The Pulse 12.07 » February 12, 2015

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The Pulse

CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

february 12, 2015

ALEX TEACH'S GUIDE TO LOVE & OTHER DELIGHTS Officer Alex shares his wisdom and experience. He's here to help. Trust us.

arts

MUSIC

screen

Mummenschantz

return of rice

lost in time

magical

hail seizer almanac


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2 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com


Contents

The Pulse CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Gary Poole Contributing Editor Janis Hashe Contributors Rich Bailey • Rob Brezsny Michael Crumb • John DeVore Matt Jones • Sandra Kurtz Marc T. Michael • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib • Gary Poole Alex Teach • Michael Thomas

February 12, 2015 Volume 12, Issue 7

Cover illustration by Rick Baldwin

Cartoonists & Illustrators Rick Baldwin • Max Cannon Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow Editorial Interns Eugene Campbell • Gavin Gaither Kristina Kelly

Features 4 BEGINNINGS: Student Painters offer young entrepreneurs a leg up.

Founded 2003 by Zachary Cooper & Michael Kull

ADVERTISING

Director of Sales Mike Baskin Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Julie Brown Angela Lanham • Rick Leavell Mike McJunkin • Chester Sharp Stacey Tyler

CONTACT

Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Fax 423.266.2335 Website chattanoogapulse.com Email info@chattanoogapulse.com BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher & President Jim Brewer II 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. The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors. Contents Copyright © 2015 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.

10 SCREEN: “Project Almanac” is a reason to catch up on your reading.

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A Guide to Love & Other Delights

“You’ve come to read this for the same reasons so many other people reach out to me on a daily, and occasionally, even an hourly, basis: Because I know everything there is to know about Love.” — Alex Teach

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The Magical Mummenschantz

In 1972, three young people came together in Paris: Andres Bossard, Bernie Schürch, and Floriana Frassetto. Each had unique experience in the performing arts, and they decided to create a new form of theatrical expression together.

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All We Can Say Is Hail Seizer!

Matt Rice has been around. The Chattanooga native first made a name for himself with the bands Tides of Fury and Johnny Dropout. Johnny Dropout was a particular success, making the rounds of Chattanooga’s most popular music venues and enjoying a high degree of love and support.

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12 SHADES OF GREEN: Businessmeets-environmental-stewardship. 16 ARTS CALENDAR 18 TECH TALK: Care about city’s downtown livability? Your voice matters. 22 MUSIC CALENDAR 24 REVIEWS: Pure energy out of prison, wizardry out of New York. 27 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY 28 consider this 29 JONESIN’ CROSSWORD 30 DINING OUT: The Acropolis offers meals even Aphrodite would love.

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news • views • rants • raves

BEGINNINGS

updates » CHATTANOOGApulse.com facebook/chattanoogapulse EMAIL LOVE LETTERS, ADVICE & TRASH TALK TO INFO@CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

Painting Their Future Success Student Painters will offer young entrepreneurs a leg up

YEAA’s goal is to give students a way to gain experience in their field.

Young Entrepreneurs Across America has come to Tennessee for the first time in history, choosing Chattanooga as a source for entrepreneurial growth…and a fresh coat of paint. Forest Smith, a 19-year-old business management major at UTC, is one of six branch mangers for the new entrepreneur-based company based here, Student Painters. Young Entrepreneurs Across America (YEAA) oversees many programs, one of which is Student Painters. YEAA representatives bring branches to college campuses across the US and seek to employ student managers. They invest in the entrepreneurs—not the company’s revenue. YEAA’s goal is to give students

a way to gain experience in their field. The new Chattanooga branch of Student Painters kicked off in December 2014. The entirely student-run business is based in the Signal Mountain area and their office will be up and running by March, according to Smith. The team has one regional executive manager, but the Chattanooga branch is run by the branch managers, a fourperson marketing kristina kelly team, and soonto-be-hired five-to-six painters. The company is currently working on organization and marketing. Smith said that the painting service will begin in either April or May 2015. Smith and the other branch managers will attend a Regional Leadership Conference, which will give them help from other regions as they move forward in their business. YEAA gives students the “blueprints” for running a business. As one of the branch managers, Smith was given a binder from YEAA containing the necessary steps and directions students would need to build a business from the ground up. “The first thing that I did was make a 22-page business plan,” he said. Smith related the business process to the stock market. “[YEAA] invests in me,” he explained. The students running Student Painters receive compensation for their work and YEAA also provides them with benefits and insurance policies. “YEAA allows me to get the experience for the abilities I already possess,” he noted. Smith’s personal mission for the company is

News

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to create a “positive community impact.” His plan for the revenue generated from the business is to invest in nonprofit organizations benefiting the environment, mentioning donating money to the Chattahoochee Riverkeepers for water purification. His ambition is for customers to feel appreciation. Student Painters, he explained, is the opposite of big, multimillion-dollar corporations because it employs young entrepreneurs who care about their work and their customers. Another branch started using the social media hashtag #southernhousepatality, which Smith said was the perfect encompassment of the business’ mission. Student Painters will offer exterior work on any type of building. The business itself will be a positive impact on the community because, Smith said, “fresh paint adds a new breath that livens up the community.” By bringing Student Painters to Chattanooga, YEAA is opening the door for college students to gain valuable work experience. YEAA invests in students as the future of America’s business world by creating a bridge that opens future opportunities and networking possibilities.


Enjoy Valentine’s Day with our great selection of wine, spirits & high gravity beer.

EdiToon

by Rick Baldwin

Valentine’s Diversity Dance Welcomes Everyone Love is in the air this week for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. For the first time in the Chattanooga area, a diversity dance will be held on Valentine’s Day—and everyone is invited. True to the name, the Same Love: A Valentine’s Day Diversity Dance welcomes everyone within the sexuality spectrum to dance freely, eat plenty, and enjoy the evening with friends or

a significant other. This coming Saturday night promises plenty of things for everyone’s amusement. Valentine’s Day night will have a live DJ, a free IMAX 3D movie, a professional photographer to capture the evening’s events, and all-night dancing. Of course, there will be plenty of food and drink to satisfy everyone after they work up a sweat on the dance floor. There will be security and chap-

IN THIS ISSUE

Alex Teach Our cover story this week on all things love is written by Alex Teach, a California native and a 20year veteran police officer. He’s a street cop who found a cathartic outlet for rampant cynicism in the form of writing. “I have a front-row seat to the most disturbing show on

erones to keep this wonderful evening safe for everyone. The Valentine’s Diversity Dance was organized by the Tennessee Valley Pride, Equality Everywhere Chattanooga, the Nooga Diversity Center, Chattanooga PFLAG Chapter, and other local nonprofit LGBTQ organizations. Proceeds will go towards the local LGBTQ organizations and for the Pride Parade in Chattanooga. The event is Saturday, Feb. 14 at 1 Broad Street from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are $20 online and $25 at the — Eugene Campbell door.

Rick Baldwin earth,” says Teach. “Nightmares, like The Pulse, are free. Both should be shared with everyone.” His columns have attracted the attention of mayors and U.S. senators, though only when readers are attempting to have him fired. Officer Teach is also an avid bicyclist and passionate recreational boater, whose likes include short walks, rum, and volunteering at the Boehm Birth Defects Center when he has the time.

Pulse editorial cartoonist Rick Baldwin is a comedian, actor, artist and writer born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. His award-winning cartoon strips and editorial cartoons have appeared in publications worldwide and as illustrations for several books.

He began stand-up comedy in 1986 and after an extended retirement will return to his comedy performing roots with a one man show titled, “Under The Kilt.” Rick is host of the popular podcast “Life in a Kilt Show” which he records from his home studio in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Rick returned to our pages in April, and we are very happy to see his unique take on life in our pages. Follow him on Twitter @RickBaldwin

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"What's love got to do, got to do with it?" — Tina Turner

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COVER STORY

Alex Teach’s Guide to Love and Other Delights For which The Pulse disclaims all responsibility. Really. By Alex Teach

(Prologue)

I

t is late afternoon, and the acrid smell of burning rubber lingers in the house, causing responders and technicians alike to cringe, an unintentional scowl uniformly marking their faces. A neighborhood dog approaches the scene and halts just outside the perimeter. It uncannily exhibits the same expression as its human counterparts before it departs to seek something preferable to scavenge, perhaps such as the bloated corpse of two week-dead mule, with a bit of luck. Anything would be better than this, after all…even to an East Chattanoogan crack-dog. I stand outside with a clipboard in one hand and a Black & Mild tipped cigar in the other, its brief respite from my lips only allowed so I can more readily express myself to a curious rookie who was foolishly perched on my pending words. “What the hell happened here, Sarge?” he had asked, hints of cellophane still evident on his magazine pouch and the goo from the price tag still visible on the hilt of his hundred-dollar flashlight. I exhaled the last bit of smoke from my lungs while looking up and over his right shoulder off into the distance and said, “Love, son.” (I paused for effect.) “Love,” I repeated.

You’ve come to read this for the same reasons so many other people reach out to me on a daily, and occasionally, even an hourly, basis: Because I know everything there is to know about Love.”

