The Pulse
CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE
SEPTEMBER 4, 2014
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE
THE PULSE INTERVIEW
back to the garden | folk killer | sinful misogyny
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VOLUME 11 • ISSUE 36
C
Happenings
EDITORIAL
Managing Editor Gary Poole
BEGINNINGS: The best day of the arts year is here...and hopping
Contributing Editor Janis Hashe Contributors Rob Brezsny • Madeline Chambliss John DeVore • Steven Disbrow • Matt Jones Janis Hashe • Marc T. Michael • Ernie Paik Brian Palmer • Rick Pimental-Habib Alex Teach • Michael Thomas
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR
Editorial Interns Maggie Hanna • Zach Nicholson Rachael Poe
Features
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ADVERTISING
Director of Sales Mike Baskin Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Julie Brown • Craig Glass Rick Leavell • Lisa McVay • Leif Sawyer Chester Sharp • Stacey Tyler
MUSIC: Folk Killer ready to release album, begin tour
a Stranger No More
Marriage, sobriety and music saved Justin Townes Earle’s life
RECORDS: Courtis/Moore’s aural cornucopia, The Bats’ early tracks SCIENCE: Why you can’t blow off scientific theories
CONTACT
SCREEN: Bad writing, misogyny outweigh visual “Sin” innovation
Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Website chattanoogapulse.com Email info@chattanoogapulse.com 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. Contents Copyright © 2014 by Brewer Media.All rights reserved.
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N S O AN ATI ulse P
2014
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ISTRn T VETER IN k i M Wee AD ext
SEPTMEBER
DINING:The two Taco Jaliscos are Chattanooga treasures FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Voices
get Back to the Garden Tim Hinck’s operatic “Eve Apart” questions and challenges
DR. RICK: Self-care is essential to be fully present for others ALEX TEACH: Taking advantage of the sleeping ops that come his way
Join us Saturday, November 1st at the Embassy Suites Chattanooga Benifitting the American Lung Association’s life-saving Lung Cancer and Pulmonary Disease Research and Educational Programs Gourmet Dinner from Ruth Chris’s Steakhouse included Get your tickets and room reservations now at www.TNCelebration.org chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 3
news • views • rants • raves
BEGINNINGS
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The Best Day of the Arts Year Celebrating galleries (and more) with the annual AVA Gallery Hop
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The list of participating galleries and studios this year is, quite simply, amazing.”
In the past two decades, Chattanooga has gone from a “there’s nothing to do” town to a “which of the many events happening this weekend do we pick” city. During the last 11 years, we here at The Pulse have had a front-row seat on the near-explosive growth in the arts community, which has been helped along by a number of organizations that have devoted their time and energy to promoting the city’s arts culture. One of those organizations, the Association of Visual Artists (better known simply as AVA) has been at the forefront of expanding the appreciation of art in
“Hoppers” gather at Area 61 on E. Main St. on the Southside
Chattanooga from collectors to the general public. And one of the most successful—and enjoyable—ways they’ve done this is by organizing, sponsoring and promoting the annual Gallery Hop. For the past eight years, an ever-growing number of galleries, studios and art spaces in GARY POOLE and around downtown Chattanooga have opened their doors on a September Saturday to welcome one and all. This year’s Gallery Hop is set for this Saturday, begining at 2 p.m. and running until 6 p.m. During the Hop, you can meet local artists, watch demonstrations, and learn about the artists’ creative processes at their studios. Plus, many of the galleries will have special exhibitions on display, and refreshments will be provided at nearly all the venues. It’s a perfect time to visit and explore. The list of participating galleries and studios this year is, quite simply, amazing: Apothecary, Area 61, Art At The Incubator, Artifact, AVA, Brent Sanders Studio, Chambliss´ Art Connection, Charlie Newton Studio, Chattanooga Workspace, Fennel Blythe & Brent Weston Studio, Garuda Screen Printing, Northshore Gallery Of Contemporary Art (formerly known as Graffiti), H*Art Gallery, Ignis Glass Studio, In-Town Gallery,
Rave
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Island Avenue Studio, Miki Boni Studio, Plum Nelly, The Open Press, Reflections Gallery, The River Gallery, Shane Darwent & Raymond Padron, UTC Cress Gallery, and Winder Binder Gallery & Bookstore. Most usefully, a map featuring the location of each gallery and studio will be available at all participating galleries. This specially designed guide will enable “hoppers” to create their own route during the event and can also be used throughout the year for visitors interested in touring the local arts scene. You can also download a map by visiting avarts. org/gallery-hop on the web. Trying to focus on any one highlight is next to impossible. In fact, without a Harry Potter Time-Turner, it’s next to impossible to visit every gallery in one afternoon. Which is fine, as it’s not like the galleries and studios are only open one day a year. The Hop is a great way to find something new that’ll you want to visit again. Chattanooga has a great gallery culture. Come out and discover this for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
EdiToon
by Rick Baldwin
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Polishing Glass Street It’s great when many organizations and the community join together and create something new for the city. No matter how big or small, a project like this can go a long way to making someone’s home a little more colorful. Residents of Glass Street are about to have two new kids on the block to look forward to: a relocated art studio and a pocketsized park. Newly relocated in East Chattanooga, Mark Making has expanded their art studio, allowing them to “broaden their ability to create new public art projects and greatly increase their level of impact in local underserved communities.”
In addition to the larger studio, a partnership including Mark Making and Glass House Collective with Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise has meant that a new park, called the “pocket park,” will be opening on Friday, Sept. 5 at 2509 Glass St. The pocket park, formerly a vacant lot, will feature game tables, (soon to be) swings, green grass, and a beautiful mural. To commemorate the openings, there will be a Glass Street Ribbon Cutting on Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m., at the 2500 block of Glass Street.
IN THIS ISSUE
Brian Palmer This week’s cover story on Justin Townes Earle is by Brian Palmer, an Oregon-based freelance music and film journalist whose work has appeared in dozens of national print and alternative weekly publications across the country, including Paste, Relevant
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The ribbon cutting is open to the public and will feature games at the game tables, refreshments, and tours of the art studio and classrooms, led by Mark Making staff. So if you’re looking for something fun to do to kick off your weekend, head down to Glass St. and celebrate positive change. — Madeline Chambliss
Steve Disbrow Magazine, Seattle Weekly, Dallas Observer and Philadelphia Weekly. When he is not conducting interviews with everyone from Brandi Carlile to Joe Satriani to The Joy Formidable, or writing bios for up-and-coming indie artists like Brooke Annibale, Brian writes novels, two of which he has self-published—The Last Page, and XII: Genesis. He is currently working on a new novel and continues to cover the national music scene.
Our resident science columnist, Steven Disbrow, is a computer programmer by profession who specializes in e-commerce and mobile systems development. But wait, there’s more. Much more. He’s also an entrepreneur, comic-book nerd, writer, improviser, actor,
sometime television personality and parent of two human children. He’s anxiously awaiting the results of the experiment that will prove whether or not the universe is a massive simulation. If it is, he’d like to have a chat with the idiot that coded the bits where we kill each other for no damn good reason. His column on all things science, “Just A Theory”, runs monthly here in The Pulse. Watch out, Neil deGrasse Tyson!
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Loving Yourself First Self-care is essential to be fully present for others
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The process includes learning to become honest and authentic with yourself, receptive to the discovery of your own truths, even when they sting a bit.” Dr. Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, author, minister, and educator in private practice in Chattanooga. Contact him at DrRPH.com, visit his wellness center at WellNestChattanooga.com and follow his daily inspirations on Twitter: @DrRickWellNest
Last month, I was able very grateful when I can to spend some time travhead out: to explore, diseling up north to one of cover, mingle, converse, my favorite places: the observe and ponder. coast of Maine. Ah, coolThis brings up one of er temps, ocean breezmy favorite self-care imes, and gorgeous rocky ages—it’s a reminder, coasts. really— I viswhich is Shrink Rap ited seva physioleral coastal ogy lesDR. RICK towns with son taught PIMENTAL-HABIB postcardto medical perfect harbors complete students during their earwith sailboats, fishermen, ly training: The first task and folks who, like myof the heart is to pump self, renew their souls blood to itself. just by being at the waWhen I give talks to ter. (I won’t even tell you care providers, menhow much lobster and tal health professionals, other seafood I ate!) families and volunteers, This is one of the ways I discuss something I I take care of myself. call “healthy selfishness.” Travel tops my list of The concept usually raisitems in my Big Bag O’ es the eyebrows of those Tools, and I’m always who hear it for the first
time, so conditioned are we to think of anything associated with the word “selfish” as negative. Yet, healthy selfishness has become a concept that has grown tremendously in importance, not only for those who are caring for others (elderly parents, children with disabilities, friends and partners with illness) but also as a widely promoted philosophy for healthy living. Healthy selfishness is really just a term for good self-care. Sounds simple enough, but rarely are we taught the value of this. That not only is it OK, but it’s important. Much like the heart, if we are to be of any use to ourselves and others, we must first make sure we are able to be present to what’s going on within. We must be able to lis-
ten, really hear and be fully here in the moment. Being present and available to yourself means that your mind and body are quietly focused and paying attention. This is precisely how self-care works, and it is accomplished in many ways: in solitude through meditation; through the development of both inner peace and ease with outer surroundings; and through love for others. It is the manifestation of working on yourself, getting to understand what makes you tick, and having a rich relationship with the person that is you. (Therapy is very well suited to this process.) It may sound a bit corny, but that’s the recipe. It is what allows you, ultimately, to love freely and live fully. Ask yourself this: What
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6 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
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do you have to do that’s more important than committing to your growth, your self-care and selfawareness, which then allows you to be a more caring and fully present person with others? To live, love, grow, be present and provide and not burn out in the process! If you can commit to this kind of relationship with yourself, then you can commit more fully to all your other relationships, offering quality care and attention. You can be a good friend, a great lover, a wonderful son or daughter or parent. So you see, caring for yourself is caring for others. The process includes learning to become honest and authentic with yourself, receptive to the discovery of your own truths, even when they sting a bit. I’m asked all the time about how to find a healthy relationship. This is how: Develop a healthy, caring, honest relation-
ship with yourself first. This is where it all begins. Remember the old saying, “Opposites attract?” Well, maybe in the short term. But where it matters, like attracts like. One of the most succinct ways to put this comes from drag queen RuPaul: “Honey, if you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love anyone else?” Maybe travel isn’t your thing. So what is? How can you find the balance you need to stay sane and present in the midst of a busy life? How can you nurture yourself, nurture that wonderful heart of yours, so you can be there for you, and for those you care about? It’s a valuable journey, don’t you think? **** Until next time, from Lily Tomlin: “I always said I wanted to be somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific.”
