The Pulse 10.47 » November 21, 2013

PULSE THE

2013 FASHION ISSUE

CITY CHIC

fashion changes style remains

spirits

sippin' shine

moonshine makes a comeback

ON THE BEAT

THE UTC EVANGELIST

THROUGH THE EYES OF OFFICER TEACH

TECH

CODE & CREATIVITY

FREE SOCIAL TALK SERIES

2 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

A G OO NG lse N I u TA IV e P AT KSG Th CH AN k in e TH We

Cover Story

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Mike McJunkin

9 FASHION CHANGES, STYLE REMAINS

Contributing Editor Janis Hashe Contributors Rich Bailey • Rob Brezsny John DeVore • Mike Dobbs • Janis Hashe Marc T. Michael • Mike McJunkin • Ernie Paik T. Mathis Payne • Gary Poole • Alex Teach

By T. Mathis Payne

Everyone has one—whether it’s inspired by a pop celebrity or a handmade hand-me-down.

Many of us are obsessed with it. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be tens of thousands of blogs, articles and shows about the industry and so much money thrown at it. I’m talking about style. But style isn’t some sort of secret encryption to decode.

Art Director Gary Poole Staff Photographer Josh Lang Editorial Interns Keith King • Chelsea Sokol Founded 2003 by Zachary Cooper & Michael Kull

ADVERTISING

Director of Sales Mike Baskin Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Julie Brown Rick Leavell • Leif Sawyer • Stacey Tyler Jerry Ware • Candice York

Feature Stories

CONTACT

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

Everything Else

15 VAI THE MAGNIFICENT

By Mike McJunkin One of the great tragedies to befall the contemporary musical landscape has been the marginalization and even disdain towards the virtuosic performer.

21 NATURAL BEAUTIFUL STYLE

THE FINE PRINT: The Pulse is published weekly by Brewer Media and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on music, the arts, entertainment, culture and local news. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publisher may take more than one copy per weekly issue. We’re watching. The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors. © 2013 Brewer Media. All rights reserved.

BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher & President Jim Brewer II

C

ontents

t ex

2013

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21

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NOVEMBER

By Janis Hashe Alexis Willis’s journey to where she is now, an entrepreneur with her own line of shirts and totes, as well as an incipient cosmetics line, has not been a straightforward one.

4 5 7 16 18 22 27 28 29 30

THE BOWL THE LIST TECHNOLOGY MUSIC CALENDAR BETWEEN THE SLEEVES ARTS CALENDAR SPIRITS WITHIN FREE WILL ASTROLOGY JONESIN' CROSSWORD ON THE BEAT

25 HAMMERING HOME THE TALE

By John DeVore “Thor: The Dark World” is an example of why Marvel is winning the comic book movie wars: they produce stand-alone movies. Marvel also has embraced a universe occupied by all of their heroes.

NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 1 SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT - RATED: R

D.L. HUGHLEY GROOVE 93 AFTERNOON HOST HOST OF "TRUST ME I'M A GAME SHOW HOST" ON TBS

3224 Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN Advance Tickets: (423) 529-2233 www.thecomedycatch.com

chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 3

BOWL

THE

chattanooga’s weekly alternative NEWS • COMMENTARY • BULLETINS & PUSH NOTIFICATIONS AT DIAL-UP SPEED facebook/chattanoogapulsE • TWITTER @CHATTAPULSE EMAIL LOVE LETTERS, ADVICE & TRASH TALK TO INFO@CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

UTC campus controversy

Is Hate Speech Free?

On Nov. 15, a video went viral, claiming “police brutality” on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s campus, as a young man was forced from his bicycle to the ground while trying to speak to an evangelist on campus.

The video only shows a portion of the incident, as, according to officials and other eyewitnesses, 24-year-old Colton Montalvo repeatedly ignored campus police’s warnings, threatening the evangelist’s safety by crossing a marked barrier, and eventually resisted arrest.

Reports in The Huffington Post and other sources have focused on the “police brutality” claims, but student response

Source: YouTube.com

has been a mix of confusion and anger for other reasons. Angela Cummings of Highways and Hedges Ministry has been on campus repeatedly, preaching loudly (and to some, disruptively). Students and faculty expected her to be asked to leave, not given a designated area in the middle of campus that was blocked off, effective-

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4 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

Will This Float?

MMT.CHT.06975.K.101

It’s the season of giving

ly preventing interaction.

History major Rebecca Sadler wrote a letter to the UTC administration detailing problems that many students have with Cummings’ presence: “While I completely understand exposing students to different ideas, opinions, and beliefs, I feel like this goal is voided when it’s at the expense of the emotional and physical safety of students. This woman particularly targets people in the LGBTQ and Muslim communities, groups that already face discrimination and marginalization.”

According to student sources, UTC’s administration and faculty usually take a strong stance in support of diversity, acceptance, and avoiding hate speech on campus. Chancellor Steve Angle explains in a letter to students that the “itinerant preacher” is “associated with another preacher who recently prevailed against the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in a free-speech lawsuit.”

Angle asks students to “merely keep on walking” and “just ignore it.” Student reaction is not likely to conform to this course of action.

— Chelsea Sokol

Noog Shark Tank Want to rub shoulders with the next Steve Jobs or Richard Branson? This past Tuesday, Will This Float? showcased the best up-and-coming innovators that this fine city has to offer. Many eager entre-

preneurs offered up their ideas to a panel of judges, and only ten were selected based on very specific criteria.

“It was extremely difficult to choose our Will This Float? finalists given the number of viable and highly original concepts that were submitted,” said Mike Bradshaw, Co.Lab director.

Finalists included: •Apex Technologies / Bradley Sewell: Emergency vehicle detection device with driver notification.

• Carbon Objects / Allie O’Connell: Platform for buyers to discover quality, curated art, straight from artists’ studios.

• Gludi / Kyle McClain: Virtual assistant for self-managing diabetes.

• Granola / Kelsey Scott: Handcrafted, locally made, high-quality products for climbing and outdoor use.

• K & J Creative / Jim Meckley: Line of toys and books using 3D printing technology.

• Mode / Meghan Talluri and Christian Shaheen: Website that makes everyday people designers of their own clothing.

• Mojonnier Guitars / Paul Gardner: Electric guitars designed with a perfect fusion of the past, present and future.

• Project Venus / Michael Powers: A simple, elegant and compostable flytrap.

• Temperate / Ongeleigh Underwood: Honest American clothing for the intentional style seeker.

• Viditor / Andrew McPherson: Online video editor that allows users to synchronously collaborate.

Check back with us next week for coverage of the Will This Float? winners.

— Keith King

LIST

THE

pulse » PICKS

• A curated weekly selection of picks from the Chattanooga Live and Arts & Entertainment calendars by Pulse staffers.

thu11.21 ART + ISSUES Designing Risk • Designers DJ Trischler and Megan Deal explore risk in design as inspired by the work of Thornton Dial.

6 p.m. • Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org

FRI11.22

pulse » PICK of the litter

LIVING HISTORY 150th Anniversary - The Battles for Chattanooga • Come revisit the scenes of some of the most important battles of the Civil War that shaped the early history of the city.

All Day • Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center, 110 Point Park Rd. (423) 921-7786, nps.gov/chch

LITURGY OF MEAT Tim Hinck’s “Work No. 151” • Hinck uses text, video, sound, and movement to overwhelm, disorient, and ultimately encourage questioning and discussion on semiotic and philosophical topics.

8 p.m. • Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347, barkinglegs.org

sat11.23 TURKEY DAY PREPARATIONS Thanksgiving Harvest and Holiday Market

ROCK-N-ROLL ATTITUDE He Is Legend, Tir Asleen, Sinai Vessel, Good Thief • Bringing an array of musical tastes and influences to the table, but still managing to deliver in-your-face rock n roll and a "no-holds-barred" attitude.

9:30 p.m. • Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644, rhythm-brews.com

• It's never too early to stock up for the Thanksgiving feasT, espeically with locally grown produce and more.

10 a.m. • Brainerd Farmers Market, 20 Belvoir Ave. (423) 580-6281 facebook.com/BrainerdFarmersMarket

FOLK FLOWERS Cereus Bright • Folk duo from Knoxville who bring the traditonal meaning and style of folk music back to the mainstream.

7 p.m. • The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081, thecamphouse.com

RAW

Rekindling A Flame “A Rekindled Flame” tells the story of Rolf and Rebekah, two teenagers who fall in love in pre-World War II Germany. The couple are separated when Rebekah, who is Jewish, is sent to England by her parents to ensure her safety. Through a remarkable set of circumstances, the two are reunited 60 years later at a retirement home in Florida.

"One of the neat things about having your play go through the creative process would have to be having your story understood through the different filters of those involved," says playwright Garry Lee Posey. “‘Flame’ started as a simple exploration of love, filial and romantic, casual and dearly,” Posey explains. "When Caren and I met in the beginning of the process, she saw the central message to

be about the redemptive power of love.

When revising, I totally saw that and used it in the edits."

The Ensemble Theatre Company production of “A Rekindled Flame” is directed by Caren Manser, stage managed by Ryan Laskowski, and features Marianna Allen, Emily Chidalek, Azusa Dance, Randal Fosse, Thomas Rodgers, Brenda Schwab, Jake Waters, and Taylor Williams in the cast.

A Rekindled Flame November 21-24 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday & Saturday 2:30 p.m. Sunday matinee Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640. ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com

LIVE MUSIC & DJs EVERY WEEKEND FRI/SAT • NOVEMBER 22/23 Kontraband $1 beer 10-11pm LIVE MUSIC STARTS @ 10:30pm FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHTS DJ REGGIE REG 2nd Floor 9:30pm-3am FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHTS

PARTY, REDEFINED.

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Thanksgiving Brunch

at TerraMae 11am – 3pm “...one of Chattanooga’s buzziest new restaurants.”

