in rates as agreed to earlier. The reduction would average $4.47 on a monthly bill, while Chattanooga customers would see an average of about $4.68 added to their bills. The popular Just Busted magazine, which prints mugshots of people who have been arrested, is being sued for $200,000. Horace Hatcher claims his mugshot was listed on a page that identified him a sex offender, even though he is not on the sex offender registry. According to the suit, Hatcher claims he was profiled in the August 3 edition of the magazine under the heading “SEX OFFENDERS NEAR CARVER OUTDOOR POOL”. The TBI confirms that Hatcher was removed from the registry in July. He is also asking for a retraction to be run for the next six months in the magazine. Tonya Craft’s plans to sue her ex-husband, his new wife and 13 other people for accusing her of child molestation has hit yet another roadblock. The former kindergarten teacher, who was found not guilty of all charges against her in a trial that garnered national attention, will have to try again with her

lawsuit. Federal Judge Harold Murphy told her attorneys last week that the $25 million lawsuit will need to be refiled to be more specific, stating that it was a still a “shotgun” suit. He gave her attorneys 14 days to refile...and at the same time ruled against all motions by the defendants to dismiss the lawsuit. And an investigation in the finances of the Hamilton County Trustee’s office by newly elected trustee Bill Hullander shows the office overcharged delinquent taxpayers by more than $300,000. And now the office is going to have to pay the overcharges back. The investigation was launched after U.S. Trustee Bill Sonnenberg paid County Mayor Claude Ramsey a visit and advised him of a pending lawsuit over the charges. Ramsey said quick and open action by the county has averted the lawsuit, and all three of the people involved—former trustee Carl Levi, assistant trustee Dawn Patton and back tax attorney Terry McGhehey–are all gone from the office. Hullander also notes that there are people who were undercharged, to the tune of about $100,000.

High-Flying Canines Go For The Glory

Airborne Airedales? Winged weinerdogs? There’s just something about dogs catching Frisbees that is irresistible. This Saturday and Sunday at AT&T Field, the 2010 Hyperflite Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship will provide enough high-flying pups to make anyone’s day. On top of that, any proceeds (a $1 donation is suggested) will benefit the McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center. More than 125 teams from eight US regions, as well as Canada, Italy, Japan, Belgium, Hungary and the Netherlands will vie for championship status. Hyperflite materials note that, “Many of the canine athletes expected to compete were rescued from animal shelters.” The teams earn points for simple throws and catches all the way through eye-popping acrobatics. World Championship, rain or shine: September 25-26, 9:30 a.m., AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley. www.skyhoundz.com

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Beyond The Headlines

By Jeannie Hacker-Cerulean

I Can Hear the Mountains’ Cries I

’m only human. I see things on a human scale. It is hard for me to visualize the vastness of a mountain that has been blown up, craterized, for my electricity needs. My grandmother, Lou Gregg, who ran the Chattanooga Florist and was voted business woman of the year here nine times, grew up in an orphanage in Pine Ridge, Kentucky. She showed me the mountains there. Sad fact: those mountains are gone. Chattanooga gets some of its electricity from Mountain Top Removal Coal. I suggest we all write to TVA and ask for a boycott of electricity coming from Widow’s Creek Energy Distributors, who are processing mountaintop removal coal for us. I hear you have to do a flyover to get the true perspective of what mountaintop removal is. Lamar Alexander flew with SouthWings over mountaintop removal (MTR) prior to composing the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696). MTR is the blowing up hundreds of feet of a mountain above the coal seam and scraping it off into the headwaters of our aquifers. I’ve heard it is a very persuasive adventure to fly from Pine Ridge, Kentucky up into Virginia—“like a trip to the moon”. A mountain turned into a moonscape might make you rethink how you get your electricity. It might even make you want to travel to Washington, D.C. this weekend to Appalachia Rising. I helped organize Chattanooga’s benefit for Appalachia Rising last weekend. Wet Cadillac, dancing, and mingling with friends at Discoteca generated pleasure and funds. The proceeds cover travel to DC, where a national dialogue on transitioning from mountain top removal coal mining is happening. Appalachia Rising is a conference, “Voices of the Mountains” (September 25 and 26) and a Day of Action (September 27). Some of the musical artists playing are Reverend Billy & the Church of Stop Shopping Choir, and Demolition String Band. Combining the draw of music with harsh realities like MTR helps us wrap our minds around someone blowing up our mountains to “help” us.

Massey Coal Company dynamites day and night. Citizens have asked that they only blast during hours of daylight, but the company’s answer boils down to, “Nope, gotta get this mountain outta here tonight!” They’re not harvesting trees; they’re not hauling out rocks; they’re blowing up the mountains and scraping off the tops. They’ve blown up 500 mountains and buried 1,200 miles of headwater streams. How could this be legal? Four federal court rulings say it’s not. But in 2001, a rule was changed: dumping mountains into streams was defined as “fill’, effectively gutting the Clean Water Act. Thanks to strong voices in Chattanooga, Zack Wamp kicked the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1310) out of his committee before re-election, but he hasn’t signed on to support it. Lamar Alexander’s bill, The Appalachian Restoration Act (S 696) will drastically reduce MTR. Can Alexander’s “Appalachian Restoration” top the charts? Tennessee’s top pick, the Scenic Vistas Protection Act (HB 0455) is still being nixed by the coal lobby. Check out Tennessee Conservation Voters “2010 Legislative Scorecard” for the line-up of your elected officials supporting this bill. Biggest flop: Before leaving the stage on December 8, 2009, George W. Bush made a rule change that removed the Stream Buffer Zone. And as a result, the streams scream. We’ve been listening to the music of past generations for a long time now. Want to hear something better? UTC, Chatt State and TVA received a grant this year to train Smart Grid Technicians. Neighborhoods can link to Smart Grids and generate electricity for themselves and the city. Solar costs have crossed over and are cheaper than nuclear now, at 16 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to the New York Times. TVA’s partial board (new members in legislative limbo still)

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

plans zero money for new technologies. Some money goes to conservation measures, but the rest is coal and nuclear. MTR coal practices have doubled the cost of coal while putting more than 100,000 coal workers out of work. Coal is predicted to run out in 2020. I guess that is when Appalachia is as flat and dry as a Kansas prairie. Maybe we’d be motivated to talk about changing our energy culture if we could see the scale of MTR. Our relatives have to see it. Their mountains are disappearing and their drinking water is being polluted. They are motivated and moving. Many of them are on their way to Washington right now. Chattanooga’s “Appalachia Rising” benefit helped put people on a bus to DC. There were 100-plus on the waiting list wanting to go, but we didn’t raise enough money to send them all. You can still donate at UnitedMountainDefense.org; tag your donation “Appalachia”. Enthusiastic humans can end MTR. Let’s pass the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696). Oh, and ask Zack if he’ll sing that tune, “Keep the Tops on the Mountain Tops.”

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

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.

• As much as the average teenager wants to be considered cool, making up a story about a planned school shooting is not the way to get the right kind of attention. And while the rumor of a planned school shooting last week at Soddy Daisy High turned out to be a hoax, it didn’t prevent law enforcement from spending most of the school day there just in case. Authorities checked out the rumor, and discovered it was started by a pair of female students texting one another. Apparently another student saw the texts, and the word spread virally. The first student said afterward that she had not meant any harm or believed anything was actually going to happen. Still, authorities confirm that three students have been suspended for a “lengthy period of time”. A number of concerned parents contacted the school, but were assured everything was safe and under control. • In one of the larger drug investigations in some time, a group of Hamilton County deputies went undercover for five months. The end

result of their work came to light at a press conference last week when Sheriff Jim Hammond announced the indictment of 49 people on 86 counts that include the sale, manufacture and distribution of narcotics. The five-month investigation broke up a wide-ranging underground network that distributed pain pills, meth and marijuana. The investigation focused on several areas of Hamilton County including Highway 58 Corridor, Birchwood, Georgetown, Ooltewah, Brainerd, East Brainerd, Sale Creek, Soddy-Daisy, Lookout Valley, Signal Mountain and Hixson. • Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you? Well, maybe hiding under a deck isn’t the brightest answer to the question, as one wayward burglar discovered. Chattanooga police got a call from concerned neighbors about suspicious activity on Newell Avenue, and when they arrived, they saw two suspects jump out of the window of a residence and run. After a short foot pursuit, officers apprehended one suspect who was hiding under the back deck of a neighboring house. The teen was questioned and confessed to the crime, which may have been the only smart thing he did all day.

The List Top Jelly Belly Flavors 1. Toasted Marshmallow 2. Red Apple 3. Caramel Corn 4. Sizzling Cinnamon 5. Chocolate Pudding 6. Plum 7. Top Banana

• And not to be outdone by their Chattanooga brethren, police in Calhoun surprised a bank robber in the act. Calhoun Police’s Garry Moss said a man walked into a local bank branch and flashed a handwritten note demanding money. However, as he was leaving the bank with an undisclosed amount of money, an officer spotted him getting into a getaway vehicle and immediately gave chase. The bank robber tried to escape by heading down I-75 toward Atlanta but was quickly stopped and apprehended by a Georgia highway patrolman. The man confessed to both the robbery he was spotted committing, and also to another bank robbery in Adairsville the past week.

8. French Vanilla 9. Jalapeno 10. Tutti-Frutti From the moment President Ronald Reagan placed a jar of the miniature jelly beans on his desk in the Oval Office, Jelly Belly has been a part of the American snack culture. With more than 50 flavors to choose from, it’s hard to narrow down the most popular. But we did. After lots of research. Lots and lots of sweet, delicious, chewy research.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Shrink Rap

By Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D

The Self-Esteem Dance R

“It is so important to understand the landscape of your own self-esteem, as it influences everything you do—every job you take, every apartment you live in, every friend you make, every lover you’re with.”