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chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 7
COVER STORY
Justin Townes Earle, A Stranger No More How marriage, sobriety and music saved a talented life By Brian Palmer
“
This change in the way he views his own mortality has not only proved to be a positive thing, personally, but has also bled into his creative life as well.”
J
ustin Townes Earle has not led an easy life. His father, legendary musician Steve Earle, left him and his mother when Justin was still a toddler, and his relationship with Steve has been strained at best over the years. By the time he hit his teens, he was hooked on drugs, and as he got older he developed an affinity for alcohol. When he entered adulthood, he lived a wild life, and it cost him dearly in time lost getting his music career started.
“I had my first record deal when I was 18, but I blew it before I even got to finish a record because of my behavior,” Earle says. “I finally made my first record when I was 25.” With only his mother around to give him any real direction and no true father figure providing guidance or life lessons, the prospect of experimenting with drugs had a certain allure because they were exciting and offered him an escape from the life he knew.
8 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
“I was one of those kids that was curious,” he says. “I had to try it, and when I tried it, I realized that I didn’t want to feel the way that I felt, and I’d never felt the way I’d wanted to feel. [The drugs] solved issues for me, temporarily. I wasn’t a dumb kid, though. I believed I was addicted and I knew that I was a junkie.” Letting his addictions get the best of him created its share of problems for Justin. Earle has been in rehab more than a dozen times in his 32 years of life. He got into a fight with a venue owner in Indianapolis back in 2010 before being jailed overnight. He made the mistake of believing he could keep on skating by at his concerts despite being drunk, because he knew how to flick the switch on when
he got on stage. He now realizes there was a disconnect between him and the audience during those shows because he wasn’t in the best frame of mind, but at the time, he thought everything was fine. “One day when I was going to play a show, my booking watched me drink a bottle of whiskey and said he couldn’t understand a word that I said, and then I got up on stage and it was like it just snapped on,” Earle says. “But that’s the lie, right there. You can lie to yourself [because] you’re pulling the show off.” And for a long time, this was not the only lie Earle believed. He also bought into the idea that cool, legendary musicians all had to die young. The list of rock and roll luminaries who have suddenly passed reads like
“Death is not cool at all,” says Earle. “And especially when you turn 30, it’s not cool to die whatsoever.” an enormous rap sheet. There was a time in Earle’s life where he might have thought it would be hip to die young, to burn out bright rather than fade away. But as time has gone on, his perspective has changed, and so have his priorities. Earle got married for the first time last October, and this is one of several changes that have caused him to reevaluate his life. No longer intent on raising hell and living a reckless existence that could end at any moment, he now has greater clarity and purpose. He has a greater appreciation for life, for starters, and he no longer romanticizes death. In fact, he laments ever believing in such a notion. “Death is not cool at all,” says Earle. “And especially when you turn 30, it’s not cool to die whatsoever. Think about Kurt Cobain. I don’t think artists owe anything more than their art to their fans, but what he would be doing right now…when I think about what Kurt Cobain could possibly be doing right now, I mean—holy shit!” This change in the way he views his own mortality has not only proved to be a positive thing, personally, but has also bled into his creative life as well, and especially on his new album, Single Mothers, which comes out next week. This surprisingly stripped-down ode to people who struggle to get through life leaves behind the fuller production values and more bombastic, upbeat
tunes of some of his earlier works. This time around, Earle is more interested in letting the lyrics stand front and center, instead of them getting lost in the walls of vibrant sound that his music has been known for. Mothers possesses a gravitas that is hard to shake. The bluesy folk title track centers on the destructive results of a broken family viewed from the perspective of the mother, father and child. There is pain and heartbreak aplenty over the death of a loved one in the somber country number “Picture in a Drawer.” And on “Wanna Be a Stranger,” Earle tackles that sometimes uncomfortable, scary feeling of wanting to disconnect from life as you know it in order to save yourself. Any and all of these songs could be completely autobiographical— the lines “Absent father/He doesn’t seem to be bothered/That he’s forfeited his rights/To his own” from the title track could easily be directed to his father—but that is not necessarily the case, nor is it ultimately the point. “I try not to talk about the situation as much [in a song] as opposed to the feelings that come with those situations,” Earle says. “I think that’s what’s relatable. Living on the streets and smoking crack; that’s not relatable to a lot of people. But the way I felt when that was happening, you take >> P. 10
chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 9
COVER STORY
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I made choices back then that were not good, but my wife says it’s part of what makes me the man I am today and she wouldn’t change my past for anything.”
these feelings and take the specifics out, and you have something that’s translatable.” Being able to make this distinction—preferring to let the emotions of a situation speak to listeners rather than writing a recap of previous events to find catharsis—is something that has come with time, as have other lessons learned along the way. Without being who he was in his youth, he wouldn’t have the perspective he has on life now. Though it took some time and a host of misadventures and struggles, Earle sees the benefits of having lived the way he did for so long. After all, the path he traveled did lead him to his wife, Jenn. “I made choices back then that were not good, but my wife says it’s part of what makes me the man I am today and she wouldn’t change my past for anything,” says Earle. “She is an amazing woman. I definitely got the better end of the deal.” Marriage is having a profound impact on Earle these days, wheth-
10 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
er he is reveling in his own newfound happiness, learning from the marriage of his younger brother, or looking back at the broken home he grew up in. “My little brother was married before me, had a kid before me, is having another kid,” he says. “Responsible fathers are not exactly common in my family, and he is the best father I know. It has impacted my life massively.” Earle is in a better place now than perhaps at any point in his life. The more he talks about where he is today, especially in light of where he has been, the harder it is for him to contain his excitement. He does not bounce of the walls and proclaim that love is the greatest drug in the world, but it is clear that sobriety and marriage have changed him in ways he could not have imagined when he was younger. It’s all still relatively new to him, so he is simultaneously approaching it with am experienced eye and something akin to wonder, because the world he inhabits today is vastly
different from the one he lived in before. “I’ve lived a long life of everything being screwed up, and only a few [things] being OK,” Earle says simply. “I’ve got a long list [of songs I’m writing now], but there’s not going to be any ‘Walking on Sunshine’ shit.” Earle punctuates this last sentence with a good-natured laugh. He can fully embrace life as a musician and appreciate it more than he ever has before. And whereas drugs were once a respite from reality for him, now it is music. “It’s an escape for me, but I do my best for it to be an escape for my fans too,” he says. “We’re all trying to get to our own places. We’re not on the same page. It’s pretty amazing when you can bring 2,000 people together and take them out of their place in time in this world—and forget about [life] for two hours. Music just has an incredible healing property in it.” Justin Townes Earle is performing at Track 29 this Friday at 8 p.m.
GALLERY The Art Is Out There An eclectic gallery in the historic Southside District of Chattanooga, area 61 represents original works by 40+ local artists & craftsmen. Including ~ fine art paintings, photography, collage, handcrafted furniture, jewelry, fiber, glass, pottery, sculpture & more.