>> Continued P. 8

chattanoogapulse.com • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 7


Love is a brutal thing. It’s not some afterschool special; it’s a week-long series like ‘Shark Week’ that in reality never really ends.”

**** I can imagine what you’re thinking. What does a guy with the perceived insulating qualities of a champagne glass know about “Love”? How can someone whose ideas of fun consist of witnessing a plane crash (for purely statistical reasons, mind you) or shooting at propane cylinders in the middle of an empty field know the first thing about romance? The answer is simple: I’m deep. I’m deep as crap. Take, for instance, my in-depth knowledge of crime. I know what both kinds are. For all the variations of all the existing laws on the books, every one of them at one point or another comes back to the same two roots of all evil: Drugs, and Love Gone Bad. Drugs? That’s easy. Drugs are either a means to escape, a qualityof-life issue, or funds to obtain them or profit from them. Done. Convenience store robbery? Drugs. Gangland execution over standing on the wrong street corner? Drugs. Pre-

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my tummy remain full?” and “Will I still be allowed to do what I want whenever I want to however I want to do it?” (with the obvious emphasis being on the former). It’s after those two elements are factored in a man decides, and even then it has to be a surprise to him, more or less. A man falling in love is akin to placing a frog in a pot of water and slowly bringing it to a boil, whereas a woman will jump into a bubbling cauldron with her makeup and a $60 dollar push-up bra (a whole other topic of “deceit”) without a second thought. “He was doing meth while working for a human trafficking company when you met him,” I might eventually say. “But that was just a phase, I can change him! And he is really climbing their corporate ladder!” is the almost guaranteed response. Then she will be confused when he is caught breaking into a church to snort coke off of the hipbone of her 16-year-old mentally handicapped sister. We...are simply wired differently. The night after a woman meets someone at the club and the proverbial “Walk of Shame” is behind her, she will text her girlfriend at her earliest convenience to profess that she has, indeed, met “The One” and will spend the day deciding if his last name is a suitable accompaniment to her first. A guy on the other hand will check for his wallet first, see what’s for breakfast second, and the coital event is behind him. And if they do meet again? By his fifty-seond “date” he will still be able to look another man in the eye after being forced to introduce her and state, “She is not,” (in fact), “my girlfriend.” In his mind, they only see movies together, vacation together, couple with each other and very possibly live with one another. But that still does not make her his girlfriend. The reverse is very clearly not true, and it’s these teeny-

COVER STORY

scription mills? Self-explanatory. Wrecking your Lotus on a straightaway with no traffic at 4 a.m.? Embezzlement, shoplifting, securities fraud, arson? Drugs. That’s not what today’s story is about, though. You’ve come to read this for the same reasons so many other people reach out to me on a daily, and occasionally, even an hourly, basis: Because I know everything there is to know about Love. “You’re not exactly the marriage counseling type,” you’re probably thinking. But, unsurprisingly, you’re wrong. I counsel the hell out of marriages. And I’m not just talking about hosing down a couple entangled in a “Thunderdome-style” fight on the kitchen floor with mace. No. I’m talking about sitting them down in separate rooms and discussing what the real root of their problems is, not just the symptom of fist fighting. (After I’ve hosed them down with mace, of course.) Women are simple. They just love everything. Without question. When it comes to love, they are simply “in it” or they are “not.” A new man (or woman)? In love. Done. The color turquoise? In love, done. A new pair of soft-leather Freebird boots on sale with free shipping? Marriage and honeymoon while watching “The Notebook” all at once. It’s not complicated, at least until the other half of the equation decides they are not in which case it goes completely to hell—but there’s no mystery there. It’s not that men don’t also lose their minds when a woman leaves them; they just have a harder time jumping into love, per se, because they have two factors to consider, whereas women have none. Those two factors being, of course, “Will


tiny differences that can lead to the smell of burning hair/plastic/rubber as referenced in the prologue. My knowledge of love isn’t restricted to damage control after the fact, either. I bring people together, as well as keeping them together. “You’re not exactly the matchmaking type,” you’re probably thinking. And again? Wrong. “Hey, man,” it can start. “You need to meet this crazy chick I met at the A.B.C. Club.” (“A.B.C.” is not a real place, by the way, or I’d be reasonably wealthy.) “She’s wild.” And with the exchange of a cell phone number and a carrier company to determine cost of text messages? “Boom”—romance occurs. (Or something close.) That’s pretty much it; I’m that good. “You’ve broken up dozens of relationships, though. You can’t set foot in 17 local businesses by doing such, and there was a Craigslist hit on your life for this kind of thing, rumor had it,” you’re probably thinking. Well, you’d be right, but it wasn’t like I was “breaking up relationships;” I was just “testing them” and as it turns out many (many) were weak as heck. I did people a service, though! Did I take some guff? Sure. But the tensile strength of a trash bag is a very serious thing, and you want to know the numbers before you go tossing a sack down the front steps to save you some trouble loading the truck. Who wants a bag that bursts after the first few rolls? Answer: no one. No one that really cares, anyway. No, I determined the level of commitment that could not otherwise be measured in couples, and while I was occasionally made out to be “the bad guy,” I let the results speak for themselves—and was eventually thanked in every case (albeit an “implied” thank you in most cases).

But that’s not why I did what I did; my rewards lay elsewhere. “Duty.” That was my reward. Love is a brutal thing. It’s not some afterschool special; it’s a week-long series like “Shark Week” that in reality never really ends. It’s the seal in the ocean being pulled behind the camera and fishheavy trawler, and you have to be ready for the famine or the feeding frenzy… and in my profession, I tend to have a front-row seat to both. Do I ask for it? Heck, no. But, like the mythical “A.B.C. Club” I’m a necessary part of it, so who am I to question fate? **** (Epilogue) “Damn, Sarge. You really do know everything about love,” the kid said. I slowly nodded in agreement, drawing deeply on the remains of my tipped cheap stogie. In this case, the couple in the house behind us were so close that rather than be separated, one had decided not to let the other go at all, in the form of hitting him over the head with an aluminum Little League baseball bat and setting the carpet on fire to cover up the crime—hence that most disturbing smell. (I kept imagining the sound the bat made when it happened: “Ting.”) “It makes you think twice about falling in love at all, you know?” said the fledgling copper. I narrowed my eyes at once and jerked my head toward him. “Don’t fall in love?” I scolded him. “What? That’s like saying, ‘Don’t do drugs.’

What kind of life would a man have without those things?” I said knowingly, as I placed a hand on his shoulder. “You just have to keep your head about you.” The kid squinted, taking his turn at looking off into the distance in deep thought. I handed him the clipboard and went to my cruiser without another word. I’d forgotten that today was my anniversary and I needed to shagass to the closest Bi-Lo to get a handful of wild flowers and a card with some meaningful shit written in it. I’d been saved by an Outlook Calendar reminder of the date, and, of course, my extensive knowledge of “Love.” Love isn’t easy, folks. I just make it look that way. Happy Valentine’s Day. chattanoogapulse.com • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 9


SCREEN SCENE

Don’t Waste Your Time Traveling to This One "Afterglow"

Lookout Wild Film Festival Is Set Festival grows, with more movies and a new location Attendees at the 2015 Lookout Wild Film Festival will get to see nearly twice as many films compared to last year, ranging from dog sledding in Finland to sailing the Caribbean—and all on a bigger screen at a new venue. Highlights from this year’s festival—set for Mar. 20-22 at the Robert Kirk Walker Community Theatre— will include two North Carolina paddlers exploring waterfalls in the Adirondacks, a look at how light pollution is harming Japan’s fireflies, a solo paddle down Alabama’s Cahaba River, caving in Borneo and even

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extreme hula hooping in the Tetons. “The quality and variety of the outdoor films we’re able to incorporate into LWFF continues to amaze us, and some of these films will absolutely stun the audience,” says Andy Johns, festival director. “The stories in the films had us hooked, the people had us laughing and the places left us awestruck.” Tickets, priced at $5 per block or $10 for the weekend pass, are on sale now through the Memorial Auditorium box office and chattanoogaonstage.com

NEW IN THEATERS

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Fifty Shades of Grey Kingsman: The Secret Service Literature student Anastasia Steele's A spy organization recruits an unrelife changes forever when she meets fined, but promising street kid into handsome, yet tormented, billionaire the agency's ultra-competitive trainChristian Grey in the adaptation of ing program just as a global threat the best-selling novel. emerges from a twisted tech genius. Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson Director: Matthew Vaughn Stars: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Stars: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Dornan, Luke Grimes, Jennifer Ehle Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine 10 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

“Project Almanac” is a good reason to catch up on your reading this winter

A

s I approach my thirty-third year on this Earth, it seems an interest in youth culture has finally passed me by. I suppose it’s inevitable, although I could argue that my participation in it was marginal at best even in my teens and early twenties, and almost entirely peer influenced.

Screen JOHN DEVORE

It’s almost as if the filmmakers wrote the titles of every time-travel movie ever made on slips of paper, dropped them in a hat, drew them out at random, and combined them into the stupidest script they could imagine.”