—Travel+Leisure Magazine

Menu Includes: Forage Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup Cappuccino

Garden / Orchard / Dairy New Ambrosia Salad—Heirloom Apples, Shaved Celery, Blue Cheese, Rosemary Maple Pecan Dressing

Sea TN Country Ham Wrapped Scallop, Pear Butter, Melted Leeks

Harvest Bounty Sorghum and Cider Brined Organic Turkey Breast and Confited Legs Bourbon Red Eye Giblet Gravy Sausage, Sage, Cornbread Dressing Braised Beans, Bacon, Blistered Cippollini Onion Jam Caramelized Winter Squash and Goat Cheese Gratin White Whiskey Cranberry Marmalade

Sweets Pumpkin Cheesecake, Caramel and Walnut Praline

Adults $40. Kids $12.

Glasses of Boujalais Nouveau $5.

Call or Reserve Online.

122 E 10th Street

423.710.2925 terramaechattanooga.com

6 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

Tech

Enjoy Thanksgiving with our great selection of wine, spirits & high gravity beer.

rich bailey

Don’t Use that Tone of Voice Cultivating Chattanooga’s web community with social talk

A

NOTHER SPECIES HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN Chattanoga's emerging tech ecosystem. Aaron Gustafson and Kelly McCarthy, co-owners of web development company Easy Designs, have organized Code and Creativity, a free social talk series designed to build connections among Chattanooga’s web designers and developers and to the larger web community.

“We are trying to touch on every area of present day web design best practices,” says McCarthy, the series organizer. “We’re trying to pull in people who are in these various fields we feel are doing things right and have a lot to share. Our audience is makers: web tech creative types. The series is for makers by makers. We’re aiming at a pretty broad variety of people: designers, developers, writers, managers, product idea people, even fine design makers.”

Easy Designs is a boutique web development firm that was based in Connecticut until Gustafson and McCarthy moved to Chattanooga several years ago. They do project work and train in-house developers for companies like Walgreen’s, McAfee, MasterCard, Vanguard investments, and the Shop Bop division of Amazon.com.

Code & Creativity’s next speaker—on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at The Camp House, 1427 Williams St.—will be Kate Kiefer Lee, a writer and editor at MailChimp who helps clients of the email marketing service provider develop a consistent brand voice. Lee will share MailChimp’s voice and tone guide and offer tips on using voice to articulate a company’s brand identity. She says it’s all about creating empathetic content.

“I think it’s easy to forget there are real people at the other end of our content and they have their own thoughts and feelings and touchy subjects and preferences and

“

expectations of us,” she says. “It makes our content a lot better when we think about their feelings before we write and consider the readers’ perspective when we publish content to the web.”

She will also share some lessons learned the hard way, like keeping humor out of sensitive situations. For example, MailChimp once notified companies about people unsubscribing to their emails with a perky “Aw nuts, you had few people jump ship. Who needs ‘em anyway?”

“It’s not unusual,” she says. “It happens every day. We were trying to normalize that for our users and say ‘oh, it’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it,’ but we realized we were sending the message that we don’t value our customers’ customers. When we looked at our tone of voice and how our users are feeling in that situation, we realized we needed to make it something not quite as silly or even funny.”

“What Kate does is a great example of something that is so integral to good web design and people take it for granted,” says McCarthy. “Even if you never write content, it’s always good to know what your company’s voice is and what you’re trying to present with your brand values.”

For example, a developer might be a company’s only hope of noticing a missing error message, because nobody told the wordsmiths who were involved earlier that it needed to be written.

It makes our content a lot better when we think about their feelings before we write and consider the readers’ perspective when we publish content to the web.”

“The reality is everyone who touches a project affects the overall user experience whether they are a quote unquote UX professional or not,” says Gustafson. “We use an error message as a common example because we’ve had so many clients that completely forget that there are error messages, ever. They just minimize it to the point where it’s ‘oh, just throw something in there.’”

The couple saw Lee give a version of this presentation in Germany earlier this year.

Since the 2011 publication of Gustafson’s book Adaptive Web Design: Crafting Rich Experiences With Progressive Enhancement, he has been a frequent consultant and speaker at international web design conferences, where he and McCarthy have become friends with top-tier web professionals. Now they are bringing some of them to Chattanooga, presenting a year’s worth of free bimonthly presentations in a sort of distributed conference format they see as the equivalent of an event with an $800 to $900 price tag.

Like a Nightfall concert, where local web talent opens for each headliner. Kate Kiefer Lee’s companion speaker in December is Nate Hill with the Public Library.

“The web is where it is because of sharing,” says Gustafson. “We think the best stuff comes about by people of varying background working together. The more perspectives you get, the better the end result.”

Code & Creativity is also an opportunity to show off Chattanooga to the global web talent he and McCarthy bring to town.

“That’s how we ended up here,” he says.

“We had no intention of moving to Chattanooga. We came to visit friends and ended up falling in love and moved down a month later.”

For more information about Kate Keifer Lee’s upcoming presentation and videos of previous speakers, visit codeandcreativity. com. MailChimp’s Voice and Tone guide can be viewed at voiceandtone.com

Come see why we’re the liquor store with a smile...

3849 Dayton Blvd. • Ste. 113 423.877.1787 At the corner of Morrison Springs Road and Dayton Boulevard in the Bi-Lo Shopping Center

chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 7

8 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

Fashion

Changes

Style Remains You don't need a “style gene” just trustyour instincts.

by T. Mathis Payne

E

photography by Josh Lang

veryone has one—whether it’s inspired by a pop celebrity or a handmade hand-me-down. Many of us are obsessed with it. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be tens of thousands of blogs, articles and shows about the industry and so much money thrown at it.

I’m talking about style. But style isn’t some sort of secret encryption to decode. And when approaching your own style, you don’t have to subscribe to clichés like “Boho Chic” and “Nautical”. I couldn’t put a finger on what my style would be. I wear scarves all year around and frequently combine paisley with Art Deco-ish prints. After many years of morphing and transforming my garb, I’ve learned that it’s totally OK. Last I checked, there were no real style police around—although there are a few who imagine themselves to be.

chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 9

style—especially since they’re almost always with you.

It wasn't until I donned my first pair of frames—thick, leopard print Oscar de la Rentas—that I even glimpsed my unique sense of style. Who knew that a small accessory like eyeglasses would boost a look?

It's all about the details, says Melinda Rosenthal, optician and manager of Pearle Vision at Hamilton Place.

Melinda has spent the better part of 22 years helping the fashionably challenged see their individuality clearly through a wide selection of eyeglass frames options and sunglasses.

This includes my sister, who has a collection of spiffy frames and, like her jewelry and shoes, always changes them out depending on the outfit and the occasion.

“We try to give people different looks,” Melinda shares.

“We like to find out about everything about [our patients].”

Those in pursuit of a fashionable frame should consider both form and function, as one pair doesn’t always meet every need. Purchasing more than one frame to suit your lifestyle and activities would be practical— whether it’s staring at the computer screen at the office, working outdoors or relaxing on the coffee shop patio on a Sunday afternoon.

And this idea translates well to pretty much any accessory. Having a wide assortment of accessories can make your wardrobe look bigger than it actually is. Simply swapping, mixing and matching purses, scarves and cardigans in an array of colors and prints can really freshen up a modest collection. The trick: the more “toys” you have, the more you can play.

Style isn’t a sixth sense. And being fashionable isn’t a superpower bestowed only on a lucky few. Instead, style is a discovery…or reaching a destination.

Morgan Griggs, owner of Fredonia Provisions for Women, agrees.

Spartina 449 handbags, wallets, and scarves

2 Northshore 313 Manufacturers Rd. Suite 117 (423) 468-1099

10 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

na. The shock of a fire-engine red oversized bag, swinging alongside the wearer of a simple blackand-white dress? Oohs, ahhs and compliments abound. It’s fair to say that most famous icons were known not only for their work; they can be pointed out from afar by just that one accessory.

“Style is how you put something together,” says Kelly Brock, coowner of newly opened Verdé.

Think Diane Keaton’s “Annie Hall” vest. Think John Lennon’s frames.

For those who wear frames, this could be a good place to start with

Fashion courtesy of Bella Rive

M

y favorite part of pulling off a look is the accessories.

Their well-chosen presence can truly enhance and embellish a look.

From the daring individual looking to stand out of the crowd, to the quaint, polished personality that prefers a finished appearance, a common denominator to essentially every style is the right piece.

Polishing off a look with accessories is like the cherry on top of a hot-fudge sundae. A casual knit top is just blah—until you wrap up in a Moroccan-style pashmi-

Fashion courtesy of Verdé

Fashion courtesy of N2 Shoes

N E W LO C AT I O N !

40 FRAZIER AVE CHATTANOOGA (423) 756-8633 SHOPGOFISH.COM

R 173 BLK

S

tyle should be comfortable. Although friends, family, TV shows and pop style icons can be helpful advisors, they can’t help you with how fabric feels when it drapes against your body.

You are your best judge and only you know when a piece doesn’t fit your body frame, skin tone, hairstyle, vibe or personality. Yet don’t forgo the help and expertise of the

salesperson helping you. “We really try to listen to what people say they like and don’t like,” says Kelly Brock.

“But we often gently coax people to try things on they might not choose for themselves, based on our knowledge of how they fit and drape.”

Style should be easy. Keeping a few staple basics in your wardrobe can take the guesswork out of planning outfits. A great pair of jeans, blouses and knit tops, jackets, cardigans and accessories are definitely your best friends.

Style should be personal. If you are gravitating towards something, put it on. Does it fit? Does it feel good? Does it speak to you? If you answered yes to those three questions, congrats! You’ve figured out what you like. “You learn [style] by picking out what appeals to you, then trying what you like on,” Morgan Griggs advises. “Style is an outward expression and it shows in the pieces that you choose.”