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CELEBRATInG FIvE YEARS On THE SOuTHSIDE chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 11
MUSIC SCENE
Way Beyond Just Loud and Louder
Folk Killer ready for new album, tour
G
These Last Summer Nights Meltasia Music Festival features 73 bands under the stars Though remaining summer days are still hot, nights are cool, making this the time of year to enjoy an outdoor concert and a night spent under the stars. There are several outdoor concerts around the Chattanooga area—but not many that include camping in the ticket price. If you’re looking for an alternative to the downtown music scene, or an excuse to go camping (although around here you need none), then drive out to Cherokee Farms in LaFayette, Ga., Sept. 5 - 7 for the Meltasia Music Festival. With punk rock, pop, blues and more, there’s a genre for everyone as 73 bands take the stage throughout the weekend. In addition to the music, there will be vendors, beer, wine,
DJs, art installations...and swimming. If you’re planning on camping, bathrooms and showers will be available on the grounds, but make sure to bring your own tents or RV, comfortable shoes, flashlights, water, bug spray, rain ponchos, sunglasses, towels, swimwear and sunblock. Ticket prices (which include camping) are $65 (one-day pass; SundayMonday), $85 (two-day pass; Saturday-Monday), and $125 (three-day pass; Friday-Monday). Doors open at noon on Friday and close at noon on Monday. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit meltasia.com. Cherokee Farms is located at 2035 Old Mineral Springs Rd. in LaFayette. — Madeline Chambliss
thu9.4
fri9.5
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CHOO CHOO ROCK
MOUNTAIN MUSIC
CUBAN COUNTRY
Iron Chief
Mountaineer Folk Festival
Saints of Havana
A Southern Rock-style power trio, the band was born out of a rich history of the Cherokee Nation and locomotives here in Chattanooga. 9 p.m. The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy thehonestpint.com
A celebration of traditional music, pioneer skills demos and more than 120 craft booths. 7 p.m. Fall Creek Falls State Park 10821 Park Rd. tnstateparks.com/ fallcreekfalls
A musical collaboration between Cuban musician brothers and their All-American blondehaired, blue-eyed frontman Aaron Shea. 7:30 p.m. The Camp House 1427 Williams St. thecamphouse.com
12 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
abe Williams, Drew Hamilton, Nick Sterchi, John Barrett and Mat Turner. They are Folk Killer, and they are brilliant. The boys in the band have been together for about a year, have done some great shows with some interesting performers and have just wrapped up and are about to release their first album. They call themselves rock and roll. I call them the best damned proto-punk band I’ve heard in a long time.
Music marc t. michael
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Managing to be loud but clean, the tunes explode with all the musical potential you can cram in to one hundred and fifty seconds. ”
Falling somewhere neatly between the Ramones and the Buzzcocks, Folk Killer celebrates the ethos of fast, driven tunes with minimalist instrumentation. Of the nine songs they shared with me, none made it to the three-minute mark. All featured big, brassy, punchy guitar parts and crisp, in-yourface drumming. The recording technique was perfect for the style of music (or perhaps this style of music is the inevitable result of their recording technique). Managing to be loud but clean, the tunes explode with all the musical potential you can cram in to one hundred and fifty seconds. From the shimmering opening chords of “Breakin’ Broken Things” to the final partyanthem chorus of “Rock–N–Roll Wishlist” is a sonic amusement park where none of the rides suck. So, proto-punk? I couldn’t find any place where someone else conferred that moniker on the band’s music but it’s what I hear, and the fact they’ve gigged with the likes of The Coathangers and Jonathan Richman (whose debut band The Modern Lovers is a classic proto-punk outfit) supports my assessment. Years ago in Bowling Green, Kentucky, I met a young man who, having never played an instrument in his life, announced he was forming a punk band and that soon they would be touring. When I suggested that he might want to invest some time in learning to play first, he sneered (I admit he had that
Celebrate the Halfway Mark to St. Patrick’s Day
part down pat) and said, “Why should I? It’s punk music! All we have to do is be really loud and beat the hell out of the instruments!” The young man’s band lasted somewhere between the threeand four-week mark and their one and only tour was a whirlwind series of appearances at the drummer’s garage and the singer’s parents’ basement. The young man was an idiot, of course, but his attitude wasn’t altogether uncommon. There are more than a few people who equate punk music with
is Hardcore, Oi!, New Wave, Garage, Surf, Rockabilly or any of a dozen other musical sub-genres, there is an awful lot to love about Folk Killer. The guys are set to embark on an autumn tour of the Southeast. The places and dates as well as the album release will be featured in a follow-up sidebar right here in The Pulse but if you want to catch them locally, your next best chance will be at Sluggo’s on Sept. 26. Check them out—and fall in love with someone you shouldn’t have fallen in love with.
“There are more than a few people who equate punk music with playing badly. These people are also idiots.”
honest music
playing badly. These people are also idiots. I suppose that in the hardcore scene, sometimes volume and violence trump actual talent, but there’s more to punk than hardcore and Folk Killer represents the opposite end of that spectrum inasmuch as they are all very talented musicians, each with an impressive resumé of respected projects. It doesn’t matter if your thing
Are you one of those people whose holiday season would be incomplete if you couldn’t complain about how early the stores are putting out Christmas decorations every year? The Honest Pint has decided to go one better by getting a head start on St. Patrick’s Day with the introduction of their very own “Half Way to St. Patrick’s Day” celebration. The party’s happening Saturday, Sept. 13—and the craic will be mighty. The show is jam-packed with a bevy of popular Celtic groups, including The Secret Commonwealth from Murfreesboro (featured last month in this publication), Celtic Keg Stand, a fantastic little three-piece from Murphy, NC who specialize in what they call “pub crawl” tunes, regional favorites Cutthroat Shamrock and even a local act whose name eludes me. “Moldy Magpies,” perhaps? With food and drink specials, St. Paddy’s swag and a $3 cover if you wear “Paddy’s Day” attire, it’s the best time you can have outside of the Emerald Isle. If you’ve ever attended the delightful madness and chaos of the Pint’s annual Paddy’s celebration, then you know that six months in advance isn’t a moment too soon to get a head start on the fun. The big show runs from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., so come early, stay late and get your Irish on at Chattanooga’s premier Irish locale, the Honest — MTM Pint!
local and regional shows
Iron Chief with a “mystery guest” [$5] Honest Tailgate sponsored by Fireball Whiskey
Thu, Sep 4 Sat, Sep 6
Live Trivia every Sunday afternoon from 4-6pm Ryan Oyer hosts Open Mic every Wednesday @ 8pm
9pm All Day
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 • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 13
LIVE MUSIC SEPTEMBER
4 FRI 9:30p 5 SAT 9:30p 6 THU 8:30p 11 FRI 10p 12 SAT 6p 13 SAT 10p 13
FUNCTION: WITH A “C” THU 9p with CAVERNA!
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BREAKFAST CLUB
80'S RETRO AND DANCE ALL NIGHT
9.14 THE FLOOZIES featuring EXMAG and MARVEL YEARS 9.19 SAME AS IT EVER WAS
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SAT ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGHT LONG! 10p
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MUSIC CALENDAR
CHATTANOOGA
thursday9.4 Live Jazz 6 p.m. The Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Songwriter Shootout 7 p.m. The Camp House 1427 Williams St. thecamphouse.com Open Mic with Hap Henninger 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 Iron Chief 9 p.m. The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy thehonestpint.com Function with a “C”, Caverna 9:30 p.m. Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Banditos, Sweet Georgia Brown 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
friday9.5 Jason Thomas and the Mean-Eyed Cats 5 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo 1400 Market St.
14 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
The Main Squeeze choochoo.com Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m. El Meson 2204 Hamilton Place Blvd. elmesonrestaurant.com Acoustic Showcase 7 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Mountaineer Folk Festival 7 p.m. Fall Creek Falls State Park 10821 Park Rd. tnstateparks.com/fallcreekfalls Justin Townes Earle 8 p.m. Track 29 1400 Market St. track29.co Power Players 8:30 p.m.
Pulse pick: Brian Ashley Jones A soulful singer, accomplished guitarist, and versatile Americana songwriter who writes and performs guitardriven country, blues and bluegrass. Brian Ashley Jones Sunday, 12:30 p.m. Chattanooga Market 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com
The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Jess Goggans 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 That 90’s Country Show, Remembering January 9:30 p.m. Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Pat Reedy and the Long Time Goners, Hashbrown Belly Boys 10 p.m. T-Bones Sports Café 1419 Chestnut St. tbonessportscafe.com Convertibull 10 p.m. Pokey’s Sports Bar
918 Sahara Dr. (423) 476-6059 Somethin’ Else 10 p.m. The Brew & Cue 5017 Rossville Blvd. (423) 867-9402 Marlow Drive 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com Birdcloud, Faux Ferocious 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
saturday9.6 Mountaineer Folk Festival 9 a.m. Fall Creek Falls State Park 10821 Park Rd. tnstateparks.com/fallcreekfalls Benefit for Deborah 1 p.m. The Brew & Cue 5017 Rossville Blvd. (423) 867-9402 Doug Barren and the Bluegrass Pharaohs, Mike Miller and Friends 4 p.m. Mystery Dog Ranch 975 Wooten Rd. hozhotherapeutic.org Jason Thomas and the MeanEyed Cats 5 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo 1400 Market St. choochoo.com
MUSIC CALENDAR
Govinda Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m. El Meson 2204 Hamilton Place Blvd. elmesonrestaurant.com Legionnaires Big Band with Richard Leady 7 p.m. American Legion Post 95 3229 Ringgold Rd. (423) 624-9015 The Main Squeeze, Decibella 7 p.m. Ross’s Landing Riverfront Pkwy. riverfrontnights.com Saints of Havana, The Band Raven, The Collins Brothers Band 7:30 p.m. The Camp House 1427 Williams St. thecamphouse.com Govinda, New Planet 8 p.m. Rhythm & Brews 221 S. Market St. rhythm-brews.com Power Players 8:30 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Kara-Ory-Oke 10 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 Joey Winslett Band 10 p.m. T-Bones Sports Café 1419 Chestnut St. tbonessportscafe.com Beats Workin’
10 p.m. The Big Chill & Grill 103 Cherokee Blvd. thebigchillandgrill.com Marlow Drive 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
sunday9.7 Mountaineer Folk Festival 10 a.m. Fall Creek Falls State Park 10821 Park Rd. www.tnstateparks. com/fallcreekfalls Brian Ashley Jones 12:30 p.m. Chattanooga Market, First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Charlsey Etheridge 2 p.m. Chattanooga Market, First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Old Time Travelers 7 p.m. The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy thehonestpint.com Preston Parris 7:30 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs 507 Broad St. sugarschattanooga.com Sunday Night Irish Music Jam Session 5 p.m.