Dr. Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, minister, and educator, in private practice in Chattanooga. Visit his wellness center, Well Nest, at www. WellNestChattanooga.com, and his web site at www.DrRPH.com

ecently in this column—and from time to time—we’ve discussed the power of thoughts, words, and actions, as these are the ingredients of the creation of our lives. They define and design our personal universe as we co-architect with our greater universe, our Higher Power, our Source within. This week, I want to start a brief series on how our thoughts, words, and actions apply directly to our self-esteem. But first, let’s look at self-esteem in a clear, manageable way that we can all wrap our minds around. Self-esteem is not an “either/or” proposition. It would be a disservice to your personal growth to think of self-esteem in black-and-white, all-or-nothing terms. It simply isn’t true that you have either good self-esteem (which we can also refer to as self-worth), or poor self-esteem. Such thinking presupposes that there are no gray areas to your opinions and feelings about yourself, or no areas of your life that are in flux, organically on the rise or on the wane. It is more helpful, and more accurate, to think of the different parts of your life, and how your self-esteem fares in each part. We all have many parts, or areas, in our lives, which, for purposes of simplicity, can be visualized as pieces of a pie. A person’s life may include, say, some basic areas, such as home, work, school, spirituality, a significant

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

love relationship, friendships, and family of origin. Each piece of the pie requires a different amount of time and energy, and each fulfills a different need: the need to be a student, a lover, a best friend, a son or daughter, and so on. Each part of your life, each identity, also carries with it the feelings you have about yourself in that area. For instance, perhaps you think of yourself as a good friend, a great lover, a so-so employee, and feel rather guilty about being—in your opinion, anyway—a lousy daughter. Or maybe you see yourself as an accomplished career person, a devoted son, but feel quite confused and helpless about the quality of your friendships and your string of transient love relationships. Perhaps you think highly of yourself as a dad, but poorly of yourself as a son to your own father. Maybe previously you felt that were a cruel sibling to your sister, and now that you’ve grown older, you feel that you’re a devoted sib, but feel a sense of failure regarding the relationship with your own parents. Maybe you don’t feel you have anything to offer anyone, except your unique and fabulous sense of style! Get the idea? These are pieces of the pie, your pie, each with its own degree of self-esteem, each with feelings you have about the parts of yourself. Further, the different feelings you have regarding your self-worth exist along a continuum, and can change over different periods, indeed, moments, in your life. For instance, do you presently feel good about yourself as a partner? Have you always felt that way? Are you a passionate,

accomplished lover or, according to you, an inept or boring one? And were you always? Do you notice how your thoughts and feelings about yourself change over the years? Do you feel differently about yourself after you gain weight? Lose weight? Or when you’ve been drinking “a bit too much?” What happens when you’ve skipped the gym for two weeks? How do you feel at parties? Or when you’re stressed? Or tired? Take a moment, right now, and think about yourself: Are there times when you feel especially good about who you are? Under what circumstances? What is that feeling like for you? How often do you have it? How long does it usually last? And conversely, when do you not feel good about yourself? Under what circumstances? How do you feel about yourself right now? Has something happened recently? How about when you’re around others—your parents or sibs, your partner, your colleagues or boss? How do you feel about yourself when you’re around an ex? It is so important to understand the landscape of your own self-esteem, as it influences everything you do—every job you take, every apartment you live in, every friend you make, every lover you’re with. It affects your thoughts, your words, the conversations with your own soul in the quiet and darkness. It’s an important journey and we’ll continue it together next time. Until then, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

The Ballad of John James Wesley Myers Legg by Chuck Crowder 12

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Photography by David Ruiz, 423 Bragging Rights

Cover Story

ast week, local musician James Legg and his band Black Diamond Heavies served up their brand of blues punk to 3,000 screaming fans at France’s Paris Jazz Festival. Last night, John Myers served me three of my favorite beers at the Pickle Barrel in downtown Chattanooga. Both are one and the same person, but it just goes to show there are two sides to everyone’s story. Let’s start with James Legg, who’s half of the power blues-punk duo Black Diamond Heavies. Comprised of Legg on keys and vocals and Louisville drummer Van Campbell, the Heavies have come a long way since their humble beginnings on the Chattanooga music scene back in 2002. In its first incarnation, the band consisted of Legg on keys and vocals, Scotty Knight on bass, Dida Maynor on drums and local favorite Mark “Porkchop” Holder on guitar and vocals. “We were a straight-up blues band,” recalls Legg. “Scotty named us after the old ‘Black Diamond’ guitar strings. They were rigid, sharp strings that came in light, medium and heavy gauges, but it was the ‘heavies’ that made your fingers bleed.” The band’s sound came together quickly and things started taking off as the Heavies found an instant audience from day one. However, things within the band weren’t going as well. “Scotty and Dida left the band in 2004,” says Legg. “Porkchop and I decided to move to Nashville and try our luck in Music City. We found that by playing as a two piece, all we really wanted to add at that point was drums to round out the sound.” Local Chattanooga drummer Doug Bales from The Unsatisfied and Uncle Lightnin’ filled in long distance for their first Nashville gigs, but it was obvious they needed a more permanent solution. Enter former Chattanoogan and then-manager of Nashville’s Radio Café, Dave Brown. “Van [Campbell] walks in the Radio Café with one of the ‘drummer needed’ fliers we’d hung up all over town and Dave kind of jokingly insisted he call me right away,” said Legg. “The funny thing is that when my phone rang, I was actually standing out behind Radio Cafe unloading my gear because we were playing a show there that night. I told him to stick around and if he liked what he heard, we’d talk.”

It worked. Overnight, the band formulated the sound they’d been striving for, and were able to find success across the pond during three tours of the UK over the next couple of years. But again, just when things start happening for the band, another twist of fate sets them back one more time. “Porkchop was having some health issues and had plans to get married back here in the States,” said Legg. “We had dates booked in Europe that couldn’t be cancelled, so Van and I just decided to do them as a two-piece—keyboards and drums. The first date we ever played as a two-piece was in Paris opening for Kenny Brown. We got four encores, so I guess we had something special that we just didn’t realize until it happened out of necessity.” Legg describes the new sound he and Van make as “Howlin’ Wolf meets the

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Cover Story Stooges.” His Hammond B3 organ runs through a set of heavy effects before coming out of a guitar amp, while a separate set of keys provides low ends through a standard bass amplifier. Then it’s his Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ brand of vocals and Vann’s Keith Moon-style drumming that complete the triple-part secret weapon that is today’s Black Diamond Heavies. After the newfound two-piece found its sea legs in Europe, they returned to the States to play a handful of influential gigs, including SXSW in Austin, before settling down in local producer Mike Pack’s studio “Revolution Sound” to record what would be their first fulllength CD, Every Damn Time. “Mike was great. He wanted to ensure that he captured the old blues-rock sound we were looking for, so he did a lot of research of classic recording techniques,” says Legg. “We ended up with an awesome first release that we could go back and tour behind.” And back they went to Europe. After a glowing review in England’s NME and loads of other

second CD A Touch of Someone Else’s Class in the studio of Black Keys’ frontman Dave Auerbach, a fan and the album’s producer. After the short break, Legg and Campbell continued along their seemingly never-ending path of shows, even opening up for Exene Cervenka of X, Kid Congo Powers, Marc Ribot, and, none other than one of their idols, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, for two sold-out shows at Chicago’s Double Door. “One of the Seeds had seen us play before, so they requested that we open for them in Chicago,” said Legg. “I tell you one thing about the experience. I’ll never be nervous before a gig again after having to weather the kind of intimidating atmosphere that comes with playing for one of your idols.” But enough about James Legg. What about John Myers? When Legg is back at home, as short is it may be, he comfortably settles back into John Myers, the guy many know and love as a local music enthusiast and part-time Pickle Barrel drink slinger.

“While everyone else was disgusted by this horrible display of devil’s music, I was a wide-eyed kid being introduced to the greatest thing that’d ever happened to me…and I never looked back.”

accolades, the Heavies discovered an avid following for Southern blues in areas otherwise famous for pop and jazz. “I’m from Texas originally and was raised in Tennessee,” said Legg, “but when I played London for the first time I’d never seen so many Western shirts and cowboy boots in one club in all my life.” Returning home, the Heavies played all across the States, including Chicago, Minneapolis, Austin, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, before stopping for just three days in Akron, OH to record their

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Cover Story

“I like to keep things laid back and real when I’m at home,” says Myers. “The name ‘James Legg’ came from Sandy the flower guy calling me James instead of John all of the time and U.S. Justin, who says I give him the ‘jimmy leg ‘when he watches me play. It’s funny, but it kind of helps me separate the ‘stage guy me’ from the ‘regular guy me’ everybody knows around town.” John Wesley Myers grew up the son of an Independent Baptist preacher. In fact, he himself is ordained and has even preached before a congregation as a teenager. But that may have been because growing up in a strict religious household meant that John wasn’t allowed to do normal things, like go bowling or listen to secular music, unless it just happened to be one of his father’s two favorites— James Brown and Ray Charles. Firing on those great, but limited snippets of rock music, Myers didn’t know what he was missing until a fateful tent revival at age 15. “They were doing a religious expose on the evils of rock n’ roll music at my dad’s church,” said Myers. “They kept showing slides of album covers

and playing songs from the Stones, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy and the Beatles. While everyone else was disgusted by this horrible display of devil’s music, I was a wide-eyed kid being introduced to the greatest thing that’d ever happened to me…and I never looked back.” Armed with a newfound passion for rock and nine years of piano lessons, Myers began playing with anyone he could find until getting serious and landing a gig playing with Uncle Lightnin’ in 1999. Since then, it’s been a well-traveled road of success that confirms Myers followed his true “calling.” Now, as the Black Diamond Heavies continue to hop back and forth across the Atlantic and prepare to record their third studio album amid interest from at least three of the most desired indie labels in the country, Myers looks ambitiously ahead at his growing career. “I really don’t think we’ve made ‘our album’ yet,” said Myers. “And it may not even be this next one—which is a good thing—’cause maybe that means the best is still yet to come.” www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

On The Beat

Just “Not Right” “I

’m cruising down Market Street headed towards Schlotzky’s…you know, they were half off—”

“Because they know what’s right and wrong… despite the fact they have never been (literally) elbow deep in wrong.”