Style can be found everywhere.

From department stores to small retailers to the flea market, thrift stores and yard sales, if you’re look© 2013 Rampage

Morgan recalls coming up with the name of her Southside shop, partly because of her love of vintage women’s names, but also because it sounded like a location. “Like you arrived…at the store,” she says.

But the eclectic retailer is beyond labels, curating a diverse collection of ready-towear merchandise that helps women dive into their individuality. Her racks are lined with a variety of textures, solid staples and feminine prints—including a pair of blue leggings with wolves printed on them. I loved them. I would also never wear them. “[The items] are not for everyone,” Morgan says, “but there is something for everyone.”

She suggests that the best way to identify the right piece is to simply be curious and open, offering a few simple tips to cultivate a taste that is uniquely to the wearer.

USE IT OR LOSE IT MANY INSURANCE BENEFITS

EXPIRE DECEMBER 31ST Chattanooga The Shoppes at Hamilton Place (423) 499-3737

Buy a complete pair (frame and lenses) and receive a free complete pair of eyeglasses or Rx sunglasses up to $300 - same prescription. First pair must be of equal or greater value to free pair.

Valid prescription required. Valid on select frames. Excludes certain brands including Maui Jim. Cannot be combined or used in conjunction with any vision care, insurance benefits or plans, any store or discount. Not valid on previous purchases, readers or non-prescription sunglasses. Some restrictions may apply. See store for details. Valid at participating US stores only. ©2013. Pearle Vision. All rights reserved.

Offer expires: 12-15-2013

chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 11

330 Frazier Ave. Suite 116 Chattanooga, Tennessee (423) 266-6661

10am to 5:30pm Monday - Friday Complimentary parking is available at the corner of MLK and Broad St.

12 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

magazine cover. The tabloids can talk all they want. If those blue wolf-printed leggings rock your socks, pull on a pair. It doesn’t matter if anyone is laughing or admiring. If you look in the mirror and can’t help but strike a pose and crack a smile, honey, you’ve got style.

Style alert: For those folks who like their look fun and funky, Collective Clothing is doing a Vintage Popup Store during Mainx24 this year on Dec. 7, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., 1601 Rossville Ave. Stay tuned for more on that!

donia Fashion courtesy of Fre

801 Market Street - (423) 267-0901

ing for the right piece that is uniquely you—don’t forget to look in your backyard. Give local, handmade clothes and accessories a chance for a truly individualized look that also supports the creativity of those in the community. Not only are artisan accessories and apparel charming, you never have to worry about bumping into someone who is wearing the exact same piece.

One of my favorite accessories was made by a former coworker here in Chattanooga, a pair of wooden earrings with a tiny rendition of the famous Great Wave off Kanagawa (a testament to my affinity for Asian-style flair). But I lost one earring. Fortunately, I know the creator and plan to ask for another.

That’s what I adore about Chattanooga it’s a city that’s home to a wealth of talented, crafty locals who share their creations with their community.

If you have never been to the Chattanooga Market, you’re missing out big time on your local style watch. From cozy, multicolored knit headbands, fuzzy crochet scarves and delicate metalwork jewelry to full-on apparel and collections, you can’t walk out of there empty-handed because it would be foolish from a fashion standpoint. If you can’t make it down the First Tennessee Pavilion one Sunday, but still want to support local, Etsy.com allows you to search online stores of local crafters. Also many boutiques, like Fredonia, Frankie and Julian’s and others, support local designers and crafters, proudly featuring their works on their racks and jewelry displays.

Some local artisans even have their own websites, Facebook pages and blogs; all it takes is a search.

Speaking of search, you can lose yourself in a vast colossus of fashion content by way of online magazines and social networks like Pinterest or POPSUGAR. Personally, I’m interested in the anecdotes of friends and locals who are making their own mark. For those in need of a bit more confidence, I recommend taking after the style cues on the blog She Wore it Anyways—a blog started by two funny fashionistas who are all about breaking runway rules and living out loud through their looks. The duo’s mantra: “it doesn’t matter what you want to look like; the way you look matters,” sounds like something Confucius would say if he had had any fashion sense. But there is wisdom in the words, as curating a personal image can’t be defined by what’s on a

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Join Us For Our Holiday Open House November 21-23 complete holiday gift-giving with our unique collection of locally made jewelry, Pottery, art, glassware and much more...

now open late till 8 on thursday Turqouise: CV Designs | Stones: Heather Hoffman

GIFTS • HOME • BRIDAL • JEWELRY

330 Frazier Ave | Mon-Fri: 10-6 Sat: 10-5 | 423.266.0585 | plumnellyshop.com chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 13

Spend Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims

CONFUSED ABOUT THE NEW HEALTH CARE LAW? WE’RE HERE TO HELP. Just come to one of our meetings. There are no obligations.

We’ll answer all your questions and walk you through how to find a plan on the Health Insurance Marketplace that’s right for you.

Plus, we’ll give you tips on how you might be able to get cost savings that could significantly lower your monthly payment.

ATTEND A COMMUNITY MEETING

(UCC)

Has Provided the Chattanooga community with a liberal Christian tradition since 1914.

Learn more about our mission and activities at pilgrim-church.com

Sunday Worship 11am

NOV 13, DEC 4 & DEC 13 10 a.m. - Hilton Garden Inn Hamilton Place 2343 Shallowford Village Dr. Chattanooga, TN 37421

400 Glenwood Drive at 3rd Street (423) 698-5682

NOV 23, DEC 19 & JAN 21 10 a.m. - The Chattanooga Choo Choo The Finley Lecture Hall 1400 Market St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 JAN 31 10 a.m. - Brainerd Crossroads BX 4011 Austin St. Chattanooga, TN 37411

To find more community meetings in your area, visit bcbst.com/KnowNow

©BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Inc., an Independent Licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association.

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is a Qualified Health Plan issuer in the Health Insurance Marketplace.

The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com 14 •BCBS4691_193847_CM_Mrktplc_ChattanoogaPulse_11.07.13.indd 1

Pilgrim Congregational Church

11/1/13 3:54 PM

Music

mike mcJunkin

Vai the Magnificent Guitar master transcends clichés to reach music’s heart

O

NE OF THE GREAT TRAGEDIES TO BEFALL THE CONTEMPORARY musical landscape has been the marginalization and even disdain towards the virtuosic. Since the emergence of the DIY ethic within the early waves of punk music in the early ’70s, and its focus on more technically accessible music, there’s been a growing tendency in some circles to treat musicians displaying stunning levels of technical facility with eyerolling derision.

This has been exacerbated by disenchanted rock reviewers, self-appointed authenticity police and armchair arbiters of cool who have turned their own preferences and tastes in music into a holy grail that all should strive for, but few will attain. The classical musician is praised for her breathtaking command of the instrument, the Chinese guzheng master is honored for his years of devotion to attain perfected expertise, but the virtuoso rock musician has come to be viewed as little more than a clown with a good juggling act. Admittedly, that reputation is sometimes deserved. There are, of course, technically proficient buffoons, highly skilled players with the soul of a Casio keyboard’s rhythm machine and bafflingly gifted musicians whose endless dis-

honest music

plays of technique are somehow hopelessly devoid of any inspiration or emotion.

When we listen to a master classical musician, or a skilled Indian raga-folk performer, for example, we recognize the techniques and appreciate the multiple facets these performances display. The blazingly fast passages are there in part to astound the audience, but there is a deeper purpose behind these displays. The engagement with the audience these displays create deepens the connection with the music and the performer. The understanding that these skills have been hard won, and the impassioned response in the listener’s mind when their brain is embraced by the flurries of notes melting into a melodic stream is what engages the listener and pulls them deeper into the contrasts and complexities of the music. In the hands of a serious virtuoso, this experience can transcend the musical genre.

Recently, guitarist and composer Steve Vai made an appearance at Track 29 and treated the audience to an evening that far transcended the usual stunt guitar performance. His grimaces and guitar-face palsy are legendary in the world of axe-fans from his appearances as the devil’s guitar player Jack Butler in the movie “Crossroads” as well as time providing guitar antics for artists as diverse as Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, John Lydon’s Public Image Ltd (PiL) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Vai is clearly one of the reigning gods of electric guitar. You would be hard pressed

to find another guitarist alive today that can match his unique combination of technical ability, musical facility and showmanship.

But like seasoned virtuosos within other forms of music, Vai harnesses his mastery of the instrument to engage the audience and draw them into experiencing the music rather than just hearing it.

The entire audience seemed to simultaneously and repeatedly retrieve their mouths from the floor as Vai guided them through a mind-blowing two-and-a-half hour set. He played the guitar as if it was an extension of his body, toying with the instrument the way a Harlem Globetrotter would toy with the ball—effortlessly demonstrating thousands of hours and years of work across many different stages and styles.

Is it stunt guitar? Yes. But Vai’s greatest skill may be the ability to use his technique to reflect his own charming and affable personality. He hip-shakes and funk sashays while recognizing the comedic value of the moment. He spoofs his role as guitar hero— while living inside of it and delighting in every moment of it.

Of course, instrumental electric guitar music is not for everyone and it is easy for many to find fault with the music and the performance. Vai is a magician, and as with any magician there will be some tackiness, there will be some schtick and there will be some clichés. But his performance is so extraordinary and the mastery so pitch-perfect that he transcends the silliness of the shred to create an entertaining, musically stunning experience that even the most jaded rock critic could not help but respect.

If you missed the Nov. 12 show, I encourage you to catch him anywhere, anyway that you can. For a taste of what you may have missed, I recommend his latest live recording, “Where the Wild Things Are” or his latest studio release “The Story of Light.”

local and regional shows

New Fad Zoo with Lil Iffy and Natural Habitz [$5] Tony Holiday & The Velvetones [$5]

Thu, Nov 21 Wed, Nov 27

Live Trivia every Sunday from 4-6pm, followed by Live Music Sunday, November 24: Molly Maguires [Free]

9pm 9pm

Full food menu serving lunch and dinner.