Grocery Bar 1501 Long St. grocerybar.com Jon Adams and Robin Burk 6 p.m. Center for Mindful Living 1212 McCallie Ave. (423) 486-1279 Bass Drum of Death 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com
monday9.8 The Chattanooga Clarinet Quartet 7:30 p.m. The Camp House 1427 Williams St. thecamphouse.com
tuesday9.9 Rye Baby, Noah Towe, Katy Burnette 6:30 p.m. Heritage House 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474 Rick’s Blues Jam 7 p.m. Folk School of Chattanooga 1200 Mountain Creek Rd. chattanoogafolk.com Tim Starnes, Davey Smith 7 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs 507 Broad St. sugarschattanooga.com Patten Performances
Series: Ramsey Lewis 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center 752 Vine St. utc.edu Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com
wednesday9.10 Jeff Miller 5 p.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m. El Meson Northgate elmesonrestaurant.com Bike Night with Jesse James and AJ 7 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com Dan Sheffield 7:30 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs 507 Broad St. sugarschattanooga.com Open Mic with Ryan Oyer 8 p.m. The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy. thehonestpint.com
901 Carter St Inside City Cafe 423-634-9191 Thursday, September 4: 9pm Open Mic with Hap Henninger Friday, September 5: 9pm Jess Goggans Saturday, September 6: 10pm Kara-Ory-Oke Tuesday, September 9: 7pm Server/Hotel Appreciation Night $5 Pitchers $2 Wells $1.50 Domestics ●
●
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
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Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 15
Record Reviews
REJOICE!
IT’S MONDAY (AND TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY!)
ernie paik
Sound Collecting, Friendly Declarations Courtis/Moore’s aural cornucopia, The Bats’ early tracks
MONDAYS: $2 PINTS
TUESDAYS: $3 MARTINIS
Courtis/Moore KPPB (Earbook)
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WEDNESDAYS: ½-PRICE WINE
ON GLASSES & BOTTLES
Chattanooga’s Warehouse Row East 11th & Lindsay St. (423) 779-0400 tupelohoneycafe.com
™
he inter-continental postal collaboration Courtis/Moore virtually unites two like-minded recording artists: Alan Courtis (a.k.a. Anla Courtis of the Argentinian experimental band Reynols) and Aaron Moore of Volcano The Bear, from England but currently residing in Brooklyn. The duo’s new, unpredictable aural cornucopia of beautiful discomfort, KPPB, takes its name from the initials of the album’s two long tracks, “King Pancreas” and “Punk Butter,” created from a long-distance sound exchange. It leans toward the musique concrète avant-garde, but it doesn’t totally commit to the electroacoustic side, a la Francois Bayle or Bernard Parmegiani nor to the sound-song side, a la early Residents; it’s somewhere in-between, with patterns emerging that divide the tracks into distinct phases, yet with a freely flowing attitude not in structural lock-step. Near the beginning of “King Pancreas,” the listener’s attention
16 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
The Bats Volume 1 (Captured Tracks) is immediately grabbed with startling, almost punishing drum rolls, contrasted with brass samples; it’s apparent that the two are sound collectors, using jackhammer recordings and the sound of scratchy vinyl records with ample surface noise. Shifting again abruptly, there’s the strange pairing of drifting Hawaiian guitar parts with violently shimmering cymbals and disquieting tones. There are even some tender vocals and piano chords, before drones that seem to warn of an impending invasion; the mishmash continues with electronic drips, a wanton viola, distinctly non-western malleted percussion and a reverberating pulse. “Punk Butter” is just as disjointed and fascinating, with looped gamelan patterns, rattling strings and what sounds like a synthetic insect swarm; clumsy ghosts enter the room with a slow-grind cello, leading to backwards bells and the clink of ice cubes being stirred in glasses. A din of discor-
dance is filled with animalistic howls, and as the track wraps up, it first sounds like it is going to be a Faust-esque jam, with a crunchy guitar and tribal tom beats, but it ends up slinking away as mysteriously as it entered. While anyone can simply string sound effects together, KPPB transcends mere “haunted house”type collages; clearly, the two artists are in love with the sounds they cull, and here, they’re tied together in unusual, often arresting ways.
T
he Christchurch, New Zealand quartet The Bats has an approach so straightforward and simple yet utterly satisfying for certain indie-leaning pop/rock sensibilities, that it’s difficult to properly convey its charms, in a time when the seemingly socialmedia-driven de rigueur communication style is riddled with upper-case letters, exclamation points and hyperbole. Since forming in 1982, the
group has become one of the most beloved outfits on the legendary Flying Nun label, and although based in Christchurch, it is linked with the “Dunedin sound” that shaped ’80s indie-pop (this writer would argue that it’s not really a “sound” because of the diversity of bands but more of an attitude and personality, characterized with a cordial, honest and unpretentious delivery—but that’s a topic for another piece.) The release at hand is a threedisc compilation of The Bats’ earliest material, including the 1987 debut album Daddy’s Highway (with a rearranged track order that may be confusing for those acquainted with the original), the second album The Law of Things and Compiletely Bats (sic) which collects the band’s first three EPs. Plus, there’s a generous helping of bonus tracks and demos, including the 4 Songs EP and two early, drum-machine-driven versions of the Bats signature classic “Block of Wood” with a slower approach with more shimmery guitars, providing a glimpse of what the song could have been with a blissed-out method. Lead singer and songwriter Robert Scott (also of The Clean) rarely strays from his vocal style, with the same friendly, semideclarative tone for either upbeat numbers like “Made Up in Blue” or pensive, minor-keyed tracks like “Smoking Her Wings,” and backing singer Kaye Woodward provides choice harmonies at key moments. A typical Bats melody is clear, concise, well-defined and catchy, with each number being a potential earworm. The group’s sound has frankly not evolved much over the years, but it has demonstrated a consistency in both quality and style about which it’s hard to quibble. Volume 1 is the perfect starting place for newcomers, and longtime fans will appreciate having the early odds and ends in one tidy package.
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Weekday specials are from 5-10pm chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 17
Scientific Theory: It’s Not Just A Guess, Folks Prof. Disbrow explains why you can’t just blow off scientific theories
“
The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us humans. Quantum theory, for example, is mind-numbingly bizarre.” Steven Disbrow is a computer programmer who specializes in e-commerce and mobile systems development. He’s also an entrepreneur, comic-book nerd, writer, improviser, actor, sometime television personality and parent of two human children.
Pfft! That’s just a theory… Maybe you haven’t noticed, but during the last few decades, a large number of Americans have become decidedly anti-science. This is ironic, given that the technol- STEVEN W. ogy science has created (the Internet, telephones, etc.) is the very thing that enables them to spread their anti-science views far and wide. Still, like Bill Nye (“The Science Guy”) I’m optimistic that this trend can be reversed by increased education and persistence. I also think a lot of the problem is simply due to a lack of understanding of the more
basic concepts of science. For example, the concept of “a theory,” is widely misunderstood by the general public when it’s used in the context of science. For exa m p l e , most people would DISBROW equate the use of the word “theory” in “The Theory of Gravity” with its use in the sentence, “It’s my theory that the folks on ‘LOST’ are in Hell.” (Spoiler: It was only the viewers of ‘LOST’ that were in Hell. [Yes. I am still bitter.]) So, what’s the difference? Well, when I speculate on ‘LOST,’ my “theory” is really just a guess. Sure, there was some evidence inform-
Just A Theory
ing my guess, but given how poorly the show was plotted and written in the last few seasons, a monkey with a bag of Scrabble chits had an equal chance of guessing what was going on. A scientific theory on the other hand, is very different. According to Wikipedia, a scientific theory is: “A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method, and repeatedly confirmed through observation and experimentation.” That’s a long sentence, so let’s break it down. “…some aspect of the natural world…” Science deals with the natural world. It has nothing to say about the supernatural, religion, faith or anything like that. Anyone pitching you science as an explanation for these things <cough>Chopra</ cough>, is selling you something.