Everyone reaches this point eventually. It’s a time when popular music sounds more like noise, when easy philosophies wear thin, and the concerns of the young seem increasingly trivial. Living is a process of experience, and the more a person experiences, the less satisfying simplicity becomes. Still, much of film is aimed at the young and ignorant, or those with limited imaginations. Film is capable of appealing to both the thoughtful and the thoughtless—and one group buys more movie tickets than the other. Hence, a film like “Project Almanac” gets made and released widely. Produced by Michael Bay and MTV pictures, “Project Almanac“ is what happens between January and May. Oscar season is over, summer blockbusters aren’t quite here and the desert is endless and miserable. It’s a time to catch up on your reading or to look for any good films you might have missed from the previous year. Daniel Raskin (Jonny Weston) wants to go to MIT. We know this because the film begins with his video application, where he controls a drone with his fingers using a remote


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technology he apparently developed between classes at what appears to be the most well-funded public school in Atlanta. (As an interesting side note, even though the film allegedly takes place in Georgia and was filmed there in 2013, none of the main actors have even a hint of a Southern accent.) At any rate, Daniel soon is accepted to the school—only to find out that they are only offering a $5,000 scholarship. Having never heard of a FAFSA, Daniel’s mother immediately sells their house to fund his education, while Daniel and his irrelevant and interchangeable friends inadvertently discover plans for a time machine buried in the basement. If this seems sudden or inexplicable, “Project Almanac” is not the film for you. What follows is a series of teenage wish fulfillment fantasies involving time travel, like punishing a bully or acing a presentation or going to Lollapalooza during fifth period. These actions supposedly cause a Ray Bradbury-esque change in history, but none of the effects are sufficiently explained, or indeed, even

a collection of clichés, a cavalcade of teenage angst and anxiety. The characters believe that having a girlfriend/ boyfriend is very, very important and so is getting people to like you by giving them stuff. In addition, all actions are justifiable so long as no one you like gets hurt and you learn nothing in the process. The time-travel theories presented in the film are less believable and coherent than anything found in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”—it’s almost as if the filmmakers wrote the titles of every time-travel movie ever made on slips of paper, dropped them in a hat, drew them out at random, and combined them into the stupidest script they could imagine. Of course, this film isn’t aimed at me. It’s aimed at teenagers who think “Looper” is a classic time-travel movie. To that end, the film is successful because the target audience is too busy awkwardly groping each other in the dark to pay attention to the plot. For those of us who no longer count bases, “Project Almanac” is simply a waste of time and resources.

“Each scene jumps from one nonsensical action to the next without any reason, save making sure the movie reaches a contrived and pedestrian conclusion.” worth mentioning. Each scene jumps from one nonsensical action to the next without any reason, save making sure the movie reaches a contrived and pedestrian conclusion. There might have been a worthwhile movie in the mess that is “Project Almanac,” but any narrative coherence is lost due to it being presented as “found footage.” While this style is meant to add to the verisimilitude of the story, in fact it makes the film nearly unwatchable. For the story to be told, the film needs the camera to be constantly on, at all times, even when it isn’t clear who is filming who, especially during the tender emotional scenes between starry-eyed teens. The shakiness of the camera makes it hard to focus on the action and even harder to connect with the characters. This isn’t to say that the characters have much to connect to. They are

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12 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

The small cottage sat inconspicufungicides used on flowering plants. ously back from Brainerd Road, Can you say neonicotinoids? They are overgrown and unkempt, mostly unsystemic, meaning they are taken up noticed as traffic passed. Tom Carroll by all parts of the plant. They also saw an opportunity to turn it into a harm other animals, persisting as garden shop. With Grace Episcopal long as five years in soil and leaching Church’s permission, he arranged last into waterways. In the pollination spring to rent and renovate it—only process, bees carry these pesticides to discover a beehive back to the hive from ceiling to floor where they get into Shades of Green behind the wall in food fed to larvae one of the rooms. and queen, thereby SANDRA KURTZ Many people faced reducing fertility and with a bee invasion would call the reducing hive resistance to disease. exterminator to solve the problem. Bee life is fascinating. Imagine But Tom, with his horticulture cera single organism operating with tificate and landscaping experience, 20,000-60,000 individuals living in a said, “I didn’t feel like that was the world of color and scent, each with right thing to do.” Instead, he called special jobs to assure the success of beekeeper Sandra Clay, a member the whole. In grade school one learns of the Tennessee Valley Beekeepers that bees (these are the females) fly Association. A hive box was built to out to look for food sources and come sit outside near the bees’ house enback to tell the others where to look trance. The house indoor wall was by doing the “waggle dance.” But then removed, and Sandra pulled out neonicotinoids impair bee memory. honeycomb pieces, attaching them What if those bees cannot remember to hive frames with rubber bands how to dance? That’s a serious conand placing them in the hive box. cern when you realize that bee polThe bees swarmed to the new place lination is essential to the production with their queen, where she continof one out of every three bites of food we ued her job of laying 1,000 or more eat—not just honey. eggs a day. The European Union has suspendThis is a marvelous stewardship ed use of three neonic pesticides, story—especially because bees are but the EPA has delayed action unin decline. They are suffering from til a 2016-2019 review. Meanwhile, Colony Collapse Disorder. Suspicion there are several ways we citizens has fallen on certain pesticides and can help: Plant a home garden filled


with bee-friendly flowering plants such as salvia, lavender, coreopsis, marigold, primrose, phlox, alyssum, Shasta daisy, milkweed, clover, squash, buckwheat, sunflower, sugarbeet, tomato or corn. A Xerces Society study analyzed plants purchased from top U.S. garden retailers including Lowes, Walmart and Home Depot, finding 51 percent of them contained neonicotinoid pesticides. So buy plants and seeds from local businesses such as Belvoir Gardens or Barn Nursery. Ask whether they are neonic-free. Read pesticide labels and avoid any with imidacloprid, acetimacloprid, clothianidin, thiacloprid, thiamethoxam, dinotefuran or nitenpyram. These neonics are mainly produced by Bayer and Syngenta. Try using homemade pesticides like garlic

or citrus water instead. A bigger step would be to become a beekeeper with a back yard beehive. Training is available (tennvalleybeekeepers.org). Sign up by Feb. 20. You can also download “Beekeeping in Tennessee” free from that site to learn more. You don’t have to worry about being stung unless you have a bee allergy. Non-threatened bees are far more interested in finding food or visiting the queen. Finally, if you visit the Belvoir Gardens shop, thank Tom Carroll and ask to see the book that tells the story of the bee move. Then walk to the backside of the shop. The hive is buzzing and the bees are dancing. Belvoir Gardens is located at 4022 Brainerd Rd. (423) 227-0360, facebook.com/belvoirgardens

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chattanoogapulse.com • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 13


ARTS SCENE

Marvelous, Magical Mummenschantz

Groundbreaking silent theatre company to perform at UTC this Tuesday night

Sing A Sondheim Song Of Love CTC hosts special Valentine’s Day “Into the Woods” For a truly unique Valentine’s Day date, head on over to the Chattanooga Theatre Centre for a night filled with entertainment. The CTC is hosting a special Valentine’s Day performance of the musical “Into the Woods,” including enough love-themed treats and drinks to satisfy the most lovestruck. Guests can expect to enjoy complimentary champagne, Hershey’s Kisses, candy hearts, and love songs while overlooking the romantic Tennessee River. “Into the Woods” (on which the popular current movie is based) was composed by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine and tells a story that blends multiple fairytales into one. Cinderella, Jack, a Giant, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and a Wolf (among others) appear...oh,

and let’s not forget The Witch. The play has ten performances from Feb. 13 to Mar. 1. So, if you already have plans on Valentine’s Day night, you can catch it on any of its other dates. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at (423) 267-8534 Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Valentine’s Day celebration starts Feb. 14 at 7 p.m., with the performance following at 8 p.m. Show your sweetie and the CTC some love! — Eugene Campbell “Into the Woods” Saturday, 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com

Thu2.12

fri2.13

sat2.14

sensual art

dancing time

family fun

“Nudes & Lingerie: An Evening of Art”

Broken Hearts Ball

“Beauty and the Beast”

Take your sweetheart out for a night of dancing to benefit the Family Violence Shelter and Rape Crisis Center. 8 p.m. Stratton Hall 3146 Broad St. (423) 697-3828 partnershipfca.com

You’ve seen the films, you’ve seen the musical, now come experience the fairy tale that inspired it all. 7:30 p.m. Ripple Theater 3264 Brainerd Rd. (423) 503-4974 rippletheater.com

Just in time for Valentine's Day comes this special collection of risque and fun-loving art. 6 p.m. Gallery 1401 1478 Market St. (423) 265-0015 gallery1401.com

14 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

I

n 1972, three young people came together in Paris: Andres Bossard, Bernie Schürch, and Floriana Frassetto. Each had unique experience in the performing arts, and they decided to create a new form of theatrical expression together. Thus, the theatrical troupe Mummenschanz was born.

Arts rachael poe

We thought maybe it would last a week, and then we’d be done. We never expected to go all over the world. But we have.”