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

“Yeah,” I interrupted, “Their Reubens were freakin’ outta this world. What was that bread they used?” “I dunno, your mother made it. Don’t interrupt,” he said. “Anyway, this guy walking down the sidewalk looks over his shoulder and sees me, and just takes off running. No reason whatsoevah, just starts running, I’m talking assholes to elbows here,” my partner says from an uncomfortable chair against a soiled wall decorated with ’80s-era corkboards festooned with out-of-date memorandums and wanted posters. “So I chase him.” I smiled. It certainly wasn’t for any unique reason, though, because there isn’t a cop worth the porcelain on his badge that hasn’t had this happen. We’re sighthounds by nature: When people run, we chase. (The Constitution says you can run, but it also says we can ask why… but I digress.) “I stay behind him in the car because he’s not duckin’ or turnin’ or nothin’; he’s just running a straight line down the road, I figure he’s crazy. It’s Main and Market, you know?” I nodded, indeed knowing. This was prior to the elementary school being built there or the revitalization of the four corners of that intersection, when the people indigenous to that geographic area were known neither for their problem-solving skills nor their sobriety. “So he’s running and running in a straight line, and finally he breaks left and runs down that alley behind the empty buildings across from the Choo Choo, tosses something, and jumps in a window. I go in after him and he spins on me and bows up so I give him The

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Memo [police jargon, completely meaningless, I assure you] “and after it’s over, Smitty there hands me the paper he threw down and it’s full of weed. No big deal, but the guy starts screaming, ‘That’s not mine, that’s not mine!’, so I tell him to shut up, and I take a look for myself. And turns out? The paper it’s wrapped in is his phone bill. It’s not his, but it’s wrapped up in his own goddamn phone bill.” My partner laughs with well-earned vigor, because he did something very rare in putting a new twist in one of the oldest of cop stories. I love those stories. Those moments when someone you can relate to can understand both the obvious and the unspoken in a story, someone who can really appreciate it without having to pause to see if you take offense or if, because you are still a normal “person”, you may no longer realize you are “wrong” for thinking a certain way. My buddy once threw a piece of human skull at me while (literally) mopping up a crime scene. I’m not talking an old dusty skeleton from a mobster’s murder 60 years ago; I mean still moist and smelling of the alcohol that caused its current state of fragmentation. He’s giggling, I’m pissed off and grossed out, and that turns his giggle into a laugh, then I realize how messed up the whole thing is and I laugh too, then we’re both laughing on a braincovered crime scene and know we shouldn’t be, and that causes even more laughter. In actuality, it’s the same thing when you get the giggles during a wedding ceremony or sermon except about a gajillion times worse because this moment is exponentially more solemn than a sermon. I’m not trying to justify anything, by the way…just offer an explanation. And I wouldn’t even be interested in doing that, but some people actually think officers should be fired

when they get to “that point” or exhibit “that kind of behavior” and say horribly insensitive things, which I am occasionally (at least once in a while) accused of. “They shouldn’t be on the force if they have gotten to that point,” the self-righteous (and not coincidentally inexperienced) people say with slow, knowing nods and pursed lips. Because they know what’s right and wrong…despite the fact they have never been (literally) elbow deep in wrong. Jumping hell, my fine Upright Citizens; fire those folks? The way you think a civilized society operates and way it really operates are two different universes, folks. How about a damn cup of cocoa & a silent nod instead, or at least a little leeway? Because you don’t need to remind anyone that human brains spread around a room by commercial ceiling fan blades are not funny. What if you fired Army soldiers for seeing the horrors of war we visit upon each other? Or firemen for not puking after putting their hands through a human torso that’s been weakened by a 1,500-degree fire in pitch-black super-heated smoke? Fire these people? We make these people. And what’s worse, so long as humankind exists on this planet, we will need these people. That’s why whether you realize it or not, when you take the time to thank a cop “for what they do”, what I’ve come to learn over the years…is that you are thanking them “for what you don’t have to do, or even know about.” It’s a gift cops (and soldiers) give you, folks. Believe me. So with that in mind, relax. Ease off the Judgment Throttle, and when you’re ready…I’ll tell you another story from just two hours ago about a guy in a wheelchair I caught exposing himself in the middle of Market Street. Funny story…if you get my sense of humor. Believe me.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Music Feature

By Hellcat

Need For a New Venue I

know that many of you have already thought of this idea. And rumors are floating about plans in the works. But let’s really think about it for a moment. We have several amazing smaller venues, like JJ’s Bohemia, Discoteca, Champys, and Ziggy’s. We have some great musical acts that come through our local restaurants, such as Market Street Tavern, Tremont Tavern, The Mud Pie, Northshore, Raw, and Bud’s, just to name a few. Midtown Music Hall is no longer a venue, and the sometimesvenue Parkway Billiards, is in a new and mysterious transition. Of course, we can’t leave out our “larger” venue, with a 450 capacity, Rhythm & Brews, that comes complete with a balcony, food, and full bar. All of this is good. Keep in mind, I love all of the venues I have mentioned and am a firm supporter of the local music scene. We also have the space that used to be Club Fathom, which is now Mosaic or 412 or something, with adequate space, but the booze situation is an interesting one. You can pay bartenders and bring your own booze and sell it, with the proper permits, but that is an awful lot of additional overhead just to put on a decent show. We have the Tivoli Theater, capacity about 1,800, the Memorial Auditorium, capacity about 3,900, First Tennessee Pavilion, which caps at 4,000, and then the McKenzie Arena, which can seat a little more than 11,500 people. I realize I am throwing a lot of numbers out at you, but trust me, I have a very good reason for it. If you notice, as a city, we jump from being able to provide for a band with 450 fans, to a band that has to have almost 2,000 fans. Personally, I think we are doing our city an injustice by not having much of a middle ground when it comes to the venues that we offer. Chattanooga is a great connector city. Anyone can see

that much. We are an easy stopping point if you have your next show in Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, Knoxville—and the list goes on. I think we could make our city more appealing for touring bands by adding a venue that could hold anywhere from 800 to 1,000 people. By having such a venue, the ticket prices for bigger acts would actually be less money for the fans. Let me explain. When Dinosaur Jr. or Reverend Horton Heat come into town, the ticket prices can range from $20-$40 dollars, which is just a little less than what you would pay for a bigger show at the Memorial Auditorium, where I paid $50 bucks to see Alice in Chains. The reason for the high ticket price at a place like Rhythm & Brews is that even if the show sells out, you only have a potential of 450 tickets to sell and the bigger bands have to make their guarantee or set price for their performance. If you had a venue that could easily seat 800 to 1,000, the ticket prices could drop considerably for the fan, and the venue would still be able to pay the band. More people would get the opportunity to see their favorite bands and their favorite bands would have the opportunity to play for more of the fans that keep them famous. It is a win-win type situation. But the positives don’t stop here. By having a venue such as I describe, our city would be on the radar again for more artists from more musical genres to visit, and have a good experience. Indie bands, for one, would be able to enter the market and would be all over the chance to play for a larger crowd without losing the intimate setting that they love so much. The up and comers, who might not yet be able to pack out a huge theater, would be able to build their existing fan base. Let’s not forget about the bands on their way out—they may not have as much of a buzz as they did before, but some of us still love them and would definitely go to see them. We lose all of these shows to our surrounding cities. Why?

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Do you know where I had to go see the Silversun Pickups this fall? Huntsville. Huntsville, Alabama, people. What does Huntsville have on us? Come on, Chattanooga. Before that, I saw them in Atlanta. Atlanta gets a lot of bands that I would love to see—but not enough to drive all the way to Atlanta, especially with gas prices. Would I drive to Atlanta to see Tears for Fears, or Joan Jett, and Billy Idol? Probably not. Would I drive downtown to see them play in my city, on their way to Atlanta? Hell, yes, I would. I happen to know of several people interested in investing in this idea, and yet a lot of our local building owners are skittish of leasing to a business that would serve alcohol. I understand that, I suppose. But look at all the good that could come of it. So, you music lovers out there, let me know what you think. If you see a cool potential spot for a venue on your way home from work or just tooling around, let me know, and let’s see if we can make something really awesome happen. Support local music!

New Music Reviews The Distribution Trouble (www.myspace.com/ thedistributionband)

“There’s a natural, clean recording style akin to that heard on earlyto-mid ’70s classic funk records.”