11am-2am, 7 days a week.

35 Patten Parkway * 423.468.4192 thehonestpint.com * facebook.com/TheHonestPint

chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 15

Chattanooga Live

CHATTANOOGA

MUSIC CALENDAR Brian Ashley Jones

Lil Iffy

LIVE MUSIC NOVEMBER

21 FRI WHO'S BAD 10p 22 HIP HOP HISTORY SAT 10p 23 VELCRO PYGMIES WED 10p 27 THE HOPSING PROJECT THU 9:30p 28 MATTSTEPHENSPROJECT FRI 9:30p 29 THE BREAKFAST CLUB SAT 10p 30 HE IS LEGEND

THU TIR ASLEEN, SINAI VESSEL & GOOD THIEF 8p

ULTIMATE MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE

FEATURING BEXY, SKINNYILL & MORE SPECIAL GUESTS: RECKLESS KELLY

with GLOWING BORDIS LET THE PARTY BEGIN!

with JIVE MOTHER MARY

12.05 AMBER FULTS & THE AMBIVALENT LOVERS 12.06 DEPARTURE: ULTIMATE JOURNEY TRIBUTE

COMING IN DEC

FRI ARPETRIO LAST HERE OPENING FOR PAPADOSIO 8:30p

SMOOTH DIALECTS

FRI BRING THE JAZZ AND FUNK TO YOU! 8:30p

7

13

ALL SHOWS 21+ UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED • NON-SMOKING VENUE

221 MARKET STREET

HOT MUSIC • FINE BEER • GREAT FOOD BUY TICKETS ONLINE • RHYTHM-BREWS.COM

THUrsday 11.21 “Pickin’ at the Post” with Bluegrass bands 5 p.m. American Legion Post, Highway 11 N. (423) 582-1337 Bluegrass and Country Jam 6:30 p.m. Grace Nazarene Church, 6310 Dayton Blvd.

(423) 842-5919, chattanoogagrace.com Courtney Daly and Ivan Wilson 7 p.m. Bart’s Lakeshore, 5840 Lake Resort Ter. (423) 870-0777, bartslakeshore.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Coconut Room at The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055, thepalmsathamilton.com Soddy-Daisy Jamboree 7 p.m. Soddy-Daisy Community Center, 9835 Dayton Pk. (423) 332-5323 The Loop 7 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956, sugarsribs.com Open Mic 7:30 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081, thecamphouse.com Tim Neal and Mike Harris 7:30 p.m. Mexi Wings VII, 5773 Brainerd Rd. (423) 509-8696, mexiwingviichattanooga.com Tiffany Taylor, Thomas Pinson 8 p.m. Public House

16 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

Restaurant, 1110 Market St. (423) 266-3366, publichousechattanooga.com Lil Iffy 9 p.m. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Pkwy. (423) 468-4192, thehonestpint.com He Is Legend, Tir Asleen, Sinai Vessel, Good Thief 9:30 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644, rhythm-brews.com Open Mic with Hap Henniger 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (inside Days Inn) (423) 634-9191, facebook. com/theofficechatt

friday 11.22 Charley Yates 4:30 p.m. Wimpie’s Country Restaurant, 9826 Dayton Pk. (423) 332-6201 Jason Thomas: The Man in Black Tribute 5 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo Victorian Lounge, 1400 Market St. (800) 872-2529, choochoo.com Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m. El Mason, 2204 Hamilton Pl. Blvd.

(423) 894-8726, elmesonrestaurant.com Tim Lewis 5:30 p.m. El Mason Hixson, 248 Northgate Mall.

(423) 710-1201 Binji Varsossa 6 p.m. Cancun Mexican Restaurant & Lounge, 1809

Broad St. (423) 266-1461, cancunmexicanrest.com The Half & Half Band 7 p.m. Troy’s Place, 320 Emerson Dr., Ringgold, Ga. (423) 965-8346 Danny Sample/Dave Walters 7 p.m. 212 Market, 212 Market St. (423) 265-1212, 212market.com Cowboy Gospel Jubilee: Ron Brewer 7 p.m. Cleveland Cowboy Church, 3040 Blythe Rd., Cleveland. (423) 476-7936, clevelandcowboychurch.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Coconut Room at The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055, thepalmsathamilton.com Erin Hill Band 8 p.m. Acoustic Café, 61 RBC Dr. (706) 965-2065, ringgoldacoustic.com Mountain Opry 8 p.m. Walden’s Ridge Civic Center, 2501 Fairmount Pk. (423) 886-3252 Tim Hinck’s “Work No. 151” 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347, barkinglegs.org Bluegrass Dinner Music 8 p.m. Ocoee Dam Deli and Diner, 1223 Highway 64, Ocoee. (423) 338-8184, ocoeedamdeli.com Brian Ashley Jones 8:30 p.m. The Foundry, 1201 Broad St. (423) 756-3400, chattanooganhotel.com.

Cousin Eddy 9 p.m. SkyZoo, 5709 Lee Hwy. (423) 468-4533, skyzoochattanooga.com Ryan Oyer 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (inside Days Inn) (423) 634-9191, facebook. com/theofficechatt Power Players Show Band 9:30 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956, sugarsribs.com Who’s Bad? The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644, rhythm-brews.com Kontraband 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919, facebook. com/raw.chattanooga Ragdoll 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878, budssportsbar.com

saturday 11.23 Lindsay Allward & Josh Schicker 12:30 p.m. Cartecay Vineyards, 5704 Clear Creek Rd. (706) 698-9463, cartecayvineyards.com Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m. El Mason, 2204 Hamilton Pl. Blvd.

(423) 894-8726, elmasonrestaurant.com Tim Lewis 5:30 p.m. El Mason Hixson, 248 Northgate Mall.

Chattanooga Live

901 Carter St (Inside Days Inn) 423-634-9191

MUSIC CALENDAR

Cereus Bright

Velcro Pygmies

Thursday, November 21: 9pm Open Mic with Hap Henninger Friday, November 22: 9pm Ryan Oyer Saturday, November 23: 10pm Brandon Reeves (from Atlanta) Tuesday, November 26: 7pm Server/Hotel Appreciation Night $5 Pitchers $2 Wells $1.50 Domestics ●

(423) 710-1201 Binji Varsossa 6 p.m. Cancun Mexican Restaurant & Lounge, 1809 Broad St. (423) 266-1461, cancunmexicanrest.com Cereus Bright 7 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081, thecamphouse.com 24/7 Band + jamming and singing 7 p.m. Red Clay Pickin’ Barn, 1095 Weatherly Switch Tr. (423) 464-3034 The Hopeful Country Band 7 p.m. Troy’s Place, 320 Emerson Dr., Ringgold, Ga. (423) 965-8346 Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Coconut Room at The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055, thepalmsathamilton.com The Countrymen Band 8 p.m. Eagles Club, 6128 Airways Blvd. (423) 894-9940 Dana Cooper 8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse, 105 McBrien Rd. (423) 892-4960, christunity.org Brian Ashley Jones 8:30 p.m. The Foundry, 1201 Broad St. (423) 756-3400, chattanooganhotel.com.

Austin Nickels Band 8:30 p.m. Jack A’s Chop Shop Saloon, 742 Ashland Ter. (423) 710-8739 Tim Hinck’s “Work No. 151” 9 p.m. Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave.

(423) 624-5347, barkinglegs.org Power Players Show Band 9:30 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956, sugarsribs.com Hip Hop History Vol. II 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St., (423) 267-4644, rhythm-brews.com Brandon Reeves 10 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (inside Days Inn) (423) 634-9191, facebook. com/theofficechatt Kontraband 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919, facebook. com/raw.chattanooga

sunday 11.24 Mason Dixieland Line 12:30 p.m. Chattanooga Market, 1829 Carter St. (423) 648-2496, chattanoogamarket.com Open Jam Session 5 p.m. Cheap Seats Sports Bar, 2925 Rossville Blvd. (423) 629-5636 “Evensong” 5:30 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081, thecamphouse.com Molly Maguires 7 p.m. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Pkwy. (423) 468-4192, thehonestpint.com

monday 11.25

Men’s Barbershop Harmony Group 7 p.m. All Saints Academy, 310 East 8th St. (423) 876-7359 Big Band Night 7 p.m. The Coconut Room at The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055, thepalmsathamilton.com

tuesday 11.26 Tuesday Bluesday - Open Blues Jam with Rick Rushing 7 p.m. Folk School of Chattanooga, 1200 Mountain Creek Rd. (423) 827-8906, chattanoogafolk.com Tim Starnes and Friends 7 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956, sugarsribs.com Jim Palmer 7:30 p.m. 1885 Grill, 3914 Saint Elmo Ave. (423) 485-3050, facebook.com/1885Grill Open Mic hosted by Mike McDade 9 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pk. (423) 266-1996, tremonttavern.com

wednesday 11.27 Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m. El Meson Hixson, 248 Northgate Mall, (423) 710-1201 She-She

7 p.m. Magoo’s, 3658 Ringgold Rd. (423) 867-1351, facebook.com/MagoosTN Dan Sheffield 7 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956, sugarsribs.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Coconut Room at The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055, thepalmsathamilton.com Roger Alan Wade 7:30 p.m. Jack A’s Chop Shop Saloon, 742 Ashland Ter. (423) 710-8739. jackaschopshopsaloon.com Priscilla & Little Rickee 8:30 p.m. Las Margarita’s, 1101 Hixson Pk. (423) 756-3332, lasmargaritaschattanooga.com Aunt Betty 9 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878, budssportsbar.com Tony Holiday & The Velvetones 9 p.m. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Pkwy. (423) 468-4192, thehonestpint.com Velcro Pygmies, Reckless Kelly 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644, rhythm-brews.com

Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@ chattanoogapulse.com.