Admittedly, the name is peculiar— perhaps the peculiarity of the name reflects the peculiarity of the performance. Bossard, Schürch, and Frassetto wanted to create a nonverbal theatre that could defy linguistic and cultural boundaries. Simply put, Mummenschanz is a silent mask theatre troupe that makes use of surreal masks and strange props. At a Mummenschanz show, there are no words and no music; it is a visual theatre experience. Of course, neither words nor music are needed to convey meaning. Founding member Floriana Frassetto points out the advantages of silent performance: “I think in a world like today where there’s music everywhere—from your home to the drugstore to the parking lot—it’s wonderful to sit back and let go and imagine your own music. “What we perform on stage is visual,” Frassetto says, “but there is an incredible rhythm that the audience feels together, with their reactions, with their laughter, with their sighs, with their enjoyment. This rhythm is also musical, even though it’s silent. Funnily enough, there are people at the end of the show who will ask us, ‘What kind of music did I hear?’” Initially, Mummenschanz enjoyed success at various international festivals. By


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1974, only two years after Mummenschanz’s formation, they were touring in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Shortly afterward in 1977, the group made it to Broadway. “We never expected for us—a nonverbal, non-music show—to go on Broadway and stay there for three years,” says Frassetto. “We never expected that we would go as far as 43 years, either. We thought maybe it would last a week, and then we’d be done. We never expected to go all over the world. But we have.” After over four decades of performance, Mummenschanz has expanded its repertoire to include dozens of skits. “Sometimes bringing a skit to life just takes seeing a material and pasting it together and then improvising with it, seeing what it can do,” Frassetto explains. “Sometimes it takes months. “We work with a lot of materials like plastic, foam, and rubber, and there is a lot of wear and tear because we have to constantly use these materials. So there are little repairs to be made every day. But it’s a fun process,” Frassetto comments with a laugh. “I love the creation of it because it’s like a sculpture standing in front of you. You

can see the shapes in a material before you work with it—maybe this one will make a face.” Along the way, cast members have come and gone, but the essence of the troupe remains the same. Mummenschanz has continued to tour, delighting audiences across the world. Recent years have seen the emergence of more complete programs, the development of more mask and playing techniques, and the broadening of Mummenschanz’s repertoire. The company will be touring in America through this April—a tour that includes a stop in Chattanooga at UTC’s Fine Arts Center as part of the Patten Performance Series. The performance will include founding member Floriana Frassetto as a main cast member, and the current featured players are Philipp Egil, Pietro Montandon, and Raffaella Mattioli. Frassetto describes the show: “With a choice of about 25 sketches, we are portraying 40 years of our work. The first part of the show portrays the ’70s and the ’80s. And then the second part of the show portrays the type of work we’ve done from the ’80s into today. “In the ’70s,” Frassetto explains, “we performed with the toilet-paper

mask, the clay mask—masks that we wore over the face. Later on, we created masks that we wore over our heads. And then we started using these inflatable materials that were very big. And then from the year 2000 on, we kind of stepped outside these materials. This show portrays that progression.” When asked what she hopes audience members learn from Mummenschanz shows, Frassetto chuckles and says, “Oh, I don’t pretend that we teach anything. We help the audience to let go into a world of their own personal, individual imagination. So the adults can imagine what they imagine, and the children, of course, who are explosive with imagination, will explode into their own worlds, and then there is a dialogue between the two. That’s the fun part of it—that adults and children can both let go together into their own dimension of creativity.” •••• The performance will be Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at UTC’s Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $15 for students. For more information, visit mummenschanz.com

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chattanoogapulse.com • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 15


ARTS CALENDAR

Street Cycling 101

thursday2.12

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“Flowers, Food, & Fine Art with The Clay Pot” 10 a.m. River Gallery 400 E. 2nd St. (800) 374-2923 river-gallery.com Ooltewah Farmers Market 3 p.m. Ooltewah Nursery & Landscape Co. 5829 Main St. (423) 238-9775 ooltewahnursery.com “Nudes & Lingerie: An Evening of Art” 6 p.m. Gallery 1401 1478 Market St. (423) 265-0015 gallery1401.com Winter Workshop: Make Your Own Outdoor Video: “Editing Essentials” 6:30 p.m. Outdoor Chattanooga 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Michael Mack 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com “Edith Stein” 8 p.m. Covenant College 14049 Scenic Hwy. (706) 419-1051 covenant.edu

16 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

friday2.13 Valentine Special Dinner Trains 5:30, 8 p.m. Chattanooga Grand Junction 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com “Wild at Heart: Cocktails for Conversation” 6 p.m. Chattanooga Zoo 301 N. Holtzclaw Ave. (423) 697-1322 chattzoo.org “Beauty and the Beast” 7:30 p.m. Ripple Theater 3264 Brainerd Rd. (423) 503-4974 rippletheater.com Friday Night Comedy Improv

Pulse Pick: Michael Mack His “Laugh ‘till you puke” style has made it on to “The Bob and Tom Show,” “The John Boy and Billy Show,” and ABC’s “America’s Funniest People.” Michael Mack The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

7:30 p.m. Chattanooga State Humanities Theater 4501 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 697-3246 chattanoogastate.edu CSO: “Big Band Fever” 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8583 chattanoogaonstage.com Michael Mack 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Broken Hearts Ball 8 p.m. Stratton Hall 3146 Broad St. (423) 697-3828 partnershipfca.com

“Into the Woods” 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com “Edith Stein” 8 p.m. Covenant College 14049 Scenic Hwy. (706) 419-1051 covenant.edu Kerosene Komedy presents “Who Needs VD?” 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Romance at Ruby Lantern Tour 8:30 p.m. Ruby Falls 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com

saturday2.14 Symphonic Tales: “Leon & Albertine” 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga Public Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310 chattlibrary.org Valentine Special Dinner Trains 5:30, 8 p.m. Chattanooga Grand Junction 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com


ARTS CALENDAR

"Hedda Gabler" Valentine’s Day at the Bessie 6 p.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org CSO: “Big Band Fever” 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8583 chattanoogaonstage.com Same Love: A Valentine’s Day Diversity Dance 7:30 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theatre 1 Broad St. (423) 834-5642 “Beauty and the Beast” 7:30 p.m. Ripple Theater 3264 Brainerd Rd. (423) 503-4974 rippletheater.com Michael Mack 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com “Into the Woods” 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com “Edith Stein” 8 p.m. Covenant College 14049 Scenic Hwy. (706) 419-1051 covenant.edu Romance at Ruby

Lantern Tour 8:30 p.m. Ruby Falls 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com

sunday2.15 Valentine’s Day Sunset Cruise 2 p.m. River Gorge Explorer 1 Broad St. (423) 267-3474 tnaqua.org “Beauty and the Beast” 2:30 p.m. Ripple Theater 3264 Brainerd Rd. (423) 503-4974 rippletheater.com Reading of “Romeo & Juliet” 3 p.m. Highland Center 104 N. Tuxedo Ave. (423) 622-2862 Valentine Special Dinner Trains 5:30 p.m. Chattanooga Grand Junction 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com Divas and Drinks: “I Will Always Love You” 6 p.m. The Foundry 1201 S. Broad St. (423) 667-0928 chattanooganhotel.com Michael Mack 7:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Romance at Ruby Lantern Tour 8:30 p.m. Ruby Falls 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com

monday2.16 Street Cycling 101 6 p.m. Outdoor Chattanooga 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com

tuesday2.17 Imagine! Film Premiere 5:30 p.m. Greenspaces 63 E. Main St. (423) 648-0963 greenspaceschattanooga.org So Lit Book Club: “Serena” 5:30 p.m. Brix Nouveaux 301 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 267-1218 southernlitalliance.org Mummenschanz 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center Vine & Palmetto Sts. (423) 425-4269 utc.edu “Hedda Gabler”

7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center Vine & Palmetto Sts. (423) 425-4269 utc.edu

wednesday2.18 Siskin Hospital’s Possibilities Luncheon 11:30 a.m. Chattanooga Convention Center 1100 Carter St. (423) 634-1208 siskenrehab.org Daraja Children’s Choir of Africa 7 p.m. Rechoboth Baptist Church 12622 Dayton Pike (423) 332-5584 darajachoir.org Performing Arts Series: International Contemporary Ensemble 7:30 p.m. Lee University: Squire’s Recital Hall 1250 Parker St. NE (423) 614-8343 iceorg.org “Hedda Gabler” 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center Vine & Palmetto Sts. (423) 425-4269 utc.edu 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 • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 17


Startup Ecosystem Design, Meet Urban Design Do you care about the city’s downtown livability? Your voice matters.

Everyone who cares about Chattanooga’s startups and startup ecosystem—coders, designers, founders, venture capitalists, consultants, mentors, interested onlookers— needs to participate in the week-long open design workshop.”

Rich Bailey is a professional writer, editor and (sometimes) PR consultant. He led a project to create Chattanooga’s first civic web site in 1995 before even owning a modem. Now he covers Chattanooga technology for The Pulse and blogs about it at CircleChattanooga.com. He splits his time between Chattanooga and Brooklyn.