“…well-substantiated explanation…” That means there’s real, hard evidence supporting the explanation, and lots of it. Note that this doesn’t mean that the explanation has to make sense. The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us humans. Quantum theory, for example, is mind-numbingly bizarre. As an aside, Richard Feynman, who earned a Nobel Prize for his work in quantum electrodynamics once said, “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.” He wasn’t bragging, he was commenting on how weird the quantum world is. That said, quantum theory is one of the most successful theories ever devised. (It drives your smart phone, computer and other stuff you can’t live without.) “…repeatedly confirmed through observation and
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experimentation.” Repeated observation and experimentation are the heart of the scientific method. You observe something, then you come up with a tentative explanation. (This explanation is called a “hypothesis” in scientific parlance, or an “educated guess” by the man in the street. This is what most folks think of when they incorrectly use the word “theory” to dismiss things like the theory of evolution.) Then, you devise and run an experiment to confirm your explanation. If the experiment doesn’t pan out, then you have to revise or discard your explanation and try again. If the experiment works the way you thought it would, then that adds to the evidence that the explanation is correct. You do this over and over and over. More importantly, you ask others to do the same and corroborate or refute your results. As the results come in, you refine the explanation to better fit the facts as revealed by experimentation. This
strengthens the theory and increases its chances of acceptance by the scientific community. At this point, you’re probably expecting a couple of paragraphs where I defend the theory of evolution from those folks that don’t believe in it. Well, first of all, you don’t “believe in” a scientific theory. You either accept the research and its results or you disprove them and collect your Nobel Prize. Reality doesn’t need defending. So, a scientific theory is a tested and verified explanation of some aspect of the natural world. It’s not a guess. It’s not wishful thinking. And, most importantly, it’s not “just” a theory. It’s a scientific theory. Which means it’s the result of years (sometimes decades or centuries) of hard work by hundreds or thousands of people. All of whom just wanted to better understand the world we live in and pass that knowledge on to the rest of us.
“You don’t ‘believe in’ a scientific theory. You either accept the research and its results or you disprove them and collect your Nobel Prize.”
"Where good friends & great beer meet"
• Clean, smoke-free, gathering place • Located in one of the fastest growing areas of our beautiful city at the corner of Houston & 11th. • In-store we serve Craft & Imported Beer flights, pints, pitchers, bottles & bombers, plus growlers & 6-packs to go
SturmHaüs Beer Market
1120 Houston Street at 11th (423) 648-1120 | sturm-haus.com chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 19
ARTS SCENE
Got to Get Back to the Garden… or Do We?
Picturing Zarzour’s Café B&W photo essay explores the Southside icon Founded in 1918, Zarzour’s Cafe has been a fixture of the Southside for nearly a century. It recently caught the eye of local architect and photographer Brad Shelton, who is currently working on a series of black-and-white photo essays. Shelton’s experience in architecture gives him a unique perspective behind the lens, and he is especially fascinated by how manmade structures are affected by—and eventually give way to—natural elements. In Shelton’s words, “The materials used to create the spaces where we live, work, and play seem to acquire more character as they age.” This interest in aging structures naturally led to an exploration of
how the human element affects place. Entitled “Please Seat Yourself,” Shelton’s photo essay series explores how the families that own and operate Chattanooga restaurants influence the experience of place and make each location unique. The latest installment of this series features Zarzour’s Cafe and will open this Saturday, Sept. 6, in time for AVA’s Gallery Hop. There will be an opening reception from 6 – 9 p.m. at The Northshore Gallery of Contemporary Art, and the exhibition will be on display through Oct. 1. “Please Seat Yourself”, Northshore Gallery of Contemporary Art, 505 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 400-9797, hill— Rachael Poe cityart.com
fri9.5
SAT9.6
Sun9.7
SMART COMEDY
KEEP ON HOPPIN’
HONORING TIM
Spanky Brown
AVA Gallery Hop
Run of Honor 8K
Versatility and style best describe this performer providing laughs that transcend all barriers: age, gender, urban or mainstream. 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
Yes, we know we already told you about this on Page 4, but we want to make sure you find time to take part. It really is that much fun to discover new art and artists. 2 p.m. Downtown, Southside (423) 265-4282 avarts.org
In partnership with the Chattaooga Market and the local Fraternal Order of Police chapter to benefit the Tim Chapin Scholarship Fund. 8 a.m. The Chattanooga Market First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com
20 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
Tim Hinck’s operatic “Eve Apart” questions and challenges preconceptions
S
ome archetypes are powerful beyond our conscious mind’s ability to articulate the reason why. Such a one is Lilith, portrayed in medieval Jewish folklore and writings as Adam’s first wife, created at the same time as he, from the same earth. In these legends, Lilith refuses to subjugate herself to Adam and leaves the Garden of Eden, thus causing God to create the more cooperative (at least initially) Eve.
Arts JANIS HASHE
“
People who have gotten involved in the work find it provocative for different reasons [than the obvious]. We’re taking on issues that can be interpreted in uncomfortable ways.”
But the earliest versions of Lilith go back much farther—to the bird goddess of the Sumerians and ultimately to the Goddess-worshipping Paleothic Age. In modern stories, Lilith is usually portrayed as evil— even demonic. In the new opera/alt musical theatre piece “Eve Apart” by Tim Hinck, with libretto by Kip Soteres, Lilith is neither evil nor good. She simply is: primeval, untamed, powerful. Hinck explains that this new work is continuing to explore his interest in gender issues. “I like to work with archetypes…[in this case], Eve,” he says. “Our perception of her. How we integrate that perception into the family environment.” Hinck was approached at the same time by Artisti Affamati, a group promoting and performing opera, and by poet Kip Soteres about creating a new piece, he says, and was immediately struck by how the two ideas could coalesce. Opera in Chattanooga, he believes, needs to be “re-energized and rebuilt,” with
themes and work that can attract a young audience, along with traditional opera-lovers. At a rehearsal about a week before the show’s opening, cast, orchestra, director and stage manager are all getting used to a new space: The Circle Stage at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre where “Eve Apart” will have four performances before moving to Pittsburgh for three more. AstroTurf covers part of the floor and two white scrims face each other across the space, one masking the orchestra players. As in all rehearsals at this stage, detail and timing are key. The actors rehearse and re-rehearse bringing in wooden barriers. A section involving
“If the stories [that ‘Eve Apart’ is based on] aren’t true, what does it mean that we invented them?” Lilith, Adam and the Chorus is slightly re-blocked for clarity and emphasis. “It also helps that you are not singing in my ear,” jokes mezzo-soprano Sara Snider Schone, playing Lilith. “Opera singers at close quarters!” says Hinck, and everyone chuckles. Yet even with no costumes and with the rhythms of the piece constantly interrupted and, in some cases, altered, moments that raise goosebumps happen. The voices soar and pierce. The
orchestra, composed of a number of outstanding Chattanooga musicians, instantly responds to Hinck’s requests for tempo and level changes. A new work is taking shape. “This piece is really about war; it’s a power struggle,” Hinck says. Asked about the potentially provocative nature of the work, he responds, “People who have gotten involved in the work find it provocative for different reasons [than the obvious]. We’re taking on is-
sues that can be interpreted in uncomfortable ways. “If the stories [that ‘Eve Apart’ is based on] aren’t true, what does it mean that we invented them?” Provocative indeed. See for yourself at the CTC this weekend. The production features Sara Snider Schone, Desiree Soteres, David Tahere, Michael Dexter, Laura Sage, Caitlin Hammon, Marianna Allen, Jason O’Neal and Blaine Tooley. “Eve Apart” 8 p.m. Sept. 4-6, 2:30 p.m. Sept. 7. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St., (423) 267-8534, theatrecentre.com
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ARTS CALENDAR
Kayak Polo
thursday9.4
for more info call 706.820.2531
See RockCity.com
Homeschool Science Club 1 p.m. Creative Discovery Museum 321 Chestnut St. (423) 757-2143 Paw Pals Storytime 1:30 p.m. McKamey Animal Center 4500 North Access Rd. (423) 305-6500 mckameyanimalcenter.org Ooltewah Farmers Market 3 p.m. Ooltewah Nursery 5829 Main St. (423) 238-9775 ooltewahnursery.com Art After School Series 4:30 p.m. Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Kayak Polo 5:30 p.m. Warner Park Pool (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Tennessee Aquarium Serve & Protect Gala 5:30 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theatre 201 Chestnut St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Ambi Artists Creative Meeting Based on “The Artist’s Way” 6 p.m. Heritage House Arts
22 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
and Civic Center 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474 Art + Issues: “What is Chattanooga’s Urban Identity?” 6 p.m. Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org “Eve Apart” Opening Night Reception 7 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com “Othello” 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640 ensembletheatre-
Pulse pick: TN Valley Railfest Celebrating the return of their iconic Steam Locomotive 4501 to operation, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is having their annual train shindig. Tennessee Valley Railfest Saturday, 9 a.m. 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com
ofchattanooga.com “The Milky Way” Special Screening 7:30 p.m. Carmike East Ridge 18 5080 South Terrace tugg.com/events/10580
friday9.5 Zuri Quilting Guild Exhibition Opening 10 a.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blv. (423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org Spanky Brown 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
“Othello” 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com “Eve Apart” 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com
saturday9.6 Crabtree Farms’ Fall Plant Sale and Festival 9 a.m. Crabtree Farms 1000 E. 30th St. (423) 493-9155 crabtreefarms.org Tennessee Valley Railfest 9 a.m. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com Brainerd Farmers’ Market 10 a.m. Grace Episcopal Church 20 Belvoir Ave. (423) 698-0330 Northside Farmers’ Market on Mississippi 10 a.m. Northside Presbyterian 953 Mississippi Ave. (423) 266-7497 Chattanooga River Market 10 a.m.