●

All shows are free with dinner or 2 drinks!

Stop by & check out our daily specials!

Happy Hour: Mon-Fri: 4-7pm $1 10oz drafts, $3 32oz drafts, $2 Wells, $1.50 Domestics, Free Appetizers

Facebook.com/theoffice.chatt

Open for lunch 11am-3pm Thursday-Friday Come enjoy dinner and live entertainment from 5p-11p during our special nights: Monday: Broad Street Blues Band Wednesday: Wine Down Wednesday Thursday: Feel It Thursday with 96¢ cocktails from 5pm-6pm Friday: Jazz | Saturday: Throw Back Night After Party 11pm-3am, 25+ Fri/Sat

Mocha Restaurant & Music Lounge

511 Broad Street, Chattanooga (423) 531-4154 • www.mochajazz.net

chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 17

Between the Sleeves Saving Mobile Lives

record reviews • ernie paik

Bruised Yet Satisfied, Diffident Yet Charming Melt-Banana Yowls, Ashley Ericksson Croons

1906 Gunbarrel Rd. 423-486-1668

(Next to GiGi’s Cupcakes) cellphonerepair.com/chattanooga

M-F 10am-7pm Sat: 11a-4pm Closed Sunday

FAMOUS GOOD FOOD

Melt-Banana Fetch (A-Zap)

F DOUG KELLER FAMOUS GRILLED WINGS GRILLED FRESH EVERY MONDAY

KARAOKE EVERY TUESDAY LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEDNESDAY 7PM TO CLOSE TRIVIA EVERY THURSDAY HAPPY HOUR UNTIL 7PM MON - FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR ALL DAY SAT & SUN

3658 Ringgold Road East Ridge, TN • 423.867.1351

or the two-decade-strong Japanese spazz-rock outfit Melt-Banana, it’s been a full six years since the previous studio album, Bambi’s Dilemma, and four years since the group’s transcendentally insane hot-wired live album, released under the moniker “Melt-Banana Lite” to mark the uncharacteristic guitar-free, bass-free configuration.

So what happened in the intervening years? Fukushima happened. Melt-Banana has always been partial to having animal-themed titles, but on the latest studio album, Fetch, nature is presented in a different context; side A opens with the sound of ocean waves in the morning, and the side closes with the songs of frogs, insects and birds at night, ominously. What’s in-between is utter sonic chaos. Is there a subconscious (or conscious) theme of humans and nature, punishing each other? Maybe, but Melt-Banana has always been

18 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

Ashley Eriksson Colours (K) about punishing music, anyway.

The current lineup of MeltBanana is the duo of vocalist Yako, who sings with a staccato projectile barking style, as if a human version of the cartoon character Itchy (or Scratchy), and guitarist Agata, who loves to concoct the sickest sounding guitar noises possible, plus an over-clocked drum machine.

It’s not enough to be unbelievably fast and precise; there is a truly demented yet inspired quality that infects the music of Melt-Banana on Fetch, which is like some unholy cybernetic amalgam of thrash, hardcore and metal.

One highlight, “Left Dog (Run, Caper, Run),” is a sterling example of the twisted frenzy of the band with Agata’s trademark gliding, and “Infection Defective” features his manic shredding, sounding like tiny buzzing robotic flying insects.

Fetch is up to snuff, on par with previous albums like Cell-

Scape or Bambi’s Dilemma, and it cannot sit in the background and must be played at a sufficiently loud volume; the listener, to a degree, needs to let himself go as if a stage diver who has faith in the people who will catch and carry him.

At the end of the cartoon violence, the listener will feel pummeled, like having gone through a brutal massage and left bruised yet satisfied.

“C

ome along with me and the butterflies and bees…”—youngsters, parents and the young at heart know these words from the adorable closing theme song of the animated show Adventure Time, which is an adapted solo version of “Christmas Island” by Lake, performed by Lake member Ashley Eriksson.

Eriksson’s latest solo effort, Colours, is no less adorable although permeated with a wistful attitude among the reserved

pop lightheartedness. Hints of classic pop elements infuse the proceedings while never being heavy-handed, like the mystery of Lee Hazlewood or the familiar Beach Boys keyboard quarter notes.

They mingle with an indie D.I.Y. homemade pop aesthetic that is simultaneously elegant and thrifty, unashamed to use cheap keyboard sounds among more refined string and euphonium flourishes.

Eriksson’s voice varies only a small amount over the course of the 13-track album, being clear, unadorned and unpretentious; it’s neither naïve-sounding nor disingenuous, with nothing to hide—sweet but not saccharin.

Eriksson elevates the mundane, the way Jonathan Richman or Evan Dando of the Lemonheads might, like on “Sunset,” written during a time when Eriksson was kicking the nicotine habit; she sings, “Well I really miss smoking / Well I really miss my phone” among the vaguely reggae piano chords on the upbeats and the upright bass and euphonium enhanced low end. Included is a cover of “Ett Stilla Regn” (“The Pacific Rain” in Swedish) by Ted Gärdestad, a contemporary of ABBA, offering a version that is somewhat more bouncy than the original with calliope keyboards and a Ringoesque minimal drum beat.

Eriksson’s goals aren’t too ambitious; however, for this kind of unflashy yet playful pop, they don’t need to be, largely accomplishing what was set out to do. The diffident yet charming romps on Colours are perhaps like mini weekend adventures at friends’ bungalows in distant towns, being cozy and comforting while offering the pleasure of being somewhere new.

30th Annual Holiday Gift Wrap

get

wrapped Bring your gift to the Holiday Gift Wrap! All proceeds benefit

Hamilton Place Mall ~ Dec. 6-24 - Open All Day During Mall Hours 2 Locations ~ Tourist Information Center (upstairs) & JCPenny’s (downstairs)

From $3*

*and up based on size, includes boxes, tissue, variety of papers, ribbons, bows and gift tags!

chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 19

Grateful Gobbler Walk 2013 ~~~~~~~~ November 28th ~~~~~~~~ Coolidge Park

www.GratefulGobbler.org AVAILABLE NOW !

Our Own Hand Selected

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Starring Brett Valliant, Organist

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Playing The Mighty Austin Pipe Organ, “The Voice of the Auditorium”

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20 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

Sponsored by The Chattanooga Music Club 36452046

Serving Chattanooga for 36 Years

4818 Hixson Pike • 870-2156 • Fax: 870-1086 2 Blocks South of Hwy. 153 & Hixson Pike Interchange Mon. – Thurs. 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Free Admission • Donations Accepted

Stylatude

janis hashe

Natural Beautiful Style Alexis Willis embraces beauty from within

I

N PERSON, ALEXIS WILLIS IS STYLE PERSONIFIED. ON THE DAY I sit down to talk with her, the young African American woman is wearing a simple black skirt topped with one of her own T-shirts in white with black lettering—and close-cropped, bright red hair along with her signature red lipstick. Her skin positively glows. She would be noticed anywhere.

“

But Alexis’s journey to where she is now, an entrepreneur with her own line of shirts and totes, as well as an incipient cosmetics line, has not been a straightforward one.

Yet she was fascinated by style from an early age. “My mother was very stylish, never afraid to be on the edge,” she says. “She would wear a cobalt blue suit—she loved bold colors.” As a student at GPS, Alexis walked her own road as well. “On the days when we could wear our own choices, I didn’t wear PJs. I wore heels,” she says, smiling at the memory.

She was accepted into a design school in Atlanta. But as she describes it, “I ended up giving my identity to other people. I lost a sense of purpose.” Dysfunctional relationships derailed what had seemed to be a predestined path. And that, she explains, is why her company, Natural Beautiful Me, is about more than just selling shirts and totes. Alexis also organizes

Natural Beautiful Me, is about more than just selling shirts and totes. Alexis also organizes and conducts seminars designed to empower women to value their identity.”

come in for daily drink specials!

The only place in Town where you can sing karaoke anyTime.

and conducts seminars designed to empower women to value their identity— along with creating their own style.

At 30, she has embraced the growing “natural hair” movement among black women, although by natural she doesn’t necessarily mean color. “Flaming red hair is not natural to me,” she laughs.

But while as a child, she felt compelled to try to distract people from her features, now she calls attention to them.

“In the NBM seminars, we talk about the mind/body/soul connection, and we help people to discover their purpose,” she says. She recalls an incident when she volunteering for the Glass House Collective in which a young girl came up to her, “and I talked to her about the concept behind Natural Beautiful Me. I could see the purpose come into her eyes.”

Alexis interned with Co.Lab and participated in the Female Founders version of the organization’s popular 48Hour Launch. During the Launch, she proposed a line of organic, handmade lipsticks called “The Red Lipstick Experiment.”

Though she was not one of the final winners, the experience was invaluable, she says. “I had a great team, and what I discovered is that I am an expert at

finding the experts. We created an actual product during the project,” one for which she is now seeking investors.

Retailers are expressing interest in carrying NBM products (currently available only through contacting Alexis through the website www.naturalbeautiful.me or directly at aj.willis223@ gmail.com). Her T-shirts come in both all-cotton and cotton blends and she is hoping to include plus-sizes soon.

I asked Alexis what she thought about the state of style in Chattanooga as a whole. “As a young child, I lived in New Orleans,” she said, “so when I came here in 1997, everything looked very Mary Tyler Moore to me.

But now people are taking more risks with style, and there is more high fashion.

There are more younger people, and they’re changing the style of the city.”

As for her

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own future: “I’ll continue to cultivate my creative side. My daughter, who’s 5, is already setting her own style. I’d like to expand my clothing line, but always keep my connection to the meaning behind it.”

She recalls a hurtful incident in which someone judged her for the choices she’s made. “My dad said, ‘She may have had a sense of purpose before you did.