By Ernie Paik & Janis Hashe

James Brown was known for punishing the members of his bands when they would make mistakes by docking their pay. That’s a bit harsh—surely verbal humiliation alone would have been sufficient punishment—but it underscores one point: playing soul-funk right takes discipline. Funk bands can’t be sloppy—it’s a necessity to have a rhythm section that’s tighter than a mosquito’s tweeter; it also helps to have memorable, distinctive singers and tunes that instantly compel the listener to react in some physical way. The Chattanooga soul-funk outfit The Distribution gets it right on its debut fulllength album, Trouble. The seven-piece group, with guests and a horn section on choice numbers, features keyboardist Carl Cadwell (of Infradig and Summer Dregs), guitarist Jonathan Cate, the rhythm section of drummer Joshua Caleb Green (Infradig) and bassist Travis Knight (Coral Castles), and vocalists Mary Higgins, Nikki Ellis, and David McReynolds. Recorded by Stephen Nichols at the As Elyzum studio, Trouble is a step up from The Distribution’s 2009 self-titled debut EP and actually features all four songs from that EP with superior renditions. It doesn’t quite take the Daptone/Gabriel Roth route of mimicking a ’60s soul sound, nor does it take the modern, over-compressed route. Instead, there’s a natural, clean recording

Yoga Various Artists Putumayo World Music Over the many years I’ve been doing yoga, I’ve been delighted to observe how Americans have begun embracing the practice in a really big way. From traditional hatha, to “hot” yoga, to kundalini and all the myriad forms, if you want to experience this ancient practice, you have multiple ways to do it.

In addition to taking classes, people are doing yoga at home—and something that complements your practice are some soothing and appropriate music CDs. The use of music is traditional in yoga, as it helps to promote the mind/body/spirit connection. My new favorite CD, which I am using both as a teacher and as a participant, is a collection put out by Putumayo World Music simply called Yoga. The collection was put together by yoga instructor and musician Sean Johnson, who founded New Orleans’ Wild Lotus Yoga Studio. The 14 tracks on the CD include selections from musicians all over the world, from Krishna Das, who performs traditional Indian kirtan music on “Hanuman Baba”, to the Costa Rican group Amounsula, whose

style akin to that heard on early-to-mid ’70s classic funk records, with a careful balance that allows all of the details to be heard and felt. “The Get Down” is a standout, sounding like an early ’70s black action film soundtrack with a fauxClavinet hook (think Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”), and it gets its second wind with a straight-faced disco section. “Swing Low” is a slow jam with a deep wah guitar and organ expressions, and the gloriously bright, concise, and spirited closer, “Romans 11 Doxology,” takes the form of an upbeat gospel number. On Trouble, The Distribution has nailed down a satisfying take on classic soul and funk with both reverence and an attitude. The Distribution will perform at JJ’s Bohemia with Bob Dorough on September 24 to mark the release of Trouble. — Ernie Paik track “El Bosque Eterno de los Ninos” combines sitars and glass bottles. My personal favorite selections are Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band’s really lovely “Om Hari Om/Sharanam Ganesha (Refuge)”, which falls perfectly on the CD for the stretching and breathing I’m typically doing at that time in my routine, Shusheela Raman’s “O Rama”, and the Swedish teacher/ musician Yogini’s “Bliss”, which concludes the CD and is ideal for everyone’s favorite asana, savasana, the final pose of complete relaxation. This is Putumayo’s first foray into music for yoga, and I sincerely hope they will offer others, as this one will be playing in the studio for a long time. — Janis Hashe

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Music Calendar Thursday Spotlight

Feedback Revival, Queens Boulevard, The Tammys Get ready for an evening of indie rock. $7 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E, MLK. Blvd. (423) 266-1400.

Thursday Happy Hour Serenade with David Anthony 5 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. Live Team! 7:30 p.m. T-Bones, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240. www.tboneschattanooga.com Straight No Chaser 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theater, 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5050. www.chattanooga.gov Jimmy Harris 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. Open Mic with Gabriel Newell 9 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Tim Lewis and Reece 9 p.m. Bart’s Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777. www.bartslakeshore.com Open Mic Night 9 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com Main Coons, Dolphin Mouth, Real Drag 9 p.m. Discoteca, 304 E. Main St. (423) 386-3066.

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Friday Spotlight

Husky Burnette with Gerle Haggard 9:30 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com Feedback Revival, Queens Blvd., The Tammys 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. Find JJ’s Bohemia on Facebook. Soul Sessions 10 p.m. Table 2, 232 E. 11th St. (423) 756-8253. www.table2restaurant.com

Friday Live Jazz 5 p.m. Blue Orleans Creole Restaurant, 3208 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 629-6538. blueorleanscreolerestaurant.com Happy Hour Serenade with David Anthony 5 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Ben Friberg Trio 6 p.m. Table 2, 232 E.11th St. (423) 756-8253. www.table2restaurant.com White Collar Sideshow, Axiom, Faretheewell, Abel, Holding Onto Hope 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. www.myspace.com/warehousetn Jimmy Harris 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202. (423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Live Karaoke 7:30 p.m. Fireside Grill, 3018 Cummings Hwy. (423) 821-9898.

Rock N’ Roll Spectacular 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo Centennial Theatre, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000. Overture for Rent 7:30 p.m. Blue Orleans Creole Restaurant, 3208 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 629-6538. blueorleanscreolerestaurant.com Kathy Mattea 8 p.m. Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC Fine Arts Building, Vine and Palmetto Sts. (423) 425-4269. Muddy Mule 8 p.m. Southside Saloon & Bistro, 1301 Chestnut St. (423) 757-4730. southsidesaloonandbistro.com (423) 843-2800. The Lost Fingers 8 p.m. Miller Plaza, Nightfall Concert Series, 850 Market St. www.nightfallchattanooga.com Ben Friberg Trio 8:30 p.m. The Foundry, 1201 South Broad St. (423) 756-3400. www.chattanooganhotel.com Matt Martinez 9 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919. www.myspace.com/jstriker Gabriel Newell 9 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com Downstream 9 p.m. Bart’s Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777. www.bartslakeshore.com Bradbury Band, Hans David Rearick 9 p.m. Ziggy’s Underground, 607 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 756-4786. myspace.com/ziggyshideaway

Muddy Mule Rock and electric blues from the locals. $6 8 p.m. Southside Saloon & Bistro, 1301 Chestnut St. (423) 757-4730. southsidesaloonandbistro.com Power Playa Show Band 10 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Girlz, Girlz, Girlz 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com Channing Wilson 10 p.m. T-Bones, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240. www.tboneschattanooga.com Bob Dorough (solo), The Distribution 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. Find JJ’s Bohemia on Facebook. DJ Spicolli Raw Sushi Bar Restaurant & Nightclub, 409 Market Street, (423) 756-1919. www.myspace.com/jstriker

Saturday Record and CD Show 10 a.m. Hilton Garden Inn, 2343 Shallowford Village Dr. www.myspace.com/ showlogicproductions Dana Rogers 7 p.m. Blue Orleans Creole Restaurant, 3208 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 629-6538. blueorleanscreolerestaurant.com

Music Calendar

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

Saturday Spotlight

Lynam Boys from Birmingham rock the roof at R&B. $10 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com

Strengthen What Remains, As Hell Retreats, To Bow or to Burn, Amity, In This Hour, Squatthrust, Rebelz 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. www.myspace.com/warehousetn 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. John Lathim 8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse, 105 McBrien Rd. (423) 892-4960. www.christunity.org Chasi Lynn & Country Wild 8 p.m. Southside Saloon & Bistro, 1301 Chestnut St. (423) 757-4730. southsidesaloonandbistro.com Ben Friberg Trio 8:30 p.m. The Foundry, 1201 South Broad St. (423) 756-3400. Critty Upchurch 9 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919. www.myspace.com/jstriker Dance Party 9 p.m. Discoteca, 304 E. Main St. (423) 386-3066.

Sunday Spotlight

Ryan Oyer & the Flashbax 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (inside Days Inn). www.facebook.com/theofficechatt Bob Dorough with members of Shaking Ray Levis, Blair Crimmons and the Hookers 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. Lynam with Downstream 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com DJ Spicolli Raw Sushi Bar Restaurant & Nightclub, 409 Market Street, (423) 756-1919. www.myspace.com/jstriker

Sunday New Binkley Bros., Mark Kelly Hall. 12:30 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 Pay the Reckoning (Irish Music) 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. www.myspace.com/genem14 Sabbath Dark Vibe Dance Party 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. Find JJ’s Bohemia on Facebook.

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. Ty Seagull with Burning Itch, Real Drag, Ghetto Bird 9 p.m. Discoteca, 304 E. Main St. (423) 386-3066.

Tuesday Ben Friberg Jazz 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. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Lightning Billy Hopkins 8 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 8 50 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Spoken Word/Poetry Night 8 p.m. The Riverhouse, 224 Frazier Ave., (423) 752-0066. Open Mic with Mike McDade 9 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com Cary Ann Hearst 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. Find JJ’s Bohemia on Facebook. DJ ScubaSteve Fox and Hound Pub & Grille, 2040 Hamilton Place Blvd., #150, (423) 490-1200.

AEC CultureFest at the Market Music from around the globe at the Market this week. Free 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Reggie White Blvd. (423) 266-9270. www.chattanoogamarket.com

Wednesday Ben Friberg Jazz 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. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Johnny B. and Friends 8 p.m. Bourbon Street Music Bar, 2000 E. 23rd St. (423) 826-1985. Joe The Show 9 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878. www.budssportsbar.com Tony Joe White 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com Karaoke with American Idol’s Chase Guyton 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (inside Days Inn). www.facebook.com/theofficechatt Open Mic with Mark Holder 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. Find JJ’s Bohemia on Facebook.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Life in the Noog

By Chuck Crowder

Pour A Few More Gallons In The Ol' Fishbowl I

“One of my oldest friends can proudly count on more than one hand the number of old buildings he squatted in back in the '80s that have now been reduced to parking lots.”