Tennessee Aquarium Plaza 1 Broad St. chattanoogarivermarket.com St. Alban’s Hixson Farmers’ Market 10 a.m. St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 7514 Hixson Pike (423) 842-1342 Chattanooga Rally to Improve Birth 10:15 a.m. Coolidge Park 200 River St. rallytoimprovebirth.com Football at the Falls Noon Ruby Falls 1720 South Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com AVA Gallery Hop 2 p.m. Downtown, Southside (423) 265-4282 avarts.org “Needle & Thread” opening reception 2 p.m. AVA 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-4282 avarts.org “Please Seat Yourself: Zarzour’s Cafe” Opening 6 p.m. Northshore Gallery of Contemporary Art 505 Cherokee Blvd. thenorthshoregallery.com (423) 400-9797 “True to Nature” Opening Reception 6:30 p.m.
River Gallery 400 E. Second St. (423) 265-5033 river-gallery.com Spanky Brown 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com “Othello” 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com “Eve Apart” 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com
sunday9.7 Run of Honor 8K 6:30 a.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. (423) 648-2496 runofhonor.org Tennessee Valley Railfest 10 a.m. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com Chattanooga Market 11 a.m. The Chattanooga Market First Tennessee Pavilion
1829 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Free First Sundays Noon Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org “Eve Apart” 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com “Othello” 2:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 602-8640 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com Spanky Brown 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
monday9.8 Learn to Ride a Bicycle 6 p.m. Cooliddge Park 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com
tuesday9.9 Skyuka Hall Speakers Series 6 p.m. Downtown Public Library
ARTS CALENDAR
Free First Sunday at The Hunter 1001 Broad St. (423) 877-9711 skyukahall.org
Named “One of the Ten Most Incredible Cave Waterfalls on Earth”
World Reviewer
wednesday9.10 QuiltWeek 9 a.m. Chattanoga Convention and Trade Center 1 Carter Plaza (423) 756-0001 quiltweek.com Chattanooga Wednesday Market 4 p.m. First Tennessee Pavilion 1829 Carter St. (423) 402-9957 chattanoogamarket.com Main Street Farmers Market 4 p.m. 325 E. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com “Duran Duran Unstaged” Screening 7:30 p.m. Carmike Cinemas Majestic 12 311 Broad St. (423) 826-2375 carmike.com “Gee’s Bend” Opening Night 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com
RubyFalls.com 423.821.2544 RubyFalls.com
Open Daily! Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com
RubyFallsZip.com
chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 23
SCREEN SCENE
New “Sin City” Is A Sexist Bore Bad writing, misogyny outweigh visual innovation in tiresome sequel
W
When To Fit In, When To Fight Popular young adult novel comes to cinematic life The Eastgate branch of the Chattanooga Library renews its Saturday Cinema program, featuring movies geared towards youth and families, with a special screening of the young adult film “Divergent”. Based on the popular book series, the film tells the tale of a world where everyone is grouped into very strict groups based on their abilities. But not everyone is suited for just one group. These people, mostly teens, are known as “divergents”, and are seen as a threat to the fabric of the totalitarian society in which they live.
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When Tris finds out that she is not part of one of her home world’s factions, that she is indeed divergent, it’s a painful revelation—which is made worse when she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents. She must then find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it’s too late…for everyone. “Divergent” Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Eastgate Library Branch 5705 Marlin Rd. (423) 757-5310 chattlibrary.org
NEW IN THEATERS
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God Help the Girl Frontera As Eve begins writing songs as a way A former Arizona sheriff’s wife is to sort through some emotional probkilled while riding on their ranch lems, she meets James and Cassie, property. It would appear a Mexican two musicians each at crossroads of man illegally crossing into the United their own. States is at fault. Director: Stuart Murdoch Director: Michael Berry Stars: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, Stars: Eva Longoria, Ed Harris, Michael Hannah Murray, Pierre Boulanger Peña, Amy Madigan 24 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
hen the first “Sin City” came out, I was nearing the end of my critical theory class in college. We were assigned to take one of the varying critical approaches and apply it to piece of modern media. Wanting no truck with the intellectual rigor of Derrida or Lacan (I was and remain an incredibly lazy student), I chose what I believed to be the easiest approach: feminist criticism.
Screen JOHN DEVORE
“
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” is merely a retread, a repetition of themes and situations that are fun for a small, select audience.
“Sin City” was the film I had seen most recently, was the freshest in my mind, and was ripe for harvest. Suffice to say, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller did not fare well. Miller at his best has very little interest in female characters. Even in his seminal “The Dark Knight Returns,” he takes the character of Catwoman, a highly skilled, independent, capable antihero, and turns her into an weak middle-aged madam with a weight problem and sloppy makeup. Rodriguez, on the other hand, is so obsessed with genre film that he tends to create caricatures rather than characters. Stereotypes and misogyny abound when the two combine. The feminist criticism of “Sin City” might have been the easiest paper I’ve ever written. With the release of “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” audiences should not expect any growth. “Sin City” was at least entertaining in its sex and violence revelry, not to mention new in its visual approach. “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” is merely a retread, a repetition of themes and situations that are fun for a small, select audience. It’s worth mentioning that the technique pioneered in the original film continues to be visually stunning. It is an exaggeration of film noir contrast, heightening the difference between blacks and whites. The style is distinct and striking, highly effective for the type of story the filmmakers are telling. As I mentioned, Rodriguez has an ob-
Jessica Alba as Nancy
German-American BrewPub
224 Frazier Ave • brewhausbar.com
session with genre film, and here he is overemphasizing the hard-boiled detective film. He’s responsible for the visual look of the film, and that is the only successful part of it. The film looks wonderful, and Rodriguez is clearly a talented director. But the writing falls to Miller, and if the previous film is any indication, is a near shot-by-shot remake of the comic book. The dialogue is terrible and over-the-top. One of my problems with genre filmmaking is the insistence on aggrandizement of techniques. Film noir filmmakers were only trying to make good films; it is the audience that surmises the pattern. Miller and Rodriguez have forgone story in favor of allusion. Again, the problem with the absurdness of the writing falls to Miller, but Rodriguez is unlikely to rein him in—anyone who’s seen one of his films knows that he’s the Baz Luhrman of genre filmmaking. The success of “Sin City” is a trick that only works once. Among the problems with the writing is how the narrative is delivered. ‘Sin City” featured vignettes with different characters. A change in title cards indicated a change in story and in characters, which helped to move the film along. “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” abandons this approach for fluid story lines that intersect. Perhaps it’s just preference, but the different title cards and stories made
the previous film more comic-booklike and easier to digest. “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” wallows more in the depravity. Like its predecessor, all women in Sin City are prostitutes or strippers, an inch away from betraying the men that control them for security or power. Nudity and flaunted sexuality is the realm of women, while violence and misguided protection is the realm of men. It’s an antiquated world view, one Frank Miller is determined to let die slowly. The film features most of the same actors as “Sin City,” with Josh Brolin replacing Clive Owen in the Dwight role and Mickey Rourke reprising his role as Marv, the only interesting character in the series. The performances are fine—the players say the lines with conviction and slight hints of irony. But the film as a whole does nothing to inspire any reaction beyond boredom and the occasional bitter laugh. With the advent of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” gritty comic book films may be on their way out. Marvel has shown that whimsy and lighter fare make for a more fun movie-going experience. There are rumors that DC will combat this with a “no jokes” rule in their future comic book films. Let’s hope not. I’d rather roll my eyes at a pun than over-the-top chauvinism any day.