Last month, Chattanooga’s long-awaited Innovation District was unveiled. The city-county Enterprise Center, reorganized last spring to lead the creation of the Innovation District, has drawn a circle around 140 acres of downtown RICH centered roughly around Miller Plaza. That territory encompasses a sizable chunk of the city’s growing startup ecosystem, including the two private venture incubators Lamp Post Group and Swiftwing Ventures, the Public Library (whose 4th Floor maker space has become an innovation hub in its own right) and the Society of

Work coworking space. The district is anchored by the 10-story Edney Building at the north end of Warehouse Row. TVA is selling the Edney to the city, which will in turn sell it to a private developer who will redevelop it into the BAILEY hub of a new type of magnet intended to attract more of the tech companies and startups that have begun proliferating downtown in the last few years. CoLab will relocate to the Edney, holding all its many startup-related events there, including Gig Tank, and plans to offer short-term leases to young startups.

Tech Talk

The idea is to concentrate companies, housing and amenities in one livable area and watch the sparks of innovation fly. The concept is not new, but the idea of a defined innovation district is, and Chattanooga’s is touted as the first to be created by a mid-size city. Boston’s innovation district is one of the oldest and most successful, claiming credit for 200 companies and 5,000 jobs created since 2010. Precisely how Chattanooga’s Innovation District will do something similar is so far undefined, but news accounts included the creation of a task force to determine whether additional elements, like tax incentives, will be made available to attract new businesses. Boston’s has grown primarily by promotion, with companies attracted by proximity to other startups and by low rents, though rents are now rising as the district becomes popular.

(You can get more info at innovationdistrict.org) To me, the story here is “startup ecosystem design meets urban design.” The wave of tech and startup growth of the last four or five years was preceded and enabled by 30 years of cutting-edge urban design. As the startup wave accelerates, the young tech/creative talent those companies need is both attracted to places like our downtown and helps sustain and grow those places by demanding more of the same— more housing at varied price points. More shops, restaurants, bars, music venues. Safer, more walkable, bikeable streets.More “there.” Everything urban design works to grow for the whole community. Boston’s innovation district has been criticized for bad urban design. With Chattanooga’s version of the idea situated in or near the heart of a walkable

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18 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

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Work on the Miller Park/Miller Plaza redesign is set to begin this spring.

downtown, it’s hard to imagine that being a problem. Then again, the results of good urban design are nearly always far more appreciated than what it took to create them. Chattanooga’s reimagined downtown is as well loved as it is well used. But how many people enjoying downtown 2.0 know its reboot was guided by urban design principles and visionary leadership? Or that the previous mayor, in his first months in office, fired Stroud Watson (the visionary urban designer who did more than anyone to guide the relaunch of downtown Chattanooga), gutted Watson’s Urban Design Studio and turned city government away from participating in urban design? (What’s that you say? That’s crazy, like Apple firing Steve Jobs? Oh, wait, they did. And we know what happened when they brought him back.) Urban design has slowly been making a comeback, starting with the Urban Design Challenge, River City Company’s high-visibility competition in 2011 and 2012 to create urban visions for some of the downtown spots most in need of retooling. That revival is accelerating with the Chattanooga Form-Based Code initiative

(the first city-sponsored urban design initiative in nearly a decade) and signs that a new incarnation of the Urban Design Studio is nearing a rollout. Both are being led by former students of Stroud Watson. Here’s the pitch. On Mar. 7-12, everyone who cares about Chattanooga’s startups and startup ecosystem—coders, designers, founders, venture capitalists, consultants, mentors, interested onlookers—needs to participate in the week-long open design workshop to create a form-based code that will guide future development of five downtown neighborhoods, including most of the Innovation District. (Info: CHA-FBC.com) This is a public design charrette, in which planners will work in open sessions and solicit input from the public while they begin drafting a replacement for outdated zoning codes that actually make it difficult for new development to fit the template of a livable, vibrant downtown. Kind of like a hackathon for the code that gives the city its physical form. This livable downtown didn’t just happen. So if you like it—join the effort to keep it going. chattanoogapulse.com • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 19


MUSIC SCENE

All We Can Say Is Hail Seizer! Matt Rice is back with a really big concept

M

Please String Me Along The Hunter is the place to be for pre-Valentine romance The sixth season of “String Theory” at the Hunter Museum will present the classical stylings of pianist Gloria Chien and clarinetist Anthony McGill as they bring live chamber music to Chattanooga on Thursday. The two well-known musicians will perform an evening of romantic compositions: Debussy’s “Premiere Rhapsodie,” Schumann’s “Romances Op. 94,” Berg’s “Four Pieces Op. 5,” and “Weber’s “Grand Duo Concertant Op. 48.” McGill is the principal clarinetist for the New York Philharmonic and played for a decade as the clarinetist for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Chien has been described as a prodigy and made her first or-

chestral debut at the age of 16 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has received many rewards and played many solo performances. Chien founded String Theory in 2009 to bring together chamber musicians from around the world to perform at the Hunter. For more information, contact the Hunter Museum at (423) 267-0968. Ticket costs range from $10 to $35. — Eugene Campbell String Theory Thursday, 6 p.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. huntermuseum.org

thu2.12

fri2.13

SAT2.14

country soul

dance fever

love music

Channing Wilson Band

CSO: “Big Band Fever”

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The annual concert of the greatest music from the Swing Era, featuring former Glenn Miller Orchestra vocalist, Valerie Duke, back by popular demand. 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. chattanoogaonstage.com

The Scarlet Love Conspiracy They've played nearly every stage in town, now come catch them up-close-and-personal in Chattanooga's most intimate venue. 10 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191

20 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

att Rice has been around. The Chattanooga native first made a name for himself with the bands Tides of Fury and Johnny Dropout. Johnny Dropout was a particular success, making the rounds of Chattanooga’s most popular music venues and enjoying a high degree of love and support, until 2012 when Rice moved to Murfreesboro to attend MTSU and Johnny Dropout went on (permanent) hiatus.

Music marc t. michael

Rice plans on a whole ‘Seizer Universe,’ encompassing books, comics, film, television and virtually any and all media that might be used to represent the Seizer character and friends.”

Ever the prolific songwriter, Rice kept pen to paper, scribbling lyrics away and turning over ideas for a new band, a concept band whose music would create an ongoing story arc from album to album. The seed for Seizer was planted. It would be two years before Rice assembled the right group of musicians to breathe life in to his rock-and-roll creation. At MTSU, Rice met fellow Chattanoogan Cameron Crump, a drummer extraordinaire who shared Matt’s vision for Seizer. Josh Reynolds soon joined the group on guitar and the proto-Seizer was born. Conflicting schedules meant that Reynolds had to bow out, leaving Hayden Gist to take over duties on the six-string this month. Formed in August of 2014, Seizer released their first single (“Breaking Another Girl’s Heart”) the following month. Six months later, on Feb. 8 of this year, Seizer released their debut EP, Past Regrets and Haven’t Yets. If the five-song collection is a sign of things to come, expect to be hearing quite a bit more from Seizer in the near future. The tunes are largely bright, poppy and just punk enough to get your blood moving; well-written lyrics complete the package. As the band’s sole songwriter, Rice cites as his influences Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Blink 182, the Beatles


Bad Scout’s Final Stand

Matt Rice

“The tunes are largely bright, poppy and just punk enough to get your blood moving; well-written lyrics complete the package.”

and Angels & Airwaves, to name a few. One can hear these influences quite clearly in Seizer’s music and it’s a winning combination of ingredients. Eschewing the trope of the “concept album,” Rice and company have instead decided to pursue the notion of a “concept band.” The point here is that every album will be part of a greater whole with a regular cast of characters and chronology, though not necessarily a linear chronology. The concept doesn’t end there, however, as Rice plans

on a whole “Seizer Universe,” encompassing books, comics, film, television and virtually any and all media that might be used to represent the Seizer character and friends. It is an ambitious project, no doubt, but the band’s ability in creating the convincing pop/punk fusion that gives legs to Rice’s words suggests that the boys have what it takes to make it happen.

For now, the EP can be sampled (and purchased) at the band’s bandcamp page, seizermusic. bandcamp.com (iTunes to follow shortly), but perhaps the best way to get a feel for this up-andcoming artistic explosion is to see them live. The band will be appearing next at JJ’s Bohemia on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Will the band succeed in their “king of all media” approach? It remains to be seen—but given the talent and tools they have at their disposal, I certainly wouldn’t bet against it.

Bad Scout, that “smooth as Southern sippin’ liquor” band from Chattanooga, is giving their farewell performance on Friday, Mar. 6 at The Camphouse. The band (once described by a particularly charming reviewer as, “The musical equivalent of The Dude abiding”) has garnered its fair share of love in the last year, but with one half of the founding duo moving to Nashville and the other on deck to get married, the fellas felt like the time was right for Bad Scout to perform its swan song*. It’s a shame to see such a talented group disband, but the split is completely amicable. Cody Ray and Jonathan Williams both speak glowingly of their writing partnership and are rightfully proud of the work they accomplished together, but all good things (they say) must come to an end. It is certain that whatever project each of the gentlemen—and indeed, the rest of the band members—embarks on next is going to be worthwhile. In the meantime, spend a final night with one of the few bands to capture the genuine Southern culture experience and while you’re at it, pick up a T-shirt and a CD. (*There may or may not be an actual Bad Scout tune — MTM called “Swan Song.”)