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

’ve lived in Chattanooga pretty much all of my life. Grew up in Hixson but moved downtown during college, then on to Red Bank, North Chattanooga, back to Red Bank and now on the Southside. No matter how many different locales that may seem, however, the fish bowl is still very small. So it’s amazing how “different but the same” the town appears from your car windows as you swim around it each and every damn day. My normal daily driving “loop”, at best, runs from 18th Street where I live over to Hill City— like maybe the Mississippi Avenue area—and then back around. There are those days when I pick my daughter up from school or her house in Red Bank. That takes me a little off the beaten path, although at once or twice a week that path is pretty much beaten as well. My parents still live in the house where I grew up out in the Big Ridge area of Hixson. Aside from going to visit them every now and then, hitting up the Target for provisions or swinging by Becky’s for a cheap pair of shoes, I don’t make it out that way too often—maybe once a month or so. When I do venture out that way, I’m always amazed at the new restaurant or big-box retailer who, in the meantime, has managed to clear some roadside wilderness and construct a shiny new facility that looks like it’s been there for years. Obviously I need to get out of the neighborhood a little more often.

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Forget about Hamilton Place though. That’s like going out of town. Better fill the car up with gas and pack a lunch for that trip. It’s not just that I don’t like chain stores and restaurants, it’s just that acres and acres of line-painted concrete with cars zipping any which way makes me nervous. I live downtown, but there are much scarier people hanging out and driving in the suburbs. I prefer to keep close to my own hood. Driving around it all of the time might seem like a recipe for boring same old, same old. Things change, though. One of my oldest friends can proudly count on more than one hand the number of old buildings he squatted in back in the '80s that have now been reduced to parking lots. Places look different to me now too, because at some point their relevance became a memory. I like to mentally point out landmarks to myself (or to whoever may be riding with me). That’s where I lived in college. That’s where my girlfriend at the time lived. That’s where I threw up for the first time in public. That’s where [now defunct bar name] was. I saw [band name] play there once. I used to work in that building. That bar used to be called [now defunct bar name] and then it was [now defunct bar name] before it became [current bar name]. That’s where my ex-girlfriend lives now. I will say that at least my fishbowl covers a little more ground than most of my friends. When I left the North Shore five years ago for the promised land of the Southside, my north side pals were a little apprehensive as to the future of my affiliation with the old homeland. “We’ll never see you again,” they said. They even

threw me a going away party. When I arrived on the Southside, and my new friends down there found out where I was from, they said, “Wow, I don’t know hardly anyone who lives over there.” It’s one mile between the North Shore and Southside, but socially, it might was well be a million miles away. It’s like that Seinfeld episode when Kramer’s girlfriend moves downtown. Even though Jerry pointed out that it was just a ten-minute subway ride from their Upper West Side neighborhood, Kramer knew that the “long distance” relationship wouldn’t be the same. “Hey, Wheel of Fortune comes on the same time down there as it does up here.” Even today, when I see my old north side buddies at some special event like Nightfall or the Southern Brewer’s Fest, they act as if I’ve accidentally run into them in Central Park or something. And then they’ll meet one of my Southside buddies for the first time, having never even heard of them before despite the fact that the person in question might just happen to be leading some initiative that’s all over the news or plays in a really popular local band or whatever. Weird. I guess it’s phenomena like this that helps dump a few more gallons in each of our fishbowls. It makes perfect sense that even in a small town; a person’s purview may be limited to where they live, where they have to be, and where they like to hang out. The trick is to maintain, or even grow your perspective, rather than continually siphoning out a little more water here and there—or even worse—getting flushed down the toilet.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Arts & Entertainment

By Maggie Behringer

(Thank God It’s) Last Friday on Main W

hen artist Miki Boni first moved to Mitchell Avenue on the Southside, there were shoes hanging over the telephone wires. Now, she opens the door to her sunny artist’s gallery residence on an equally sunny avenue with spruced-up houses, landscaped front yards and a repainted YMCA. It’s on these re-imagined streets in the Southside on the last Friday of every month from May to November that artists and galleries open their doors to foot traffic and a growing number of Chattanooga art appreciators. Beyond introducing the city to urban lofts in borderline or formerly edgy neighborhoods, the Southside’s rehabilitation developed our new arts district. “Last Fridays on Main”, a free event run by the artists it showcases, celebrates the area’s latest vocation. “[Chattanooga] is becoming an art destination on the level of other cities,” says Boni, who, like the majority of those involved, shows in and organizes the event. “We make it possible for people to wander around and see what’s available.” Now in its second year, the art walk consists of nine stops mapped out on Main Street’s sidewalks and the quarter’s lesser-known parts. Venues can be as natural as artists in their spaces or as composed as a gallery. The roster includes dozens of talented painters, furniture makers, sculptors, photographers, filmmakers, glassblowers, cement crafters and more. “The work is so varied,” Boni says. “It’s like being in a big museum.” At Area 61, what started as a showroom for three woodworkers’ furniture has grown to house 28 artists and a collection comprised of “just about anything you can imagine,” as David Crewe, one of the founders, describes it. Paintings by artists such as Kathy Hampton, Angie Roth and Wayne Summerlin, a veteran of the 1960s art scene, line the 120-foot long walls, and include abstract, realistic and folk pieces. Photographer Mary Barnett presents the documentary

And The Iron Did Swim, a project blending oral histories, photography, documentary and filmmaking elements to tell the story of Chattanooga and the Southeast’s foundries. Crewe, Rudd Montgomery and Phil Timm supply the gallery with furniture ranging from Queen Anne and veneer pieces to rustic and chunky modern tables and benches. Like the event as a whole, Area 61 aims very simply to support working artists in the business of art while fostering creativity through shared space. “We’re trying to make it easier for artists to sell art,” says Crewe. At gallery/studio Ignis Glass, one of the three stops on Rossville Avenue, resident glass magician Christopher Mosey provides a glimpse at the before and after of glass blowing. While sipping sangria, visitors can see the process of heating glass to a 2,000-degree honey-like fluid and molding it to a design first sketched out in chalk on the floor. Mosey explains that though the steps of submerging the material in buckets of water and an oven is somewhat set, protocol can change on the fly. “Articulating glass is a fairly arduous endeavor,” he says. “There’s a lot of smoke and flames and yelling. It’s a good time.” The gallery shows Mosey’s own work in addition to that of artists from around North America. Wall and sculptural pieces, vessels and ornaments reveal in vivid detail the textures, motions, temperatures and colors possible in glass. At PLaNET aLTEred, the definition of a gallery merges with the idea of community expression. Since local artists are a priority, the fair-trade sections of the space exhibit artists from Nepal, Guatemala and Zululand as well as those in the Chattanooga area. Featured artists include portrait painter Eric Hullquist, “stylistic documentarian” Brent Sanders and Boni, an expressionist with a touch of the surreal. Transitioning from gallery to a classroom, the third component of PLaNET aLTEred offers classes in drawing,

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

"Daydreaming" by Miki Boni

soap making, children’s steeping and whooping rhythm and wool felting. The space affords artists of any ilk the room to share and engage. “It’s a place for the community and for arts in the community,” explains manager Jean Huddleston. Community emerges as a staple cause within the Southside arts population. Last Fridays on Main is as much an educational experience about art as it is about overcoming the historic perception of the area. As Boni observed, one artist prettying up one house created a ripple effect from one block to the next. During each Friday walk, curious visitors discover less evidence of crime and more decorated porches like Boni’s. “It’s our job. It’s part of the work,” she said of the Last Fridays on Main’s dual motivation. “If you haven’t seen it, come by and see what’s been done.”

Last Fridays on Main Free 5 – 8 p.m. Friday, September 24, October 29, and November 26 lastfridaysonmain.blogspot.com

A&E Calendar Highlights Friday

Thursday

Straight No Chaser Ten-man a cappella group brings “humor and harmonies” to the Tivoli. $29-$39 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5050. www.chattanoogaonstage.com

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

Chattanooga Market Thursday Plaza Party 11 a.m. Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. www.chattanoogamarket.com Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky 12:30, 3:10, 5:50, 8:45 p.m. Carmike Majestic 12, 311 Broad St. www.carmike.com The Artists Speak: Transformations 6 6 p.m. Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. www.huntermuseum.org Photographic Society of Chattanooga Annual Picnic 6 p.m. Harrison Bay State Park Pavilion, 5801 Champion Rd. www.chattanoogaphoto.org Flicks Café: Out of the Past 6:30 p.m. Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library, 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310. lib.chattanooga.gov Barry Moser Exhibit and Lecture 7:30 p.m. Southern Adventist University, 4881 Taylor Circle, Collegedale. (423) 236-2788. Ron Shock 8 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233.