But your journey is unique.’”

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RICK DAVIS GOLD & DIAMONDS 5301 Brainerd Rd at McBrien Rd • 423.499.9162 chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 21

STARTS THIS WEEK! Opens November 22 Nightly from 6-9 pm at Rock City

Arts & Entertainment

EVENTS CALENDAR The Midnight Swinger

· Open Christmas Night · Closed Christmas Eve ·

THUrsday 11.21

for more info call 706.820.2531

See RockCity.com

Tennessee Arts Commission Public Meeting 9:30 a.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 267-1076 “2013 Sanders Family Christmas” 11 a.m. Cumberland County Playhouse, 221 Tennessee Ave., Crossville. (931) 484-5000, ccplayhouse.com Third Thursday CSO Lunchtime Concert Series 11:30 a.m. Warehouse Row, 1110 Market St. (423) 267-1127, warehouserow.net “Suddenly”: Screening of Frank Sinatra’s most controversial film 2 & 7 p.m. Heritage House, 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474, chattanooga.gov “Cooking with Pete” Demonstration at Ooltewah Farmers Market 3:30 p.m. Ooltewah Nursery & Landscape Co. Inc., 5829 Main St. (423) 238-9775 Keyz Brown improvisational jazz concert 4 p.m. Ari’s Harbor Light, 9718 Hixson Pk. (423) 843-2800, arisharborlight.com UTC Flute - Studio Recital 5 p.m. UTC Cadek Conservatory, 725 Oak St. (423) 425-4612 Arts Center in Athens Holiday Trunk Show 6 p.m.. Athens Art Center, 320 N. White St., Athens. (423) 745-8781, athensartcouncil.org “Italian Night at the BSG” with Artisti Affamati 6 p.m. Broad Street Grille, 1201 Broad St. (423) 424-3700, chattanoooganhotel.com Friends of Stringers Ridge: Organizational Meeting 6:30 p.m. Outdoor Chattanooga, 200 River St. (423) 643-6888, outdoorchattanooga.com Cork & Scrooged: Chattanooga Kids on the Block benefit 6:30 p.m. DeBarge Vineyards and

22 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

Winery, 1617 Rossville Ave. (855) 776-5867, kidsontheblock.net Blue Peacock 7 p.m. Artsy-U, 5084 S. Ter., East Ridge. (423) 321-2317, artsychattanooga.com “Let Beauty Awaken” Benefit Concert for Hamilton County arts education 7 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534, theatrecentre.com “Mystery of the Redneck Italian Wedding” 7 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839, funnydinner.com Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Tasting 7 p.m. Walden Club, 633 Chestnut St. (423) 227-1831 “The Importance of Being Earnest” East Brainerd Community Theatre 7:30 p.m. Christ United Methodist Church, 8645 E. Brainerd Rd. (423) 892-9363, eastbrainerdct.com “A Rekindled Flame” 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640, “You Can’t Take It With You” 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center, Vine & Palmetto Sts. (423) 425-4371, utc.edu/fine-arts-center UTC Women’s Chorale and Men’s Chorus Fall Concert 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center, Vine & Palmetto Sts. (423) 4254371, utc.edu/fine-arts-center The Midnight Swinger 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233, thecomedycatch.com

friday 11.22 “It’s a Wonderful Life” by Ever After Productions

1 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Colonnade Center, 264 Catoosa Cir., Ringgold, Ga. (706) 935-9000, gmeshowcase.com North Pole Limited: Holiday Train Ride on the Tennessee Valley Railroad 5:30 p.m. John Henry Studios, 1100 E. 16th St. (426) 226-7288, sculpturefields.org CMC Holiday Spectacular 7 p.m. Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center, 110 Point Park Rd. (423) 921-7786 “Mystery of the Nightmare Office Party” 7 p.m. Outdoor Chattanooga, 200 River St. (423) 643-6888, outdoorchattanooga.com Rainy Day 7 p.m. Artsy-U, 5084 S. Ter., East Ridge. (423) 321-2317, artsychattanooga.com 150th Anniversary Battles for Chattanooga: A Weekend of Events 7 p.m. Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center, 110 Point Park Rd. (423) 921-7786.

“The Importance of Being Earnest” East Brainerd Community Theatre 7 p.m. Christ United Methodist Church, 8645 E. Brainerd Rd. (423) 892-9363, eastbrainerdct.com “2013 Sanders Family Christmas” 7:30 p.m. Cumberland County Playhouse, 221 Tennessee Ave., Crossville. (931) 484-5000, ccplayhouse.com “You Can’t Take It With You” 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center, Vine & Palmetto Sts. (423) 425-4371, utc.edu/fine-arts-center “A Rekindled Flame” 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640.

The Midnight Swinger 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233, thecomedycatch.com

Prince Hall Shriners IX Charity Ball Weekend 9 p.m. Chattanooga Convention Center, 1100 Carter St. (423) 653-5555, hyksostemple123.net Robert Hines 9 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839, funnydinner.com

saturday 11.23 Rumble In The Riding! Civil War Reenactment and Lunch 8 a.m. Chattanooga Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Rd. (423) 821-1160, chattanoogaanc.org Free For Life 5K 8:30 a.m. Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695, tnaqua.org Painting The Costumed Figure From Life workshop 9 a.m. Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center, 110 Point Park Rd. (423) 921-7786.

150th Anniversary - Battles for Chattanooga 8:30 a.m. Townsend Atelier, 201 West Main St. (423) 266-2712, townsendatelier.com 150th Anniversary Battles for Chattanooga: A Weekend of Events 9 a.m. Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center, 110 Point Park Rd. (423) 921-7786.

The Christmas Market 9:30 a.m. Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, 4131 Ringgold Rd. (423) 629-6073 Thanksgiving Harvest and Holiday Market 10 a.m. Brainerd Farmers Market, 20 Belvoir Ave. (423) 580-6281 facebook.com/BrainerdFarmersMarket “The J Play” 10:30 a.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534, theatrecentre.com “You Can’t Take It With You” 1:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center,

Arts & Entertainment

EVENTS CALENDAR North Pole Limited

Robert Hines

423.821.2544

RubyFalls.com 615 McCallie Ave. (423) 425-4371, utc.edu/fine-arts-center “2013 Sanders Family Christmas” 2:30 p.m. Cumberland County Playhouse, 221 Tennessee Ave., Crossville. (931) 484-5000, ccplayhouse.com “Mystery of Flight 138” 5 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839, funnydinner.com North Pole Limited: Holiday Train Ride on the Tennessee Valley Railroad 5:30 p.m. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028, tvrail.com Chattanooga - Vertical 7 p.m. Artsy-U, 5084 S. Ter., East Ridge. (423) 321-2317, artsychattanooga.com Chattanooga - Horizontal 7 p.m. Artsy-U, 5084 S. Ter., East Ridge. (423) 321-2317, artsychattanooga.com The Midnight Swinger 7, 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. thecomedycatch.com “The Importance of Being Earnest” East Brainerd Community Theatre 7, 9:30 p.m. Christ United Methodist Church, 8645 E. Brainerd Rd. (423) 892-9363, eastbrainerdct.com “You Can’t Take It With You” 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center, Vine & Palmetto Sts. (423) 425-4371, utc.edu/fine-arts-center “It’s a Wonderful Life” by Ever After Productions 7:30 p.m. Colonnade Center, 264 Catoosa Cir., Ringgold, Ga. (706) 935-9000, gmeshowcase.com “Amahl and the Night Visitors” 7:30 p.m. Lee University Pangle Hall, 1120 N. Ocoee St., Cleveland.

(423) 614-8000, leeuniversity.edu “Suite Surrender” 7:30 p.m. Cumberland County

Playhouse, 221 Tennessee Ave., Crossville. (931) 484-5000, ccplayhouse.com “A Rekindled Flame” 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640.

“Mystery of the Facebook Fugitive” 7:30 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839, funnydinner.com Prince Hall Shriners IX Charity Ball Weekend 8 p.m. Chattanooga Convention Center, 1100 Carter St. (423) 653-5555, hyksostemple123.net Robert Hines 9 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839, funnydinner.com

sunday 11.24 150th Anniversary Battles for Chattanooga: A Weekend of Events 9 a.m. Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center, 110 Point Park Rd. (423) 921-7786.

Painting The Costumed Figure From Life workshop 9 a.m. Townsend Atelier, 201 W. Main St. (423) 266-2712, townsendatelier.com Thanksgiving Market 11 a.m. Chattanooga Market, 1829 Carter St. (423) 648-2496, chattanoogamarket.com “The Best Christmas Pagaent Ever” 2:30 p.m. Cumberland County Playhouse, 221 Tennessee Ave., Crossville. (931) 484-5000, ccplayhouse.com North Pole Limited: Holiday Train Ride on the Tennessee Valley Railroad 5:45 p.m. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028, tvrail.com The Midnight Swinger 7 p. m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233.

thecomedycatch.com “Amahl and the Night Visitors” 7:30 p.m. Lee University Pangle Hall, 1120 N. Ocoee St., Cleveland.

(423) 614-8000, leeuniversity.edu “A Rekindled Flame” 2:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640.

monday 11.25 150th Anniversary Battles for Chattanooga: A Weekend of Events 9 a.m. Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center, 110 Point Park Rd. (423) 921-7786 “The Best Christmas Pagaent Ever” 11:15 a.m. Cumberland County Playhouse, 221 Tennessee Ave., Crossville. (931) 484-5000, ccplayhouse.com Snowman 5:30 p.m. Artsy-U, 5084 S. Ter., East Ridge. (423) 321-2317, artsychattanooga.com

tuesday 11.26 “Suite Surrender” 2:30 p.m. Cumberland County Playhouse, 221 Tennessee Ave., Crossville. (931) 484-5000, ccplayhouse.com Starry Night 7 p.m. Artsy-U, 5084 S. Ter., East Ridge. (423) 321-2317, artsychattanooga.com

wednesday 11.27 150th Anniversary Battles for Chattanooga: A Weekend of Events 2 p.m. Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center, 110 Point Park Rd. (423) 921-7786 Open Studio - You pick the painting!