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LIVE MUSIC FEBRUARY

12 FRI THE WERKS 9p 13 SAT ERICK BAKER 9p 14 AMERICAN AQUARIUM WED 9P 18 JIMMY TAWATER BAND THU 8p 19 BREAKFAST CLUB FRI 10p 20 SAT FLY BY RADIO 10p 21 CHANNING WILSON THU 9p ONE OF OUR BEST SONGWRITERS

with HIGHER LEARNING

with MARIA and JOSH SABLE with LAURIS VIDAL

KILLER GUITARS, GREAT HORN SECTION 80'S RETRO AND DANCE HITS!

FEMALE FRONTED ROCK AND ROLL!

2.25 RAELYN NELSON BAND with JESS GOGGINS 2.26 SMOOTH DIALECTS with MARBIN

COMING SOON

THE APACHE RELAY FRI 9:30p 27 with ANDREW COMBS

ALANNA ROYALE with WATERFALL WASH

WED 9p

4

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

221 MARKET STREET HOT MUSIC • FINE BEER • GREAT FOOD

BUY TICKETS ONLINE • RHYTHM-BREWS.COM

MUSIC CALENDAR

CHATTANOOGA

thursday2.12 String Theory with Anthony Mcgill, Gloria Chien 6 p.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. huntermuseum.org Prime Country Band 6:30 p.m. Ringgold Nutrition Center 144 Circle Dr. (706) 935-2541 Bluegrass and Country Jam 7 p.m. Grace Nazarene Church 6310 Dayton Blvd. chattanoogagrace.com Feel It Thursday Open Mic 7 p.m. Mocha Restaurant & Music Lounge 511 Broad St. mochajazz.net Jesse James & Tim Neal 7 p.m. Mexi Wings VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. (423) 296-1073 Kristen Holritz 7 p.m. Covenant College 14049 Scenic City Hwy. covenant.edu Songwriter Shootout 7 p.m. The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd. thecamphouse.com Birds With Fleas 8 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd.

22 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

Birds With Fleas jjsbohemia.com Channing Wilson Band 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Open Mic with Hap Henninger 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter Street citycafemenu.com/the-office

friday2.13 Jason Thomas and the Mean-Eyed Cats 5 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo 1400 Market St. choochoo.com Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m.

Pulse Pick: Danimal Planet Danimal Pinson has recently paired with drummer and producer Adam Brown who has brought a vast array of rhythmic and melodic depth to the looping and instrumentation set forth by Danimal. Danimal Planet Saturday, 9 p.m. The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy thehonestpint.com

El Meson 2204 Hamilton Place Blvd. elmesonrestaurant.com Chamber Music for Body and Soul II 7 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center 736 Vine St. utc.edu/fine-arts-center Chattanooga Acoustic Showcase 7 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org CSO: “Big Band Fever” 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. chattanoogaonstage.com David Davis, Stan Wilemon, Robert Montgomery 7:30 p.m.

Ringgold Depot: Sacred Sounds 155 Depot St. exploregeorgia.org Elkmilk, Big Kitty, Longtime Goners 8 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Rick Rushing and the Blues Strangers 8:30 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Alex Gunthrie Band 9 p.m. World of Beer 412 Market St. worldofbeer.com Mark Andrew 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com/the-office The Werks, Higher Learning 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Aunt Betty 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com

saturday2.14 Jason Thomas and the Mean-Eyed Cats 5 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo


1400 Market St. choochoo.com Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m. El Meson 2204 Hamilton Place Blvd. elmesonrestaurant.com Dana Rogers 6 p.m. The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd. thecamphouse.com CSO: “Big Band Fever” 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. chattanoogaonstage.com Gene Hodge 7:30 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Laura Hope and the Ark-tones 8 p.m. The Brew & Crew 5017 Rossville Blvd. facebook.com/ TheBrewAndCue Southern Adventist University Wind Symphony 8 p.m. Southern Adventist University Wood Hall Ackerman Auditorium 4881 Taylor Circle southern.edu Rick Rushing and the Blues Strangers 8:30 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Danimal Planet 9 p.m.

The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy. thehonestpint.com Erick Baker, Maria and Josh Sable 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Roughwork 9 p.m. World of Beer 412 Market St. worldofbeer.com Aunt Betty 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com The Scarlet Love Conspiracy 10 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 Vacation, Todd Killings, Swoon, Basement Benders 10 p.m. Sluggo’s North Vegetarian Café 501 Cherokee Blvd. facebook.com/sluggos.shows

sunday2.15 Hookey Brothers 11 a.m. The Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com Jazzanooga Presents Brunch at The Hunter 11 a.m. Hunter Museum

10 Bluff View Ave. huntermuseum.org Booker T. Scruggs Ensemble 1:30 p.m. The Flying Squirrel Bar 55 Johnson St. flyingsquirrelbar.com CSO Chamber Series 3 p.m. Silver Ballroom, Read House 709 Broad St. chattanoogasymphony.org Sunday Night Irish Music Jam Session 5 p.m. Grocery Bar 1501 Long St. grocerybar.com Acoustic Gospel Jam 6 p.m. Brainerd United Methodist Church 4315 Brainerd Rd. brainerdumc.org Big Mic Mike, Bran Muney, Shawn Cooley 8 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E .MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com

monday2.16 Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com The Bryan Sutton Band 7:30 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org

MUSIC CALENDAR

American Aquarium

tuesday2.17 Andrew Kelsey, Matt Brown, Preston Parris, Anthony Quails 6:30 p.m. Heritage House Arts and Civic Center 1428 Jenkins Rd. Rick’s Blues Jam 7 p.m. Folk School of Chattanooga 1200 Mountain Creek Rd. chattanoogafolk.com Datsik 9 p.m. Track 29 1400 Market St. track29.co

wednesday2.18 Eddie Pontiac 5:30 p.m. El Meson 248 Northgate Park elmesonrestaurant.com Open Mic with Ryan Oyer 8 p.m. The Honest Pint 35 Patten Pkwy. thehonestpint.com American Aquarium 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

901 Carter St Inside City Cafe (423)634-9191 Thursday, February 12: 9pm Open Mic with Hap Henninger Friday, February 13: 9pm Mark Andrew Saturday, February 14: 10pm The Scarlet Love Conspiracy Tuesday, February 17: 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

citycafemenu.com/the-office

daily lunch & drink specials!

WHERE CHATTANOOGA’S BEST ARTISTS PERFORM EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!

call & book a monday night private party!

410 market • (423) 757-wing

singitorwingit-chattanooga.com

Follow us on Facebook (we’re quite likeable) facebook.com/chattanoogapulse

chattanoogapulse.com • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 23


Record Reviews

Vienna Boys Choir

ernie paik

Pure Energy Out of Prison, Wizardry Out of New York Complex emotion from Zomba Prison, impressive ruckus from Zs

Friday, March 13 7:30 p.m, The Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St | Chattanooga Presented by The Chattanooga Chapter of the American Guild of Organists

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Call (423) 642-TIXS

www.ChattanoogaOnStage.com Rossville Charity Bingo Hall Playing it Forward for Worthy Charities!

BINGO Up to $1,500 in CASH Prizes!! Raffles & Fun! BINGO SCHEDULE

THUrS - SATUrdAy Doors open at 5 pm

Bingo starts at 6:30 pm SUNdAy MATINEE Doors open at 1 pm

Bingo starts at 2:30 pm Concession Stand Paper & Electronic Bingo 303 Chickamauga Ave., Rossville GA Next to the Post Office For more information contact 423-458-2656

www.rossvilleBingo.org Benefitting Elks Lodge 218 and FACES: The National Craniofacial Association

Zomba Prison Project I Have No Everything Here (Six Degrees)

I

n chapter 25 of the Chattanooga City code, such spooky activities including engaging in clairvoyance, seership and necromancy are considered unlawful—look it up, if you don’t believe this writer. However, it seems unlikely that these laws are frequently enforced, if at all, or that there is a necromancy task force in our local police department. In the southeast African nation of Malawi, it’s a different situation. At the maximum-security Zomba Prison, populated way beyond its intended capacity, prisoners are held on charges such as witchcraft or homosexuality and share the compound with thieves and murderers. Musician and producer Ian Brennan (not to be confused with the Glee creator of the same name) was disturbed by the notions that “entire countries are left globally voiceless” and that western culture has a superiority com-

24 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

Zs Xe (Northern Spy)

plex, mirroring inequalities in the world. In 2013, Brennan and his wife traveled to Zomba Prison, and in exchange for giving classes on violence prevention—one of Brennan’s fields of expertise—prison officials allowed them to meet with the prisoners and record willing singers and musicians. They ended up recording over six hours of music from over sixty prisoners, and the 20-track album I Have No Everything Here is the result, with some proceeds going to legal representation for the prisoners. While the song titles can be unflinchingly bleak—including “Please, Don’t Kill My Child” and “I See the Whole World Dying of AIDS”—the performances are far from being hopeless and miserable, often being pure energy and emotion with untrained voices and largely competent musicians. Tracks range from a cappella numbers to songs with

modest accompaniments or even full-band arrangements, and many tracks are brief, being around a minute or less, providing just a taste. This writer believes that the album could have been arranged and sequenced in a more effective way, somehow allowing the very short moments to breathe and resonate more fully, but the source material is absolutely compelling.