The Fantasticks! World’s longest-running musical takes a romantic bow at the CTC. $30 (opening gala) 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Main Stage, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com

Saturday

Animal Kingdom Australian crime thriller, based on a true story. For showtimes, contact www.carmike.com Carmike Majestic 12, 311 Broad St. www.artsedcouncil.org

Friday Morning Art Therapy Group 10 a.m. Rivoli Art Mill, 2301 East 28th St. (423) 322-2514. www.jasmilam.com Balloons and Tunes Festival 4 p.m. North Georgia Industrial Park, Rock Spring, GA. (706) 375-7702. balloonsandtunesfestival.com Flamenco Workshop 5:30 p.m. UTC University Center, Tennessee Room. www.culturefest.org Ron Shock 7:30, 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com Endgame 7:30 p.m. St. Andrews Center, 1918 Union St. (423) 987-5141. ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com The Fantasticks! 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. www.theatrecentre.com Chattanooga Ghost Tour 8:15 p.m. Walnut Street Bridge, 1 Walnut St. (423) 821-7125. www.chattanoogaghosttours.com

Mystery of Flight 138 8:30 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839. www.funnydinner.com Ron Shock 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com Female Impersonation Show Midnight. Images, 6065 Lee Hwy. (423) 855-8210. www.imagesbar.com “Flavors of Tuscany” by Cam Busch North River Civic Center, 1009 Executive Dr. Ste. 102. (423) 870-8924. “Kathleen Mack Exhibit” Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453. www.shuptrinefineartgroup.com “Butterfly Handled Tea Paraphernalia” Houston Museum of Decorative Arts, 201 High St. (423) 267-7176. “Whispering Sisters and the Female Figurative Image” UTC Cress Gallery of Art, 752 Vine St. (423) 304-9789. www.utc.edu/cressgallery

Sunday Balloons and Tunes Festival 7 a.m. North Georgia Industrial Park, Rock Spring, GA. (706) 3757702. From the Collection of Jerry Dale McFadden, Jan Chenoweth, Roger Halligan: Exhibit and Sale 10 a.m. Front Gallery, 1800 Rossville Ave., Ste. 1 Space Mission at the Challenger Center 10 a.m. UTC Challenger Center, 801 Pine St. (423) 425-4126. Chattanooga River Market 10 a.m. Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695. Mosaic Market 11 a.m. 412 Market St. (corner of 4th/Market). (423) 624-3915 Art Til Dark Noon. Northshore. (423) 413-8999. www.arttildark.wordpress.com Old English Medieval Festival and Banquet 1 p.m. 606 Valley View Rd., Cloudland, GA. A Living Glass Art Experience 1 p.m. Ignis Glass Studio, 1800 Rossville Avenue #4. (423) 265-2565.

Endgame 2 p.m. St. Andrews Center, 1918 Union St. (423) 987-5141. The Harvest Hoedown 2 p.m. East Brainerd Ball Park, Batter Place. Blue Grass Bands and Helping Hands 5 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 510 S. Tibbs Rd., Dalton, GA. (706) 264-6950. Scott Carrell, Piano 7:30 p.m. Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC Fine Arts Center, Vine and Palmetto Sts. (423) 425-4601. The Piano Lesson 7:30 p.m. Chauncey-Goode Auditorium, 1815 Union Ave. (423) 242-5156. www.destinyentertainment.org Ron Shock 7:30, 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. The Fantasticks! 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534. Dare to Dance 2010 8 p.m. Alhambra Shrine Building, 1000 Alhambra Dr. (423) 265-4397.

AEC CultureFest at the Chattanooga Market Food, music and performances from cultures worldwide. Free 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Chattanooga Market, First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Carter St. (423) 266-4041. www.chattanoogamarket.com

Balloons and Tunes Festival 7 a.m. North Georgia Industrial Park, Rock Spring, GA. (706) 375-7702. “Kid’s Day” at Coolidge Park 10 a.m. Coolidge Park, 150 River St. (423) 425-6201. Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 11 a.m. UTC McKenzie Arena, 720 East 4th St. “Buy Local Authors” Fundraiser: Children & Juvenile Writers Book Signing 2 p.m. Eastgate Branch Library, 5705 Marlin Rd. Suite 1500, (423) 757-5310. Endgame 3 p.m. St. Andrews Center, 1918 Union St. (423) 987-5141. The Piano Lesson 4 p.m. Chauncey Goode Auditorium, 1815 Union Ave. (423) 242-5156. The Empanada Storytelling Hour 4 p.m. St. Andrew’s Center, 1918 Union Ave. (423) 629-9872. Ron Shock 8 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

A&E Calendar Highlights Monday Foreign Policy Supper Club 6 p.m. Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace Rd. (423) 493-0270. www.jewishchattanooga.com Historical Talk: C. E. James: A Man for All Jobs 6:30 p.m. Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library, 1001 Broad St. (423) 425-2186. Sierra Club Monthly Meeting: David Crockett 7 p.m. Green Spaces, 63 E. Main St. Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park 2010 Lecture Series 7 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695. www. moccasinbendpark.org Speak Easy: Spoken Word and Poetry 8 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (inside the Days Inn) “Americana-Freedom” Juried Exhibition Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453. www.shuptrinefineartgroup.com

Tuesday Chattanooga Area Convention & Visitors Bureau 69th Annual Luncheon 11:30 a.m. Chattanooga Convention Center, 1150 Carter St. (423) 424-4426. “What Comes With the Territory” UTC Cress Gallery of Art, 752 Vine St. (423) 304-9789. “The Flag in Our Hands, Seeking America in 2009” Saint Andrews-Sewanee School, 290 Quintard Rd., Sewanee, TN. (931) 598-5651. Local Artists Exhibit Reflections Gallery, Eastgate Town Center, 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 892-3072. www.reflectionsgallerytn.com “The World Within” River Gallery, 400 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033. www.river-gallery.com. Works by Lynne A. Mayer and Deidra Nehrenz My Color Image Boutique and Gallery, 330 Frazier Ave. (423) 598-6202.

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Wednesday TN Association for the Education of Young Children 2010 Conference 12 p.m. Chattanooga Convention Center, 1150 Carter St. www.taeyc.org Main Street Farmers Market 4 p.m. Main St. at Williams St. www.mainstfarmersmarket.com SE Funny People Search V 7:30 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 “Nature’s Way” 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. “Reflectance” Sewanee University Art Gallery, 68 Georgia Ave.

Editor’s Pick: Featured Event Of The Week

The Piano Lesson Destiny Theatre Company and the New African Grove Theatre Company from Atlanta present August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. $15 advance, $20 door 7:30 p.m. Saturday, September 25 4 p.m. Sunday, September 26 Chauncey-Goode Auditorium, Tennessee Temple University 1815 Union Avenue. (423) 242-5156. www.destinyentertainment.org

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

The Art Of Business

NovaCopy Is Committed to the Community

By D.E. Langley

“Though overgrown and dilapidated, the century-old Sunshine Biscuit Company building had all the qualities Campbell and NovaCopy had been seeking.”

any companies have relocated to or expanded into Chattanooga recently. While all certainly provide a boost to the local economy, some have taken the extra step of investing more than just their tax dollars and payrolls into the community. A prime example is NovaCopy. Founded in Memphis in 1998, NovaCopy is a document solutions company, streamlining information flow for businesses large and small. They expanded to Nashville and Dallas before opening up shop in Chattanooga last December. Rather than bringing in management from another

office, founder Darren Metz called Keith Campbell, a Chattanooga native. Why was it important to have someone local installed as president of the Chattanooga office? Campbell explained, “Well, we’re not just a copier company, the kind that could disappear next week and no one would notice. We want to be much more than that—we are a big part of the community everywhere we go. We help companies solve the problems that keep them up at night, and saving them money means there’s more capital to improve their communities. We’ve already begun investing our own money into programs in Chattanooga like STARS and Prison Prevention Ministries.” In keeping with that philosophy, NovaCopy decided to search for an existing space they could renovate to further their goal of improving Chattanooga at the same time they were expanding the company. That search led them through more than 100 structures before Campbell, quite by accident, discovered their present location on the outskirts of the Southside at 1936 Central Avenue. “I was actually on my way to look at yet another property. I got mixed up and turned around, and all the sudden, here it was.” Though overgrown and dilapidated, the century-old Sunshine Biscuit Company building had all the qualities Campbell and NovaCopy had been seeking—room to accommodate their initial entry into the market, surrounding space available for future expansion, and a location that not only allowed them to restore a victim of urban decay, but to provide space

for the community useful for more than just business as usual. As one might expect, the renovation itself was no small task. The building needed a new roof, floor, plumbing, and windows, just for starters. However, with Yerbey Concrete Construction, their partners in the project, NovaCopy finished the building in just nine weeks. The end result is an amazing example of what a company with the ambition and drive to stand out can accomplish. Keeping the original brick walls, inside and out, conveys the history of the structure. The interior is decorated with modern furnishings and muted tones, surprisingly contemporary in contrast with the exterior, providing an unexpected revelation for visitors. Campbell admitted, “I’ve been amazed at the number of people who have actually said ‘Wow!’ when they walked through the door.” The inclusion of a caterer-ready kitchen in the reception area speaks to its intended dual purpose. “We’ll be opening the space for business and community groups to use for functions,” Campbell explained, “and we’ll host the work of local artists.” NovaCopy will hold an Open House on September 30. Members of the community are welcome to come see the change, and enjoy food catered in conjunction with the folks from Master Blaster barbecue, whom one might remember used to be located right next door to the new facility. Where does all this continued commitment to the area come from? “Chattanooga is my home, and we’re proud that we’re here.”

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Film Feature

Affleck Rules The Town I

By John DeVore

“This is the second film he has directed, the first being the excellent Gone, Baby, Gone, and he’s proven that when he retains control, good movies are made.”

like rooting for bad guys. I think a lot of Americans feel the same way. A sense of individualism is ingrained in us from very early ages; we learn about angry colonists rebelling against the tyranny of taxation, frontiersmen of the Old West defending their families against territorial natives, and dangerous gangsters exploiting the vices of others to create vast underground empires of wealth, respect, and violence. We may have grudgingly created the establishment, sacrificing absolute freedom for necessary order, but we delight in stories of those that ignore the rules. We love clever thieves, like The Sting’s Johnny Hooker or Danny Ocean from Ocean’s 11. If the mark is deserving, our enjoyment is multiplied. Banks are an easy target. The money is nameless, insured, and seemingly endless. We see a bank robbery as vengeance for overdraft fees, ATM fees, transfer fees, check fees, loan fees, and fees for simply not having enough in the account. In The Town, Ben Affleck does an admirable job of melding the world of the robbers and the victims, while paying careful attention to the rules of the heist genre.