UPCOMING TASTINGS
Featured: Spaetzle entrée with vinegar slaw and brussels sprouts w/bacon marmalade
Thursday, Sep 4 - Brooklyn Thursday, Sep 11 - Sour & Belgium Thursday, Sep 18 - Yazoo Thursday, Sep 25 - German Bier
We Are Saving Mobile Lives 1906 Gunbarrel Rd. 423-486-1668 (Next to GiGi’s Cupcakes)
5425 Highway 153 423-805-4640 (Next to CiCi’s Pizza) cellphonerepair.com/chattanooga
Mon-Fri: 10am-7pm Sat: 11a-4pm Closed Sunday chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 25
Friendly Faces, Family-Style Delicious Food The two Taco Jaliscos are Chattanooga treasures If you live in Chattanooga and love Mexican food, you’re probably already familiar with Taqueria Jalisco. If, however, you are one of the unfortunate souls who have somehow not had the pleasure of sampling their stunningly delicious food, I would like to take a moment to encourage you to run—don’t walk—straight to michaeL their doorstep and taste some of the best Mexican food in this area. Jorge Parra and his mother Maria do not rely on gimmicks or strategies to set Taqueria Jalisco apart from the dozens of restaurants in town vying for your taste buds’ attention; they simply make very high quality and very delicious food. The menu is inspired by the street food and classic dishes of the Parras’ home state of Jalisco, Mexico. Glancing at the menu, you’ll see many familiar items such as burritos, tacos and fajitas. But when you look closer, you quickly see that there are no typical, over-Americanized, TexMex items and this is not a Taco Bell-style caricature of Mexican food. Maria does the cooking, develops most of the recipes and gives the food that family-style care only a mother can bring, while Jorge is the
always-smiling face that runs the front of the house. The menu carries a succinct selection of items you know and an ever-expanding selection of dishes you will want to get to know. Alongside the tacos, burritos and tamales (do not leave the THOMAS restaurant without trying the mole tamales wrapped in banana leaf) are dishes like the huaraches. “Huarache means sandal,” Jorge laughs. “They got their name because the masa is shaped like the bottom of a sandal.” The pillowy-soft, pan-fried corn tortilla is topped with their homemade refried beans, lettuce, freshly made pico, avocado, queso fresco (like a very mild feta), sour cream and your choice of meat. It’s like a big sopa in many respects, but could also be compared to a tostada, but on a soft, thick, oval tortilla instead of the crispy oversized chip that tostada ingredients usually set on. If you like your huarache super-sized, you can get the huatache con huevo. In case
Dining Out
Taqueria Jalisco 1634 Rossville Ave. (423) 509-3430
Taqueria at the Plaza 850 Market St. (423) 362-8056
Text TAQUERIA to 72727 for specials and updates 26 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
“Maria does the cooking, develops most of the recipes and gives the food that family-style care only a mother can bring.”
you weren’t paying attention in Spanish class, con huevo means with eggs, and in this case, it’s two over-easy eggs along with some grilled ham and avocado tomatillo salsa—because everything is better with ham and eggs. Speaking of eggs, Taqueria Jalisco has a second location at Miller Plaza that serves lunch and breakfast. That’s right: breakfast. The Parras take their restaurant’s breakfast options beyond the typical huevos rancheros and their almost-famous $4 breakfast burritos. If you want to start your morning right, I recommend the ohso-flavorful chorizo and eggs. “We searched for a long time to find the right chorizo,” says Jorge. “We wanted it to have a lot of flavor but not a lot of grease, which took some time to find.” Their patience paid off with a chorizo that has just the right balance of heat and savory pork sausage fla-
vor without the ubiquitous puddles of grease that most chorizo dishes are known for. If your breakfast tastes lean towards more traditional Mexican fare, then the chilaquiles may be just the thing you’re looking for. Corn tortillas are cut into quarters, lightly fried and then simmered in freshly made tomato salsa that softens and soaks into the tortilla pieces. Eggs are then added to the mix before the dish is topped with a little cheese queso fresco and crema. Wash that down with a nice big cup of Velo coffee or a refreshing aqua fresca for a perfect first meal of the day. Any discussion of Taqueria Jalisco would not be complete without at least mentioning the wide selection
of meats you can choose for many of their dishes. The care taken to grind the chilis for the marinades, babysit the slowly braising or slow roasting meats, and meticulously shred each and every ounce of meat is apparent from the first bite. They even offer grilled poblanos and fresh, house-made nopales for the vegetarians at your table. I couldn’t help but ask Jorge as I was leaving what surprises they had in store for the future. He says they will soon be starting construction on a larger location across the street from their Rossville Avenue store that will offer a broader menu of entrees and craft agave cocktails while maintaining the taqueria-style dishes that everyone loves. Whether you’re in search of a delicious breakfast, a tasty lunch or a stunning dinner, one of the Taqueria Jalisco locations is certain to have you covered.
Diversions
Consider This with Dr. Rick by Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D. “You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.” — Robin Williams What do you call it? Maybe it’s your creativity. Maybe a moment of unbridled passion. Perhaps it’s your 20 seconds of embarrassing courage. Could it be your long-lost childlike wonder at the world and everything in it? Whatever it is, Robin Williams had it in spades. And despite any private demons he wrestled with, didn’t we love it when he could bring us to the edge with excitement and maybe even a little fear? Where’s he going? Where are we going? He had us laughing at things—and things about ourselves—that we never even thought could be funny. He gave us those moments, and we were better, happier people for them. Where’s your “little spark of madness” and how can you share it with the world? How can others be better off because they crossed paths with your creativity, your passion, your courage? And how can we hold on to it and never lose it? chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 27
Free Will Astrology
rob brezsny CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): So far, 53 toys have been inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame. They include crayons, the jump rope, Mr. Potato Head, the yo-yo, the rubber duckie, and dominoes. My favorite inductee— and the toy that is most symbolically useful to you right now—is the plain old cardboard box. Of all the world’s playthings, it is perhaps the one that requires and activates the most imagination. It can become a fort, a spaceship, a washing machine, a cave, a submarine, and many other exotic things. I think you need to be around influences akin to the cardboard box because they are likely to unleash your dormant creativity.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “I have a hypothesis that everyone is born with the same amount of luck,” says cartoonist Scott Adams. “But luck doesn’t appear to be spread evenly across a person’s life. Some people use up all of their luck early in life. Others start out in bad circumstances and finish strong.” How would you assess your own distribution of luck, Virgo? According to my projections, you are in a phase when luck is flowing stronger and deeper than usual. And I bet it will intensify in the coming weeks. I suggest you use it wisely—which is to say, with flair and aplomb and generosity. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When my daughter Zoe was seven years old, she took horse-back riding lessons with a group of other young aspirants. On the third lesson, their instructor assigned them the task of carrying an egg in a spoon that they clasped in their mouths as they sat facing backwards on a trotting horse. That seemingly improbable task reminds me of what you’re working on right now, Libra. Your balancing act isn’t quite as demanding, but it is testing you in ways you’re not accustomed to. My prognosis: You will master what’s required of you faster than the kids at Zoe’s horse camp. Every one of them broke at least eight eggs before succeeding. I suspect that three or four attempts will be enough for you. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Peter the Great was the Tsar of Russia from 1682 until 1725. Under his rule, his nation became a major empire. He also led a cultural revolution that brought modern European-style ideas and influences to Russia. But for our purposes right now, I want to call attention to one of his other accomplishments: The AllJoking, All-Drunken Council of Fools and Jesters. It was a club he organized
with his allies to ensure there would always be an abundance of parties for him to enjoy. I don’t think you need alcohol as an essential part of your own efforts to sustain maximum revelry in the coming weeks, Scorpio. But I do suggest you convene a similar brain trust. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In Roald Dahl’s kids’ story “James and the Giant Peach,” 501 seagulls are needed to carry the giant peach from a spot near the Azores all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City. But physics students at the U.K.’s University of Leicester have determined that such a modest contingent wouldn’t be nearly enough to achieve a successful airlift. By their calculations, there’d have to be a minimum of 2,425,907 seagulls involved. I urge you to consider the possibility that you, too, will require more power than you have estimated to accomplish your own magic feat. Certainly not almost 5,000 times more, as in the case of the seagulls. Fifteen percent more should be enough. (P.S. I’m almost positive you can rustle up that extra 15 percent.)
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I’m not opposed to you fighting a good fight. It’s quite possible you would become smarter and stronger by wrangling with a worthy adversary or struggling against a bad influence. The passion you summon to outwit an obstacle could bestow blessings not only on you but on other people, as well. But here’s a big caveat: I hope you will not get embroiled in a showdown with an imaginary foe. I pray that you will refrain from a futile combat with a slippery delusion. Choose your battles carefully, Aquarius. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): During the next six weeks, I suggest you regard symbiosis as one of your key themes. Be alert for ways you can cultivate more interesting and intense forms of intimacy. Magnetize yourself to the joys of teamwork and collaboration. Which of your skills and talents are most useful to other people? Which are most likely to inspire your allies to offer you their best skills and talents? I suggest you highlight everything about yourself that is most likely to win you love, appreciation, and help.
Love at first sight 28 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I don’t usually do this kind of thing, but I’m going to suggest that you monitor the number six. My hypothesis is that six has been trying to grab your attention, perhaps even in askew or inconvenient ways. Its purpose? To nudge you to tune in to beneficial influences that you have been ignoring. I furthermore suspect that six is angling to show you clues about what is both the cause of your unscratchable itch and the cure for that itch. So lighten up and have fun with this absurd mystery, Aries. Without taking it too seriously, allow six to be your weird little teacher. Let it prick your intuition with quirky notions and outlandish speculations. If nothing comes of it, there will be no harm done. If it leads you to helpful discoveries, hallelujah. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In English, the rare word “trouvaille” means a lucky find or an unexpected windfall. In French, “trouvaille” can refer to the same thing and even more: something interesting or exceptional that is discovered fortuitously; a fun or enlightening blessing that’s generated through the efforts of a vigorous imagination. Of course I can’t guarantee that you will experience a trouvaille or two (or even three) in the coming days, Taurus. But the conditions are as ripe as they can be for such a possibility. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The Dutch word epibreren means that even though you are goofing off, you are trying to create the impression that you are hard at work. I wouldn’t be totally opposed to you indulging in some major epibreren in the coming days. More importantly, the cosmos won’t exact any karmic repercussions for it. I suspect, in fact, that the cosmos is secretly conspiring for you to enjoy more slack
and spaciousness that usual. You’re overdue to recharge your spiritual and emotional batteries, and that will require extra repose and quietude. If you have to engage in a bit of masquerade to get the ease you need, so be it. CANCER (June 21-July 22): When James Franco began to learn his craft as an actor, he was young and poor. A gig at McDonald’s paid for his acting lessons and allowed him to earn a living. He also used his time on the job as an opportunity to build his skills as a performer. While serving customers burgers and fries, he practiced speaking to them in a variety of different accents. Now would be an excellent time for you to adopt a similar strategy, Cancerian. Even if you are not doing what you love to do full-time, you can and should take stronger measures to prepare yourself for that day when you will be doing more of what you love to do. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Here are a few of the major companies that got their starts in home garages: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mattel, Amazon, and Disney. Even if you’re not in full support of their business practices, you’ve got to admit that their humble origins didn’t limit their ability to become rich and powerful. As I meditate on the long-term astrological omens, I surmise you are now in a position to launch a project that could follow a similar arc. It would be more modest, of course. I don’t foresee you ultimately becoming an international corporation worth billions of dollars. But the success would be bigger than I think you can imagine.