T

he New York City outfit Zs, founded by tenor saxophonist Sam Hillmer, has gone through its share of configurations since 2000, with apparent avant-jazz influences and a brazen noise-rock affinity at times. For this writer, the most memorable features of Zs include a devious, enunciated aggression that can erupt after a seething build-up, and a willingness to employ various textures and tools in order to excite and provoke, but not exactly with a cartoony, slapstick method. Take, for instance, the group’s excellent 2013 EP Grain, which took synthetic sound molestations and an intense take on electro-acoustic music to dizzying heights. Zs is currently a trio, with Hillmer joined by percussionist Greg Fox (also of the black metal band Liturgy) and guitarist Patrick Higgins, and the group’s latest fulllength, Xe, was recorded live in the studio with no overdubs or post-processing, lead-

ing the listener to realize that all the sound warping and synthetic wizardry was done in real-time. The proceedings are a tad less abrasively noisy than some previous work, although the threesome can still generate an impressive ruckus, like on “The Future of Royalty,” with staccato, piercing notes, beatbox claps, the cheerful insanity of Hillmer’s sax tooting and an ending flurry of drum pummeling and head-on cymbal crashes. The glitchy “Wolf Government” is ridden with artificial note-bending, and the long “Corps” is a bit maddening, going through two complete cycles of rigor (hand-muted electric guitar plucks, bustling beats, sax squawks) and looseness, rather than taking a more predictable catharsistype conclusion. The album’s title track is its longest piece, beginning with a gargling guitar and short blast of thrash-jazz, before running with guitar harmonics, drum clicks and foreboding sax puffs. Xe is a complicated and well-articulated album, particularly for a live-in-the-studio recording, but its take on uncertainty and aural payoffs could have been more striking. While the listener is not sure what each piece is really building toward, it doesn’t invoke as much dread or sublime terror that this writer would have liked.


KENNY CHESNEY WITH

ERIC CHURCH

THE BIG REVIVAL TOUR

June 13th @ The Georgia Dome

CAT COUNTRY 95.3 WANTS TO SEND YOU THERE! Listen to the Cat between 2-7pm Monday – Friday to find out where Mac & Cheez will be set up for the “Chesney Checkpoint.” You will only have one hour to sign up at each location! We draw one winner on Friday afternoon! Get all the details online at CatCountry953.com

Celebrate Life. Eat Well.

LUKEN HOLDINGS POPS SERIES

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD Concert sponsored by Baker Donelson Saturday, February 28 • 7:30PM Tivoli Theatre

423.267.8583 www.chattanoogasymphony.org Featuring Vocalist Daniel Narducci

2213 Hamilton Place Boulevard • Open 7 Days (423) 899-5341 • www.acropolisgrill.com

Locally Owned and Operated for 19 Years chattanoogapulse.com • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 25


If you’re having problems getting a vehicle...

We can help you get a fresh start! If you qualify and want to seriously repair your credit, come see Mike Hicks for a credit fix!

Come See The Best Selection In Town! Set your appointment. All inquires are confidential. Drive home today! Se Habla Español.

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5348 Highway 153 at Hixson Pike • Chattanooga • MarshalMizeFord.com

Join us for a Monday Night Live Radio Broadcast Live every Monday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at World of Beer in downtown Chattanooga. Come out and join ESPN Radio’s Wells Guthrie and co-host Gene Henley (UTC Men’s Basketball Beat Writer) ast they discuss everything sports.

412 Market Street Downtown Chattanooga 26 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

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Free Will Astrology

Homework: Proposed experiment: Carry out an act of love that’s unique in your history. Testify at FreeWillAstrology. com

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): How many desires do you have? Take a rough inventory. Identify the experiences you continually seek in your quest to feel relief and pleasure and salvation and love and a sense of meaning. You can also include fantasies that go unfulfilled and dreams that may or may not come true in the future. As you survey this lively array, don’t censor yourself or feel any guilt. Simply give yourself to a sumptuous meditation on all the longings that fuel your journey. This is your prescription for the coming week. In ways you may not yet be able to imagine, it is the medicine you need most. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The German word Nachkussen refers to the kind of kiss that compensates for all the kissing that has not been happening, all the kissing that has been omitted or lost. If it has been too long since you’ve kissed anyone, you need Nachkussen. If your lover hasn’t kissed you lately with the focused verve you long for, you need Nachkussen. If you yourself have been neglecting to employ your full artistry and passion as you bestow your kisses, you need Nachkussen. From what I can tell, Pisces, this Valentine season is a full-on Nachkussen holiday for you. Now please go get what you haven’t been getting. ARIES (March 21-April 19): I hope you have someone in your life to whom you can send the following love note, and if you don’t, I trust you will locate that someone no later than August 1: “I love you more than anyone loves you, or has loved you, or will love you, and also, I love you in a way that no one loves you, or has loved you, or will love you, and also, I love you in a way that I love no one else, and never have loved anyone else, and never will love anyone else.” (This passage is borrowed from author Jonathan Safran Foer’s book Everything Is Illuminated.)

Rob Brezsny is an aspiring master of curiosity, perpetrator of sacred uproar, and founder of the Beauty and Truth Lab. He brings a literate, myth-savvy perspective to his work. It’s all in the stars.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “We assume that others show their love in the same way that we do,” writes psycholo-

rob brezsny

gist Amy Przeworski, “and if they don’t follow that equation, we worry that the love is not there.” I think you’re on track to overcome this fundamental problem, Taurus. Your struggles with intimacy have made you wise enough to surrender your expectations about how others should show you their love. You’re almost ready to let them give you their affection and demonstrate their care for you in ways that come natural to them. In fact, maybe you’re ready RIGHT NOW. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I’d like to bestow a blessing on you and your closest ally. My hope is that it will help you reduce the restlessness that on occasion undermines the dynamism of your relationship. Here’s the benediction, inspired by a Robert Bly poem: As you sit or walk or lie next to each other, you share a mood of glad acceptance. You aren’t itchy or fidgeting, wondering if there’s something better to be or do. You don’t wish you were talking about a different subject or feeling a different emotion or living in a different world. You are content to be exactly who you are, exactly where you are. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Want to infuse your romantic interludes with wilder moods now and then? Want to cultivate a kind of intimacy that taps deeper into your animal intelligence? If so, try acting out each other’s dreams or drawing magic symbols on each other’s bodies. Whisper funny secrets into each other’s ears or wrestle like goodnatured drunks on the living room floor. Howl like coyotes. Caw like crows. Purr like cheetahs. Sing boisterous songs and recite feral poetry to each other. Murmur this riff, adapted from Pablo Neruda: “Our love was born in the wind, in the night, in the earth. That’s why the clay and the flower, the mud and the roots know our names.” LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Is there any sense in which your closest alliance is a gift to the world? Does your relationship inspire anyone? Do the two of you serve as activators and energiz-

ers, igniting fires in the imaginations of those whose lives you touch? If not, find out why. And if you are tapping into those potentials, it’s time to raise your impact to the next level. Together the two of you now have extra power to synergize your collaboration in such a way that it sends out ripples of benevolence everywhere you go. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The poet Rainer Marie Rilke said that people misunderstand the role of love. “They have made it into play and pleasure because they think that play and pleasure are more blissful than work,” he wrote. “But there is nothing happier than work. And love, precisely because it is the supreme happiness, can be nothing other than work.” I’m sharing this perspective with you for two reasons, Virgo. First, of all the signs in the zodiac, you’re most likely to thrive on his approach. Second, you’re in a phase of your astrological cycle when this capacity of yours is at a peak. Here’s how Rilke finished his thought: “Lovers should act as if they had a great work to accomplish.” LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): About 2,600 years ago, the Greek poet Sappho wrote the following declaration: “You make me hot.” In the next ten days, I’d love for you to feel motivated to say or think that on a regular basis. In fact, I predict that you will. The astrological omens suggest you’re in a phase when you are both more likely to be made hot and more likely to encounter phenomena that make you hot. Here are some other fragments from Sappho that might come in handy when you need to express your torrid feelings: 1. “This randy madness I joyfully proclaim.” 2. “Eros makes me shiver again . . . Snake-sly, invincible.” 3. “Desire has shaken my mind as wind in the mountain forests roars through trees.” (Translations by Guy Davenport.) SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the TV science-fiction show Doctor Who, the title character lives in a time machine that is also a spaceship. It’s called a

Tardis. From the outside, it appears to be barely bigger than a phone booth. But once you venture inside, you find it’s a spacious chateau with numerous rooms, including a greenhouse, library, observatory, swimming pool, and karaoke bar. This is an excellent metaphor for you, Scorpio. Anyone who wants your love or friendship must realize how much you resemble a Tardis. If they don’t understand that you’re far bigger on the inside than you seem on the outside, it’s unlikely the two of you can have a productive relationship. This Valentine season, as a public service, make sure that everyone you’re seriously involved with knows this fact. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Love and intimacy come in many forms. There are at least a billion different ways for you to be attracted to another person, and a trillion different ways to structure your relationship. Maybe your unique bond involves having sex, or maybe it doesn’t. Maybe it’s romantic or friendly or holy, or all three of those things. Do the two of you have something important to create together, or is your connection more about fueling each other’s talents? Your task is to respect and revere the idiosyncratic ways you fit together, not force yourselves to conform to a prototype. To celebrate the Valentine season, I invite you and your closest ally to play around with these fun ideas. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Anais Nin wrote the following passage in her novel A Spy in the House of Love: “As other girls prayed for handsomeness in a lover, or for wealth, or for power, or for poetry, she had prayed fervently: let him be kind.” I recommend that approach for you right now, Capricorn. A quest for tender, compassionate attention doesn’t always have to be at the top of your list of needs, but I think it should be for now. You will derive a surprisingly potent alchemical boost from basking in kindness. It will catalyze a breakthrough that can’t be unleashed in any other way. Ask for it!

chattanoogapulse.com • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 27


Diversions

Consider This with Dr. Rick by Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D.