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Affleck does triple duty as co-writer, director, and lead actor in The Town. This is the second film he has directed, the first being the excellent Gone, Baby, Gone, and he’s proven that when he retains control, good movies are made. I believe director Kevin Smith when he says that Affleck can play anything, including the shark from Jaws. He has a genuine quality that makes him likable and believable. Like most actors, he’s made mistakes (Daredevil is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen), but as a director, he’s batting .1000. In this film, Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the brains behind a bank robbery team based out of Charlestown—a poor neighborhood in Boston with the highest bank-robbery rate in the country. His family has a history of knocking over armored trucks and banks. He had an opportunity to get out when he was drafted into the NHL, but lost that chance through a series of poor decisions influenced by his criminal upbringing. This all changes, of course, when he meets Claire. Their meeting isn’t the most romantic; during a robbery, she is taken hostage by the loose cannon of the group, James (Jeremy Renner). Doug takes it upon himself to make sure she didn’t see anything during the caper, but doesn’t count on falling in love. This contrivance is less obvious during the film itself; Affleck is as capable a writer as he is an actor. Doug isn’t necessarily in love with her for the qualities she possesses as much as for the options she provides. Namely: She is another way out of the lifestyle that has trapped him. But the criminal life isn’t one that is easily left—death or incarceration is the bell that tolls for those living outside the law. Adam Frawly, special agent for the FBI, is inching closer and closer to shutting the crew down for good. Doug needs to do one last job

before he can escape the neighborhood. If the above seems formulaic, it is. This is a movie about bank robbers. It doesn’t expand the genre or delve into the themes in any new way. But it gives Ben Affleck a playground to work with, allowing the audience to follow his career and see him build it into a possible powerful filmmaking legacy. Great things are coming from him, when a few years ago he was largely discounted as Matt Damon’s parasitic buddy and Jennifer Lopez’s celebrity arm candy. He is a distinct talent, one that is much better than his filmography suggests. As a director, he knows how to work with actors, how to frame shots, how to light his movie. If he had been in control of Daredevil, it might not have been terrible. A special note on Jeremy Renner: I was impressed he was able to bring the same power and intensity to the character of James that he did to his character in The Hurt Locker. It would have been easy for an actor to overplay his hand as an agitator. Renner brings an understanding to the role that is absolutely necessary in grasping the dynamic between Doug and Jeremy. Shared background is a powerful force, and Renner understands that malice can be rooted in protection. He is simply excellent. There are still some films out right now for the discerning consumer. The Town is one of them. It may just tide us over until Oscar season.

The Town Directed by Ben Affleck Starring Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner Rated R Running time: 2 hours, 3 minutes

New In Theaters Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Fallen stockbroker Gordon Gekko teams up with a young Wall Street trader, whose mentor was recently murdered, to track down the killer and warn others about an impending massive financial meltdown. One of the more delayed sequels in Hollywood history, the timing of Oliver Stone’s return to Wall Street greed couldn’t have been better. It is interesting that the studio bumped the original release date from April to this weekend, but it doesn’t seem to have hurt early momentum for the film. Buzz has been strong based on a popular trailer as well as a Vanity Fair cover feature on Michael Douglas. The only real problem with the movie is that towards the end it feels more Hollywood than Wall Street, where even the failures often end up with millions, if not billions.

You Again When Marni realizes her brother is about to marry the girl who bullied her in high school, she sets out to expose the fiancée’s true colors. A veritable cornucopia of top-notch comedic talent including Kristen Bell, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Betty White and Kristen Chenoweth all come together in (for Hollywood) an amazing collection of female roles. With the star power of Weaver and Curtis, not to mention the unstoppable Betty White, this may be the highest-grossing film Bell has had in quite some time. Stars: Kristen Bell, Odette Yustman, Sigourney Weaver Director: Andy Fickman

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole Soren is a young barn owl who lives in the peaceful forest of Tyto. Kidnapped and brought to the foreboding St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls, Soren must face certain challenges—including taking his first-ever flight—on a dangerous adventure that leads to the mythical Great Ga’Hoole Tree, where he and his friends Gylfie, Twilight, and Digge look to fight a great evil in their world. An animated adaptation of

Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas, Director: Oliver Stone Kathryn Lasky’s children’s books, the first three of which get condensed into this film, the studio is betting that this will be the natural heir to the Harry Potter tweens, while hoping to avoid becoming the next Golden Compass. Stars: Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham Director: Zack Snyder

Buried Paul is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone, it’s a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap. Shot in Spain with a master’s touch in creating tense, dramatic visceral thrillers, director Rodrigo Cortés brings the claustrophobia to the big screen with very creative use of multiple camera angles inside a small wooden box. While many of the plot devices are completely impractical, Cortés makes excellent use of Reynolds’ good looks to deepen the tension with the often difficult to pull off “If it could happen to him, it could happen to me” technique. Stars: Ryan Reynolds Director: Rodrigo Cortés

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Spirits Within

By Joshua Hurley

A Perfect Pinot Noir Wine lovers can be a thrifty

1984 in Sonoma County, California. Since then, it has steadily grown into a winery dedicated to making high-quality wines for affordable, everyday prices. Castle Rock makes wines from the West Coast states’ best grape-growing areas, including California’s Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Monterey County and the Alexander Valley, Oregon’s Willamette Valley and Washington State’s Columbia Valley. Serious connoisseurs love Castle Rock’s region-specific varietals,

bunch. They are always looking for high-quality wines for extremely low, low prices. That’s probably why Chattanooga’s wine lovers have voted Riley’s Wine and Spirits Chattanooga’s best wine and spirits store. So for this week’s “Great Buy”, Riley’s wants to return the favor by offering a wine that’s highly rated and available exclusively at Riley’s. “Castle

small staff with very little expenses, thus lowering the overall costs of producing the wine. Castle Rock produces each and every bottle of wine with the utmost care, selecting fruit from only the finest growing area. The 2008 Central Coast Pinot Noir is no exception to that rule, using pinot noir grapes grown in California’s Central Coast, which offers an ideal cool breeze from the neighboring Pacific Ocean. This allows for a longer growing season and gives the grapes an extended vine time, affording the fruit a richer, more intense flavor. This silky, smooth red offers pleasing aromas of cherry, tea and herbal spice, which give over to intense flavors of black cherry, plums and spice. The finish is mild with velvety tannins. Castle Rock 2008 Central Coast Pinot Noir was awarded 88 points by Wine Spectator and is available only at Riley’s as a “Great Buy Exclusive” for $10.21 plus tax.

Rock’s quality dedication extends to using state-of-the-art winemaking procedures, while maintaining a small staff with very little expenses, thus lowering the overall costs of producing the wine.”

Great Buys is a weekly column in which Riley’s Wine and Spirits on Hixson Pike in Hixson picks something special from the area’s favorite selection of wine and spirits from around the globe and then shares them with the readership of The Pulse. This week’s selection is Castle Rock Central Coast Pinot Noir 2008. Castle Rock Winery was started in

savoring the characteristics unique to each geographical origin. Castle Rock’s quality dedication extends to using state-of-the-art winemaking procedures, while maintaining a

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Chattanooga Street Scenes

Photography by Louis Lee "Nature will find a way."

www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Free Will Astrology LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Albert Einstein was extremely famous during his lifetime. Although he had no publicity machine promoting him, his face became an iconic symbol for genius. “Einstein” was, in effect, a brand name that made people think of creativity, wisdom, and imagination. There were times that bothered him. “I am no Einstein,” he said, preferring to be his raw self rather than the idol on a pedestal. I offer his example up to you, Libra. You can benefit from slipping away from, ignoring, and even rebelling against your image right now. Return to the source of your ever-evolving life energy. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): My proposed assignment for you would be fun, but it wouldn’t be easy. It would require you to dissolve at least one of your fixations, escape at least two of your habits, and override at least three of your dogmatic beliefs. I’ll completely understand if you’re not up for the challenge. But if you’re game, read the following excerpt of a poem by Pablo Neruda (translated by Alastair Reid), and incorporate its attitude into your daily rhythm. “I have a mind to confuse things, unite them, make them newborn, mix them up, undress them, until all light in the world has the oneness of the ocean, a generous, vast wholeness, a crackling, living fragrance.” SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I love to listen to DJ Schmeejay on San Francisco radio station KUSF. Like a throwback to the Golden Age of FM radio in the 1970s, he plays a “visceral, cinematic” mix that delights you with a flow of unpredictable juxtapositions. Unlike some music experts who harbor haughty elitist prejudices, the dude is an open-minded aficionado. His playlist may include a psychedelic tune, flapperjazz, a pretty pop song, a barbershop quartet, 1960s folk, polka, and trip-hop. He understands that good entertainment keeps you guessing about what’s going to come next. I urge you to borrow his approach as you cruise and schmooze in the coming weeks. Charm people with good surprises. Expand your bag of tricks, and use everything in it. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’m not a big believer in the idea that dreams are prophetic. I’ve recorded thousands of my own dreams, and just three of them have foreshadowed waking life events that actually occurred. However, I have often found it valuable to regard my dreams as pointers on how to develop unripe aspects of myself. For example, when I was 19 I had a series of dreams suggesting that the best way to become a writer was simply to write at least three hours every day. I acted on those prompts, and they worked. I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, because it’s prime time for you to tap into your own dreams for tips on how to create your best possible future. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In his opening comments on an episode of his TV show, Stephen Colbert announced, “I have butterflies in my stomach. I just ate a cocoon quesadilla.” If I’m reading the omens correctly, you, too, will soon have fluttering sensations in your gut, but not because of your food choices. Rather, you’re likely to be quivery and atwitter due to encounters with the Great Unknown—arrivals from beyond the Wild Blue Yonder that will blow your mind and recalibrate your philosophy of life. Don’t worry. Your appointments with the numinous are likely to be stirring, even awe-inspiring, but not frightening. P.S. You should celebrate the fact that you feel free enough to go exploring so far and wide. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “If we wish to outline an architecture that conforms to the structure of our soul,” wrote Friedrich Nietzsche, “it would have to be conceived in the image of the labyrinth.” I take this to mean that clarity, assuredness, and single-mindedness are luxuries the ego may indulge in, but they are not the natural state of our deepest selves. Rather, at our cores, in the essential primal source that sustains us, we are complicated and meandering…mysterious and exploratory…curious and questioning. In other words, it’s perfectly healthy to be in a labyrinthine state