Homework: TMake a playful effort to change something you’ve always assumed you could never change. Testify at Truthrooster@gmail.com
Jonesin’ Crossword
the PRODuceRs Of the theAtRicAl hit the scReWtAPe letteRs
PResent
matt jones
“WORLD CLAss ThEATRE!” – WORlD MAgAzine “A RARE AND WELCOMED TREAT!” – BROADWAY WORlD SEPTEMBER 20 • Tivoli ThEaTRE, ChaTTanooga
cslewisOnstage.com
ACROSS 1 “Unleaded” 6 Frontiersman Crockett 10 Kills, in gangster lingo 14 Hello, in Hilo 15 “Milk’s Favorite Cookie” 16 Waisted opportunity? 17 Request before smoking a potato? 19 Failure to be nominated 20 Of course 21 Benjamin Hoff’s “The ___ of Pooh” 22 ... --- Ö, decoded 24 ___ out a living 25 Huascaran is its highest point 26 Secretive sort? 28 Departure and arrival, e.g. 32 College in New Rochelle, N.Y. 33 Ballet company
34 So as to break the rules 38 Call out 39 Nose in the air 40 Samosa vegetable 41 Gossip peddler 44 Canary relative 46 “___ No Sunshine” (1971 hit) 47 Ocean-going vessel 49 Deli staple 52 Night, in Paris 53 Eggs officio? 54 “Achtung Baby” co-producer Brian 55 Halt 56 Balneotherapy venue 59 Fallon followed him 61 Drought-stricken waterways? 64 Missouri monument 65 Cast forth 66 The O behind OWN 67 Flower support 68 Weight lifters’ units 69 Far from macho
DOWN 1 TV host Carson 2 “Night” memoirist Wiesel 3 Gear teeth 4 “That hits the spot” 5 Prepares to be eaten 6 Query to an interrupter 7 “Scratch behind my ear?” sound 8 Vice follow-up 9 Plan with a lot of fluctuation 10 Cries of surprise 11 “So, when’s the wake scheduled, hmm?” for instance? 12 Stroke of luck 13 Fencing weapon 18 “227” role 23 Obstacle to a city planner’s vision? 25 Warner of coaching fame 27 ___ big hurry 28 Bankbook abbr. 29 “Sleepless in
Seattle” director Ephron 30 Start using an old scale? 31 Casino draw 35 Places for romantic getaways 36 “Return of the Jedi” princess 37 Pull hard 39 Enjoy, as a shade tree 42 Pot’s top 43 In years past 44 Big name in ‘80s hair metal 45 “Mangia!” 48 Dad’s sister 49 Bubbly drinks 50 Bald-faced 51 Mellifluous Mel 56 Formal opening 57 After-school orgs. 58 Pallid 60 Bit of resistance 62 Puppy squeak 63 He sells Squishees to Bart
Copyright © 2014 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 0691 chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 29
Sleep of the Civil Servant Officer Alex takes advantage of all the sleeping ops that come his way
“
Sleep. Completely wasted on the young, and so easily taken for granted. There are few things more cruel that don’t involve spiders than sleep deprivation.”
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 facebook.com/alexteach
Editor’s note: Officer Alex has moved on to a new area of our fair city and is “adjusting”…so we are reprinting a popular older column that seems appropriate. Sleep. I’ve spent a sizeable ALEX amount of my career on midnight shift, and of all the excitement, all the different things I’ve seen and done, that is the one word that comes to mind. It’s funny how you get to a point working 12-day shifts (hang tight, I’ll explain why that’s awesome instead of horrible) and as weeks blur into months, and months into years…it becomes an all-consuming quest. Even now, I’m writing this column and it’s all I’m thinking about: sleep. There are unlikely places to do it. Court comes to mind. We sit on these clearly intentionally uncomfortable solid wood armless benches and have the mundane traffic offenses of the universe paraded before us while assistant district attorneys use the time to begin the day’s work of negotiating sentences before they go before the judges, and we’re doing this in a courtroom that starts an hour after our
all-night shift has ended. What do I surmise from all this? They must want us to sleep. So who am I to argue? The trick to sleeping in court is you learn to “zombify”. You slip just below consciousness, but TEACH above all-out snoring, programming your brain to respond to only your name or badge number to bring you out of your haze, like a hypnotist bringing out a patient they’ve put under. The first time I installed an “app killer” on my smartphone, it immediately made me think of my brain in court. OK, except for the “smart” part—but this is how we can sleep damn near anywhere; it’s just perfected in the judicial environment. We work 12-day shifts because to work five and take two off like normal people, we’d spend one day asleep (or zombified) from being up the night before, maybe have one full day off, then have to stay up all day then night that first night back, only to have your sleep ruined four days later all over again. With a 12-day “work week”, we combine those days off and get four off in a row. Oh, you still feel like baked hell, but you only
On The Beat
30 • The Pulse • september 4-10, 2014 • chattanoogapulse.com
ruin your sleep patterns twice a month instead of four times. And sleeping at home? Single guys have it rough, but the ones living with someone (marriage, roommates, halfway house, etc.) are only slightly better off than those with kids. Children are perfect, cherubic little sponges of knowledge and the beacon of hope for our collective futures, but to the third shifter, they are little bags of earthquake-inducing germs with megaphones welded to each hand and barbells for feet. Seem harsh? Well, then…you’ve never worked midnights. Daylight is the other major enemy. If I’d recycled the aluminum foil I’ve used over a 12-year period to block out sunlight from various rooms, I’d be named in Al Gore’s last will and testament. At one particularly low point, I made a bed in a walk-in closet out of clothing covered with a comforter. Why? No windows—and it was wonderful. Well, except for the fact that I was a grown-ass man sleeping in a closet on a pile of clothes, and all the emasculating closet-related jokes that go with that from cop roommates. But I did it. As I moved up in residences, I actually built out a room in a basement below my actual bedroom. Why? Same thing as the God-forsaken closet: No windows. Just imagine what it would
take to ignore a California king, and instead choose an air mattress on a thinly covered concrete floor below it all. Add Enya and box fan for ambient noise? Babies don’t sleep as well. For legal reasons I won’t go too far into sleep aids, but there too we are experts. Diphenhydramine, melatonin: worthless. Hangoverinducing pills that actually deny you any good REM sleep, just making you feel like a different kind of shit instead of the “regular” feeling of shit that goes with sleep deprivation. And you can’t drink yourself to sleep every morning because not only is that absolutely cost-prohibitive, what does drinking result in? A constant need to pee. Imagine, finally achieving sweet, sweet sleep, and having your bladder start knocking on your brain like it owes it money. Ugh. (For the record: The maker or makers of Ambien need to be given a Nobel Prize.) Sleep. Completely wasted on the young, and so easily taken for granted. There are few things more cruel that don’t involve spiders than sleep deprivation, so if you know of someone working Zombieland, please…fire off a little prayer for their psyche, and if you are in their company and you see a cat-like third eyelid slip over their cornea and that polite smile emits an occasional snore—just let it go. In fact…goodnight, folks.
NGCA invites you to visit us during the Gallery Hop ! We will have a drawing to win free art (paintings by our artists) every hour from 5:00 until 8:00. Start your collection the easy way—win it! Don’t miss our special exhibition, Bradley Shelton: “Please Seat Yourself” —a photo essay on Zarzour’s Café. James McKissic— Feast Day of Yemaya (Diptych)
Renel Plouffe— Sejour
505 Cherokee Boulevard (next to Sluggos)
423-321-8891
www.thenorthshoregallery.com
SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 • STRATTON HALL 6:30PM VIP • 7:00PM DOORS OPEN Open Bar, Valet, Heavy Hors D’oeuvres, Live Music, Silent & Live Auction The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer ’s mission is to erase the effects of pediatric cancer & optimize each child’s quality of life. Mark your calendar for a wonderful evening as we celebrate the 6th anniversary of Hatch’s House of Hope. Hatch’s provides children and their families with the tools needed to cope and thrive at the onset of pediatric cancer. www.HatcherFoundation.org/Celebrate
chattanoogapulse.com • september 4-10, 2014 • The Pulse • 31
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