Be curious, not judgmental. — Walt Whitman Think about the difference between “Oh, really? That’s interesting, tell me more” and “Oh, I don’t like that. I just don’t believe that’s right.” How about the difference between “Wow, and what did you do then?” and “Well, that’s just not how we do things.” And the difference between “You’re from where? What’s it like to live there?” and “I’ve been here all my life. I’m not interested in anywhere else.” Opening your mind to the experiences of others doesn’t mean that you would like to have that same experience, or that you envy it, or approve, or give your blessing. It simply means that you have a natural curiosity about life, and about knowing more about what’s beyond your fence. It means that you understand that diversity is what makes our human fabric so rich. There are other races, cultures, spiritualities, sexual orientations and politics out there. None of it need be frightening. All of it might be fascinating.

28 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com


Jonesin’ Crossword

ACROSS 1 It’s a long story 5 With 6-Down, reality show “RuPaul’s ___” 9 Inseparable pair, for short 13 More mentally there 14 Freedom from worry 15 Two-tone treat 16 Swindling of a UK football club? 18 Pinto or garbanzo 19 Jerome Bettis’s team, during the move 20 Nissan SUV with an earthy name 22 Rowing machine unit 23 NPR’s Shapiro 24 “I finally got it!” 25 Quarterback known for kneeling 27 Ali of “Love Story” 29 Middle daughter on “Downton Abbey” 32 Raised sculptures 36 From ___ (at some distance) 37 Grade alongside the review “These Mick Jagger chewables are the worst”? 41 Used a Breathalyzer 42 Former Cabinet

member Donna 43 One of the simple machines 45 “The pain reliever hospitals use most,” its old ads said 49 Baseball great Ernie Banks’s nickname 52 ___ polloi (commoners) 53 “I ___ real American...” (Hulk Hogan theme lyric) 54 Wise friend of Pooh 56 “Let’s suppose that...” 58 Got 100% on 59 Jamaica’s Ocho ___ 61 Group including only elements number #13 and #2? 63 Criminal’s alter egos, briefly 64 “Aloha Oe” instruments, for short 65 English horn relatives 66 Stuff in the trap 67 Stuff in the trap 68 Stuff in the trap DOWN 1 Desert that means “desert” in Arabic

matt jones

2 Lacking energy 3 Many toothpastes 4 “___ Gratia Artis” (MGM motto) 5 1974 Charles Bronson classic 6 See 5-Across 7 Of ___ (so to speak) 8 Category 9 “Better Call Saul” star Odenkirk 10 Coffee shop connection 11 Phobia 12 Jukebox selection 13 “Hit the bricks!” 17 Lets out 21 1860s White House nickname 24 ___ Ishii (“Kill Bill” character played by Lucy Liu) 26 Whoopi’s Oscarwinning “Ghost” role 28 Marijuana producer 30 Leather color 31 “48 ___” (Eddie Murphy movie) 33 Gabor of “Green Acres” 34 Most in need of a bath 35 Keep from

trespassing on 37 NFL ball carriers 38 “___ Punk!” (movie about punk rock in Utah) 39 Debt repaid in regular payments over time 40 “That’s ___ can stand!” 44 Sports entertainment gp. founded by Ted Turner (and defunct by 2001) 46 Los Estados Unidos, for example 47 Folded food 48 ___-slipper (orchid variety) 50 Company supplying vans and cardboard boxes 51 “Perfect Strangers” cousin 54 Like some vaccines and exams 55 Website anyone can edit 57 “That was ___, this is now” 58 Dextrous start 60 Concorde’s letters 62 “You’ve Got Mail” ISP

Copyright © 2015 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. 0714

Music for Chattanooga’s Coolest Generation

hippieradio1069.com chattanoogapulse.com • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 29


Food For The Gods—Greek, Of Course The Acropolis offers meals even Aphrodite would love It would be easy for a restaurant with the long history and success of The Acropolis Mediterranean Grill to sit back on their Greek laurels and continue to serve up the food that has made them a fixture in the Chattanooga food scene for two decades. But The Acropolis is not a typical Greek restaurant. In 1982, the Kyriakidis family moved to Chattanooga and opened Little michael Athens Greek restaurant in East Ridge, where they offered up affordable, Greek comfort food for over 13 years before moving to Hamilton Place in 1995 and opening the Acropolis. Now celebrating their twentieth year, The Acropolis Mediterranean Grill is anything but typical. Thanks to a beautiful remodel, the restaurant is bright and open with a fresh take on the white and blue of the Greek Cyclades. There are no dangling strands of garlic hanging from dusty rafters or wicker carafes of wine tucked into every nook and cranny of the dining room. This is a restaurant that is true to its roots without clinging to the past—modern, without chasing trends. The menu reflects this devotion to the classic tastes we all love, while reimagining and revisiting what Greek food can be. Greek food has always been about fresh, local

and healthy ingredients that speak directly to the current renewed interest in fresh, local food. “Greeks have always been connected to our food,” says Nick Kyriakidis, “We want people to see, taste and celebrate how fresh, delicious and healthy Greek food is. We’re Greek and nobody celebrates like the thomas Greeks.” Classics like dolmathakia (stuffed grape leaves) and saganaki (pan-seared cheese lit aflame tableside) are still keeping the small plates portion of the menu anchored to its roots, while the Greek nachos will start your meal with a more contemporary twist. Crispy house potato chips are baked with feta and mozzarella; lamb and beef gyro meat gets shaved straight off the vertical roaster, then it’s all topped with Kalamata olives, shredded lettuce, tzatziki, basil pesto, and tomato cucumber relish. This is an addictive, Greek contribution to the nacho arts that is every bit as flavorful as it sounds. The entrée portion of the menu is a well-honed balance of Mediterranean favorites and comforting classics that

Dining Out

The Acropolis Mediterranean Grill Sunday through Thursday 2213 Hamilton Place 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Blvd. (near the mall) Friday and Saturday Chattanooga, TN 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. (423) 899-5341 www.acropolisgrill.com 30 • The Pulse • February 12-18, 2015 • chattanoogapulse.com

“We want people to see, taste and celebrate how fresh, delicious and healthy Greek food is. We’re Greek and nobody celebrates like the Greeks.”

have been developed and passed down through the Kyriakidis family alongside a variety of dishes for the diner who is craving something a little closer to home. I usually gravitate towards Greek favorites like pastitsio, a layered, lasagnalike baked pasta dish with ground sirloin, béchamel and marinara or the traditional flavors of the lamb kabob served with fluffy basmati rice and fetastuffed tomatoes (which I could easily eat every day for the rest of my life). The braised lamb shank, however, has become my new go-to dish when visiting the Acropolis. A beautiful representation of traditional Greek flavors similar to kokkinisto, a spectacular cut of lamb is braised in

Burgundy wine and beef broth until it pulls away from the bone like the best pot roast you’ve ever had. If you have never tried lamb, you will be hooked after your first bite; if you’re already a fan, be prepared for as tender and succulent piece of meat as you’ve ever had, served on a bed of creamy risotto and garnished with bright, fresh asparagus spears. Once you’ve found your savory happy place with lamb or one of the many

other Greek delights, put the finishing touch on your meal with one of the Acropolis’ famous desserts, an after-dinner drink from their expanded bar or enjoy a cappucino and something sweet on the patio. Mrs. Kyriakidis’ famous strawberry patch cake is still a perennial favorite along with a wide assortment of pies, pastries and cakes baked fresh on premise. It never feels like a meal at the Acropolis is complete until I have succumbed to the temptation of pillowysoft tiramisu or a crunchy, creamy cannoli. After a movie, for a quick lunch or for those special occasions when you want to impress, it’s impossible to go wrong with the Acropolis Mediterranean Grill.

The Acropolis Mediterranean Grill is featuring a special menu for Valentine’s Day. Treat your special someone to a romantic dinner at Chattanooga’s favorite Mediterranean restaurant and enjoy delectable dishes including duck two ways, bacon-wrapped quail, vegetable lasagna and grilled prime rib. Pair each course with a wine from their carefully curated collection or a featured cocktail from the bar. For more information, call (423) 899-5341 or visit acropolisgrill.com


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It’s a local call – 423-648-1372. We’ll answer anytime in less than a minute. If needed, we’ll send a truck out right away. For award-winning customer service in a heartbeat, Make the Smart Move.

chattanoogapulse.com • February 12-18 • The Pulse • 31


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