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

By Rob Brezsny Truthrooster@gmail.com of mind. I hope this meditation helps you enjoy your upcoming Season of Soul. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Rightwing talk show host Rush Limbaugh is a person whose ideas and attitudes repel me. But in the dream I had last night, I enjoyed hanging out with him. He was affable and humorous. We had several fun adventures together. Here’s how I interpret the dream: It doesn’t necessarily mean that Limbaugh is a better human being than my bias allows me to imagine. Rather, I think I’m becoming more relaxed about people I disagree with. I’m less susceptible to being motivated by hatred. I’m able to maintain a live-and-let-live approach to things that used to knock me off center. You’re now set up for a similar shift, Aries. I hope you take advantage. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You have entered a phase in your astrological cycle when your best lessons will come from doing hard work. I mean that in the most literal way: intensifying your commitment to doing your job with maximum integrity and intelligence and excellence. But I also mean that you should concentrate on what needs fixing, refinement, and upkeep in other areas of your life. Could your best relationships use some tweaks that would pump up the collaborative energy? Would you consider making a course correction in your spiritual path? Is there any part of your rhythm that could use more discipline and organization? GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I’m getting excited to see what you’ll create in the coming weeks. You’re slipping into the most expressive groove you’ve been in for a while. I’m guessing that any minute now your imagination will start churning out a wealth of fresh perspectives and new approaches. Halfrotting problems that have just sat there immobile for weeks or even months will begin morphing into opportunities as you zap them with your frisky grace. Misunderstandings that have festered far too long will get cleansed and salved by your tricky ingenuity. Get the party started! CANCER (June 21-July 22): As I stood by the creek at dusk, the silhouette of a woman in a kayak came flowing my way. The last crease of the orange sun hovered on the horizon behind her. I spied the reflection of the planet Venus shimmering in the violet water before I saw it in the sky. The temperature was balmy. A translucent spider floated nearby at the end of an airborne silk strand. Nine geese in V-formation trumpeted as they soared overhead. When the woman got close enough for us to see each other’s faces, she addressed me. “We win!” she exclaimed jubilantly, then paddled onward. I agreed. We were basking in a great victory, paradise having temporarily descended into our midst. This is the kind of triumph I expect you’ll be capable of achieving several times over in the coming week. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Focus on what’s small and slippery, Leo. Turn your gaze away from what’s big and obvious. Exult in the salamander on the rock and a friend who has a new trick and the guilty pleasure you just discovered; excuse yourself from obsessing about the state of the economy, the meaning of life, and the clash between science and religion. Your pleasurable duty is to love what’s in the midst of changing, and not fixate on trying to make arrangements that will supposedly last forever. Don’t just grudgingly attend to the mercurial details; dive in as if playing with them were your central purpose. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Artists suffer for their work, but they don’t mind,” read the headline in the San Francisco Chronicle. The attached article featured brief interviews with five artists who all said they enjoy doing their creative work so much that they gladly put up with the privations it causes them. That’s the spirit I’d like you to embrace in the coming weeks, Virgo. See if you can immerse yourself in a labor of love with so much enthusiastic devotion that you drive away some of your aches and anxieties.

Across 1 Degrees for CEOs 5 Smooth and superficial 9 Football commentator Rashad 14 All there 15 Horror actor Lugosi 16 ___ little backbone 17 Jazz singer Simone 18 Automatic alternative 20 Put up 22 George of “Star Trek” 23 One of the “Golden Girls” actresses 24 Totally understandable 27 One of the Ws in “www” 28 Prefix meaning “bone” 29 “Heroes” actress Larter 32 Middle of a “Flintstones” exclamation 35 Wyatt of the Old West 39 Featured player in a 1980s music show 43 Spoon 44 Feliciano and Carreras 45 Happy Meal prize 46 “Man ___ Mancha” 49 Wanted poster abbr. 51 Refrain from a 1941 Woody Guthrie song 58 Brain scan, for short

–prove you don't stink at crosswords.

59 Should, with “to” 60 Birthstone in a shell 61 Pain reliever option 64 Elite Eight gp. 65 007, e.g. 66 “Able was I ___ saw Elba” 67 Mob bosses 68 Actors Bruce and Laura 69 Really formal letter opening 70 Hissy fit Down 1 Five-letter news channel 2 Figure skater Oksana 3 Photographer Leibovitz 4 It covers maritime court cases 5 “Pygmalion” monogram 6 Native Latvians 7 Related to a pelvic bone 8 Scenic routes 9 Help out 10 VP under LBJ 11 “One Tree Hill” actress ___ Kelly 12 Horrific 13 See socially 19 Most important steps 21 Judge played by Sylvester Stallone 25 Bed in ___ 26 “Aqua ___ Hunger Force”

29 “The Evil Dead” protagonist Williams 30 Restroom, to a Brit 31 Unable to work, perhaps 33 Dancer Bill Robinson’s nickname 34 Rain-___ (bubble gum brand) 36 Play the part 37 ___ Speedwagon 38 Be nosy 40 Randy Jackson’s show, casually 41 Cope (with) 42 Invite over, maybe 47 Walks on water? 48 ___-garou (werewolf) 50 They’re made when making up 51 Kelly Ripa co-host, to fans 52 Staring person 53 Pet name given by Pierre 54 Weasel relative 55 Food so good they wrap other food in it 56 Tabriz resident 57 As ___ resort 58 Posh word of surprise 62 Anderson Cooper’s employer 63 Bro’s relative

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 #0486.

Solution To Last Week’s Crossword

JONESIN’

“It's The Pits”

Crossword solutions every week at www.chattanoogapulse.com www.chattanoogapulse.com | September 23, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | The Pulse

Ask A Mexican!

By Gustavo Arellano

Special Anti-Wikipedia Edition

“Stop getting your ‘original immigration requirements’ from Wikipedia, and then wonder how ethnic enclaves have been part of this country since the Cajuns.”

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!

Dear Mexican, What punishment could America give that would FINALLY make crossing America’s borders—repeatedly—unpalatable to Mexicans, when even Mexican natives admit that it is at least as harmful to Mexico as it is to America, and the “needless paperwork” in our immigration process is to TRY to filter out habitual criminals and recidivism, and to slant the incoming population to those MOST LIKELY to assimilate? Remember, our original immigration requirements were “good moral character” and a “working knowledge of English.” Or have America’s recent military defeats in Korea, Vietnam, and possibly Afghanistan (depending who you ask) simply removed any and all respect Mexico might once have had for America and our ability to protect our borders? And, if so, when can we expect Mexico to OFFICIALLY declare war on America? — Mines, Mines, Mines! Dear Gabacho, Actually, the only punishment that would make Mexicans stop coming over no nos affect us—gabachos would bear the brunt of socialism. For the pinche umpteenth time, Mexicans migrate to the United States—like nearly every immigrant in this country’s history—to better their life, and because gabachos won’t do the jobs chinks and micks and slopeheads and wabs and wops do at the rates for which they’re willing to work. Stop getting

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 38 | September 23, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

your “original immigration requirements” from Wikipedia, and then wonder how ethnic enclaves have been part of this country since the Cajuns. We still respect los Estados Unidos— how can you not give props to a failing empire? And one final debunking of your delusions—Mexico has been fighting the United States since the Spanish Armada set sail for England—except now, the only Black Legend in our camp pertains to Guatemala. Dear Mexican, Zack de la Rocha, a person who I admire as an activist and musician, has described his hometown of Irvine, California, as one of the most racist cities imaginable. He once stated, “If you were a Mexican in Irvine, you were there because you had a broom or a hammer in your hand.” Being a Mexican that lives in Irvine and that looks like a Mexican (chaparro y prieto), I’ve never felt discriminated in any way—in fact, I think of Irvine as a city that embraces diversity. I’ve only lived here for the past 5 years or so; has it not always been the case, or could it be that I’m looked down upon and I’m too much of a pendejo to realize it? Does Irvine have a racist past that I’m unaware of? — Barranca Babobos Dear Readers, Forgive this too-provincial pregunta, but it allows me to publicly call out de la

Rocha, one of the great musicians of this generation who unfortunately is acting like Dylan after his motorcycle accident. Hey, Zack: where’s your solo album? Why the Rage against the Machine mini-reunion instead of you pushing that amazing raprock-son jarocho fusion you were toying with a couple of years back? Why stick around in the progressive paradise called Los Angeles instead of fully committing yourself to the fight against your demented homeland of Orange County? Eres chingón, pero ya no mames, güey: marching and organizing against Arpayaso is vital, but we need you to remain relevant to the rest of America by putting out new music. As for why you haven’t experienced racism, Barranca Baboso: Irvinites probably think you’re Persian. And don’t use Wikipedia for pulling quotes.