7 p.m. Artsy-U, 5084 S. Ter.,

East Ridge. (423) 321-2317, artsychattanooga.com

ongoing “Meditations: New Work by Scott Hillard & Steve Olszewski” 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon-Sat, 1 - 5 p.m. Sun. River Gallery, 400 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033, river-gallery.com “Work by John Stone” 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tues.- Sat. AVA Gallery, 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-4282, avarts.org “Tour d’Art” 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon-Sat, 1 - 5 p.m. Sun. In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9214, intowngallery.com “Fine Art Landscapes” Reflections Gallery, 6922 Lee Hwy. (423) 892-3072, reflectionsgallerytn.com “Miki Boni” 11 a.m, - 7 p.m. Mon-Sat Graffiti: A Hill City Art Joint, 505 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 400-9797, hillcityart.com Rock City Raptors 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Fri-Sat, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Rock City, 1400 Patten Rd., Lookout Mtn, Ga. seerockcity.com Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights Mon-Fri 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Rock City Gardens, 271 Chattanooga Valley Rd. (706) 820-2531, seerockcity.com Holidays Under the Peaks Daily.

Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695, tnaqua.org

Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@ chattanoogapulse.com.

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chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 23

Grace Frank Group Holiday Home Tour Sunday, November 24th 2pm - 4pm ~ Downtown

Find your new home in beautiful downtown Chattanooga.

Just look for the big red bows.

Register to win some great holiday giveaways, as well!

101 S. Greenwood Ave 906 S. Highland Park 489 Wayne Ave

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24 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

holiday hours

OPEN THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS DAY

5PM-3AM

4th&Market HAIROFTHEDOGPUB.NET 423.265.4615

Screen

john devore

Hammering Home the Tale

“Thor: The Dark World” pleases franchise fans

“T

HOR: THE DARK WORLD” IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHY MARVEL is winning the comic book movie wars. Ostensibly, there are only two candidates: Marvel and DC. Where DC has the classic superheroes of Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman and the Flash, they haven’t been able to crack the franchise in the way Marvel Studios for one simple reason: They produce stand-alone movies.

There may be offhand references to Gotham and Metropolis in the DC films, but Marvel has embraced a universe occupied by all of their heroes simultaneously, meaning that any character might show up at any time. This type of crossover has always been true in the Marvel Comics continuity and has been utilized by the filmmakers as well.

While there are still holdouts, (the rights to Spider-man and the X-Men were sold early on before the superhero craze took hold) the majority of Marvel’s costumed heroes are waiting in the wings for their time to shine. Assuming the quality stays high, these films can be made indefinitely.

There are decades of stories to tell, and the filmmakers seem to understand that comic books are not necessarily brooding Frank Miller murderscapes—there is fun to be had, tongues to place in cheeks, and wonder to experience.

The newest entry into Marvel’s film domination takes place after the events of “The Avengers,” with Thor returning his miscreant brother to Asgard to pay for his crime of attacking New York City.

Thor then busies himself bringing order to the Nine Realms, as they erupted into chaos after the Bifrost was destroyed in the events of “Thor.”

Much like the Harry Potter series, the majority of the action in the story hinges

on the viewer having seen the previous films. There is no apology for this, nor much interest in bringing new viewers up to speed. It’s nice to see a superhero movie that is comfortable in its own mythos, not needing to rehash origin stories or retell things the audience already knows.

It provides some much-needed room for the characters to grow and interact in an already established universe (as much as they can, anyway, in a comic book loosely based on the exploits of a Norse demigod).

The antagonist this time is an ancient race of dark Elves that predate humanity by several millennia, wanting to return the universe to its dark, primal form using a murky weapon of self-aware ink. Not that it matters. Audiences are going to see Thor hit things with hammers and fight giant monsters.

To the film’s credit, it fully embraces Thor as an ultra-powerful deity, rather than following the old trope of taking away his powers for the majority of the film, only to return them in the climax. Instead, the film shows formidable foes that match or exceed Thor in power. It makes the stakes higher and the film easier to watch.

Of course, being a Marvel film, the supposed magic is explained as a higher form of science, resulting in technobabble and silliness. This is mostly forgivable, as we

know that it’s just a part of the show.

As long as no one thinks too hard about the absurdities uttered by the scientists in the film, the audience will enjoy it. Added to the typical action movie scenes are pepperings of Whedon-like wit and clever banter.

The first film played up the fish-out-of-water themes and they are on display here as well, although in smaller doses. Thor’s love interest Jane Foster has the tables turned as she is taken to Asgard to experience it firsthand. This development isn’t quite as entertaining, mostly because Jane Foster is somewhat bland as a character. She’s a damsel in distress, albeit one with a degree in astrophysics.

Is “Thor: The Dark World” a memorable entry into the Marvel franchise? Time will tell. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” comes out in January, “Guardians of Galaxy” later next year, and “The Avengers 2” in 2015.

More than likely, “Thor 2” is just a stepping stone between Avengers films, not necessarily meant as an overly important chapter.

Just like in comics, there’s always another issue—and every tale opens up more possibilities. The franchise has been successful so far and as long as the films are like this one, it will be for a long time.

chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 25

26 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

Spirits Within

mike dobbs

This Ain’t Frou-Frou

Our man on the barstool hits on some moonshine at Blacksmith’s

O

ver the weekend I was watching Bugs Bunny cartoons and saw the episode, “Hillbilly Hare” in which Bugs tricks two bearded brothers (Curt and Punkin’head Martin) into whoopin’ each other up while square dancing.

This gave me an idea…moonshine.

Now in case you’re not from ’round here, moonshine primarily refers to “homemade” hooch. And you don’t have to look any further than the business end of your remote control to see it several times a day on every other reality show.

The newfound popularity of both the liquor itself and the culture behind it is pretty astounding.

It’s not anything new to us down here in the South, though. For hundreds of years fellas have been up in them thar hills cooking up high-octane squeezins only leaving the pot still long enough to fight a war or two or to run from the revenuers.

And until quite recently, you would end up in the house of striped sunlight faster than you can say, “Otis Campbell” if you got caught holding the stuff. Of course, a lot of those lawless shenanigans still exist and as explained by the television shows, it’s spreading. But these are usually small time operations with a very limited client list.

All of that is changing now as I discovered while visiting Blacksmith’s this past weekend. There are legit companies springing up to bring the sensation to the general public. I had a sit down with bartender Ashley Campbell (no relation to Otis) to peruse the selection they have on hand and see what all the hoopla is about.

At the top of their extensive drink menu is an item called, “Moon-Jito.” What sorcery is this? It’s basically a Mojito made

“

The third jar comes from a legend in the racing world. Junior Johnson is as responsible for stock car racing as the V-8 engine. Junior’s family was in the shine business. When I say “business,” though, they didn’t go to the courthouse and apply for a license. The Johnson family has been the real-life “Dukes of Hazzard” since the Whiskey Rebellion back in George Washington’s day. After spending 11 months in the hoosegow for running hooch, Junior went legit—and went on to become a NASCAR champion.

But fame isn’t keeping him out of the moonshine business. In 2007, Junior went back to making North Carolina white lightning. But this time, he’s above board with Midnight Moon. The triple distilled spirit is made more like high-end vodka than backwoods rotgut. It also comes in flavors, seven to be exact.

Blacksmith’s had the blueberry variety close at hand and curiosity got the best of me. After I tasted it, the first thing out of my mouth was the word, “BOOM! Wow…” Don’t let the innocence of the word “blueberry” fool you. This is moonshine after all, and all 100 of its proof will remind you of that fact real quick if you’re not prepared. This ain’t frou-frou.

“Promenade across the floor, sashay right on out the door, out the door and into the glade, and everybody promenade.”Bugs Bunny, “Hillbilly Hare,” 1950 Cheers, y’all.

The newfound popularity of both the liquor itself and the culture behind it is pretty astounding.”

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ooga

with that good Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine.

Ole Smoky is a distillery located in downtown Gatlinburg and has been around since 2010 to rave reviews that even earned them a spot on “The Today Show.” They have tours, too. And after you take it, you can get an airbrushed T-shirt and a rubber tomahawk on “the strip” to prove you’ve been there.

Now this Moon-Jito is hand muddled with mint, lime, sugar and what I nicknamed “Olé Smoky” Moonshine. And get this…moonshine comes in flavors. That’s right, race fans. You have a choice of peach or blackberry. I went for the blackberry and it was dee-licious.

Since it was already there, I asked for a taste of the peach-flavored Ole Smoky. It is what it says.

It’s peachy! It’s kinda like schnapps but, it’s a bit warmer on the back of the throat. I like this.

Ashley presented me with another selection from a distillery in Woodbury, TN called Short Mountain. It was started by ex-USDA water conservationist Billy Kaufman and his three brothers on a 300-acre organic farm.

It also comes in flavors. They have an Apple Pie shine that tastes like…you guessed it. And by golly, it does indeed. No fork required. They also have your straight-up high-test that you really wouldn’t know is 105 proof because it’s so pure and smooth. I detected a slight apple aftertaste. More please!

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Incredible with white grape juice, or on the rocks. Several flavors available, including Peach, Berry, Coconut, and new Amaretto.

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chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 27

Free Will Astrology

rob brezsny imaginative. The spirits could be of more help than you can imagine. Magic is afoot.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The Paris Review interviewed Mexican poet Octavio Paz. “Just how much revising do you do?” the interviewer asked. “I revise incessantly,” Paz replied. “Some critics say too much, and they may be right. But if there’s a danger in revising, there is much more danger in not revising. I believe in inspiration, but I also believe that we’ve got to help inspiration, restrain it, and even contradict it.” I bring this up, Scorpio, because I believe you are ripe for a phase of intense revision. Inspiration has visited you a lot lately, but now it will subside for a while so you can wrangle all your raw material into graceful, resilient, enduring shapes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Costa Rica will be closing its zoos in 2014. What will happen to the 400 or so animals that are housed there? They will have to be rehabilitated at animal rescue centers and then released into the wild.

I suspect there will be a metaphorically similar process going on for you in the coming months, Sagittarius. Parts of your instinctual nature will, in a sense, be freed from captivity. You will need to find ways to retrain your animal intelligence how to function outside of the tame conditions it got used to.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Will fate kick your sweet ass sometime soon? Quite possibly. You may be compelled to face up to the consequences of your unloving actions or unconscious decisions. I’m pleased to tell you, however, that you might be able to dramatically minimize or even neutralize the butt-thumping.

How? Go over the events of the last 11 months, and identify times when you weren’t your very best self or didn’t live up to your highest ideals.

Then perform rituals of atonement.

Express your desire to correct wrong turns. Give gifts that will heal damaged dynamics.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Bill Withers became a big star in the 1970s with hits like “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me.” But he hasn’t recorded a new album since 1985, nor has he toured. What happened? In Still Bill, the documentary film about his life, Withers says, “I watch other people show off and I say, man, I used to want to show

28 • The Pulse • November 21-27, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

off. If I could just get, you know, moved to. I need a little injection in my showin’ off gland.” I wish you could get an injection like that, too, Aquarius. I’d like to see you show off more. Not in a contrived, over-thetop, Lady Gaga-esque way. Rather, the purpose would be to get more aggressive in showing people who you are and what you can do. I want your talents and assets to be better known.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I have a feeling that your value will be rising in the coming weeks. An attractive person you thought was out of your league may express curiosity about you. You could get an offer to do an interesting job or task that you had previously considered unavailable. I bet your reputation will be growing, mostly for the better.

Who knows? If you put a half-eaten piece of your toast for sale on eBay, it might sell for as much as if it were Justin Timberlake’s toast. Here’s the upshot: You should have confidence in your power to attract bigger rewards and more appreciation.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The poet Charles Baudelaire prayed for help, but not to God—rather he prayed to the writer Edgar Allan Poe. Novelist Malcolm Lowry sometimes pleaded with God to give him insight, but he also prayed to the writer Franz Kafka. I really like this approach to seeking guidance, and recommend it to you in the coming days.

Which hero, dead or alive, could you call on to uplift you? What amazing character might bring you the inspiration you need? Be brazen and

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): U.S. Confederate General Richard S. Ewell (1817-1872) sometimes experienced episodes in which he truly thought he was a bird. Princess Alexandria of Bavaria (1826-1875) believed that when she was young, she had eaten a glass piano.

Then there was the Prussian military officer Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher (17421819), who imagined he was pregnant with an elephant.

Sad and funny and crazy, right? And yet it’s my understanding that all of us have fixed delusions. They are less bizarre than those I cited, but they can still be debilitating.

What are yours, Taurus? Do you secretly believe that a certain turning point in your past scarred you forever? Are you incorrectly wracked with anger or guilt because of some event that may not have actually happened the way you remember it? Here’s the good news: Now is an excellent time to shed your fixed delusions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Philosopher Eckhart Tolle suggests that “there may be one person who reflects your love back to you more clearly and more intensely than others.” For some of us, this numinous reflection comes from a special animal. Whatever is the case for you, Gemini, I urge you to devote extra time to your relationship with this creature in the next 14 days.

Meditate on how you could provide more nurturing and inspiration.

Brainstorm about the possibility of deepening your connection. What practical actions could you take to boost your loved one’s fortunes?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The Cancerian soprano Kirsten Flagstad was regarded as one of the great operatic singers of the 20th century. Critic Desmond ShaweTaylor said that “No one within living memory surpassed her in sheer beauty and consistency of line and tone.” She specialized in the operas of German composer Richard Wagner, whose master work, The Ring of the Nibelung, takes 15 hours to perform. Flagstad was asked to name the single most important thing she needed in order to perform Wagner’s music with the ex-

cellence it demanded. Her answer: comfortable shoes. Regard that as good advice for your own life and work, Cancerian—both literally and metaphorically. It’s time to get really well-grounded.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Have you ever been in a social situation where you really didn’t care what anyone thought of you and therefore felt absolutely free to act on your inner promptings? When was the last time you lost all your inhibitions and self-consciousness while making love? Can you truly say that sometime recently you have been totally responsive to your festive impulses? If you have experienced any blockages in expressing this type of energy, now is a perfect moment to fix that. You have a date with robust, innocent self-expression.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Norwegian public television is experimenting with a phenomenon called Slow TV. In one reality show, the main character built a fire with logs and kept it burning for 12 hours. In another program, patient viewers watched for five days as a cruise ship made its way along the Norwegian coast. A third show featured a woman knitting a sweater from start to finish. I wish you would get hooked on slow-motion activities like those, Virgo. Maybe it would help you lower your thoughts-perminute rate and influence you to take longer, deeper breaths and remember that relaxation is an art you can cultivate. And then you would be in righteous alignment with the cosmic rhythms.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You’re smarter than you think you are, and soon you will be even smarter.

Previously inaccessible wisdom is seeping up from the depths of your subconscious mind, making its way to your conscious awareness. Your eyes are noticing more than they usually do. Your memory is working at peak levels. And your enhanced ability to entertain paradoxical ideas is giving you special insight into the nature of reality. What will you do with this influx of higher intelligence? I suggest you focus its full force on one of your knottiest problems.

Homework: Forget all you know about gratitude. Act as if it’s a new emotion you’re tuning into for the first time. Then let it rip.

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chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 29

On the Beat

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Right to Remain Stupid Life on the mean streets with Officer Alex “Why didn’t you read him his rights?!” yelled a young female student. The small crowd rallied, and at that I smiled as I heard the playback, raptly watching something on “The YouTubes” I’d been referred to by my old friend Facebook.

A young man on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga decided to question the validity of an argument being posed by a female evangelist I decline to name to avoid adding to her own considerable ego. Regardless of her statement or his question, he decided to make the third time a charm, since on-site security had already warned him twice not to cross a Day-Glo orange circle of traffic cones designed to provide a barrier between her mouth and annoyed spectators. And given the events that unfolded on video, it’s safe to say they were needed.

The topic of this woman’s speech was irrelevant to me. Cops can get political or even theological on their own time, but when folks are yelling on the job, the only opinion we need to have is about the condition of any permits that may apply to where they speak from. In this case the female evangelist had already filled out the necessary paperwork to annoy the shit out of people properly, and thusly allowed the soon-to-be-miserable campus

“

The female evangelist had already filled out the necessary paperwork to annoy the shit out of people properly, and thusly allowed the soon-tobe-miserable campus police to make preparations accordingly.” police (for “police” is exactly what they are, we tend to forget) to make preparations accordingly.

So there she was, insulting every human in hearing distance apparently for the crime of being alive, when a local collegiate hero decided to reply to her barrage of damnation. He was astride a bicycle and would edge forward to pose

his question as uniformed security asked him to respect the aforementioned Day-Glo cones placed there to separate her from the rest of an understandably irritated humanity. He relented, according to the report.

The barrage continuing, he attempted to intervene again, and so twice was he was rebuffed. But the third time, he was determined to cross that line and as he did so, an open hand was placed upon him along with the unambiguous order to “stop”. It wasn’t until now that it would get interesting.

Such was the young man’s passion to express his own views (and I agree, they were quite innocuous) his ardor prevented him from following a one-word order and instead, he chose then and there to question that word, too. Instead of “yes, sir,” he instructed the hands to be removed. He’d turn the tables on them! Instead of retreating at the obvious sign of action, he stood his ground. And, so, instead of complying with a lawful order, he decided to prove his point by being taken to the ground and showing what passive resistance was all about.

Before it was over there were three cops with three sets of hands on him getting him in handcuffs as he continued to choose that exact moment to not do a single thing

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he was being told to do, and even the evangelist started recording the goings on. Rather than comply, the young man decided instead to hold a Q&A session with the cops, because why would you do as you're told when being held to the ground since not complying in the first place got you this far? I get it.

So now other people that also don’t feel they should have to yield to authority figures if they don’t want to began to chime in with their own legal advice. You know, to help the young man that was also situationally stupid.

“Why don’t you read him his rights?!” was the cry that got me the most, because it underscored the youthful ignorance of the situation. My answer? Because they weren’t asking him any questions, that’s why, but the only obvious response is to laugh. Television doesn’t even push this bit anymore; he was being arrested for failing to comply with one simple word after three warnings, that’s why they weren’t reading him his rights, or Dr. Seuss either for that matter, since both would have been equally applicable.

This isn’t going to help, but… when you break a marked barrier and refuse to do what a cop says, you will very likely be arrested. It’s simple. When you continue to not

do what he or she says, they will have more cops help them. And no matter how right you think you are, once you’re charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstruction of justice and inciting a riot, your point’s going to be lost, bro.

“Not wanting to be arrested” or “Choosing which rules apply to you” aren’t affirmative defenses here, folks. But that’s the beauty of something like this happening on a college campus: Talk about realworld lessons being taught. Class was in session that day, baby.

You can have opinions. You can be passionate. But while you can also be stupid, you need to be aware there can be consequences, and usually very obvious ones at that.

(Class dismissed.)

When officer Alexander D. Teach is not patrolling our fair city on the heels of the criminal element, he spends his spare time volunteering for the Boehm Birth Defects Center. Follow him on Facebook at www. facebook.com/alexteach

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chattanoogapulse.com • November 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 31