May 3-9, 2012
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FINSTERFEST » CELEBRATINGTHE LIFE &ART OFTHE REV. HOWARD FINSTER
Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative
BÉLA+Banjo+cso béla fleck brings his ‘concerto for banjo’to the tivoli
2 • The Pulse • MAY 3-9, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
HIGHLIGHTS
Since 2003
INSIDE » arts
Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative
MAY 3-9, 2012 • vol. 9 no. 18
The life and work of the late Rev. Howard Finster will be celebrated near the grounds of his Paradise Garden in Summerville, Ga., this weekend. Folk art, music and tours of the famed property begin on Saturday, May 5, in Dowdy Park. See Page 14
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COVER STORY
Béla Fleck Goes For Baroque
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• Richard Winham profiles the banjo master, who debuts his “Concerto for Banjo” on Thursday, May 3, at the Tivoli Theatre with Kayoko Dan conducting the Chattanooga Symphony. » 6
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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 culture, the arts, entertainment and local news. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publishers may take more than one copy per weekly issue. We’re watching. The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors.
MUSIC
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Trad Jazz Weekend
BREWER MEDIA GROUP President Jim Brewer II
On the cover
Béla Fleck debuts his “Concerto for Banjo” with the Chattanooga Symphony during a two-night stand beginning Thursday at the Tivoli Theatre. See Page 6
honest music
• The 22nd annual Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival swings into town on Friday, May 4, for an entire weekend of Dixieland and traditional jazz at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. By Bill Ramsey » 10
local and regional shows
The Darren Johnson Effort with Emily Hearn ($3)
Wed, May 2
9pm
Hudson K with The Bears of Blue River ($3)
Thu, May 3
9pm
Gold Plated Gold with Crass Mammoth ($3)
Wed, May 9
9pm
Free Irish Music Sunday Nights at 7pm.
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 • MAY 3-9, 2012 • The Pulse • 3
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MILESTONES
Age of Aquarium Looking back, looking forward at 20 this week, the tennessee aquarium marks its 20th anniversary, a significant milestone, but more than that a reminder of how far Chattanooga has come and the pivotal role the Aquarium has played in the city’s revitalization. As Chattanooga Land Co. president Bill Sudderth said on Sunday in the Times Free Press, “Where would we be without it? It’s almost unimaginable.” Indeed, the development of the riverfront with the Aquarium as its centerpiece, sparked a wave of investment and renewal in downtown Chattanooga and changed the way its citizens view their city and, equally important, how businesses, entrepreneurs, artists and other creatives view Chattanooga when they consider relocating. Chattanoogans have gained a
4 • The Pulse • MAY 3-9, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
renewed sense of pride in their city, once famously derided as the dirtiest city in America, and enjoy a growing and diverse downtown filled with restaurants, clubs and entertainment venues. Outsiders (and the national press) now notice a city actively building a vibrant arts scene amid the natural beauty of the surrounding area that draws tourists and outdoors en-
thusiasts, while fostering an atmosphere of forward thinking that has earned the city new nicknames such as Gig City. But as much has transpired over the past 20 years, Chattanooga is in no position to rest on its laurels. While we join in the celebration of the city’s revival and praise those who led the way, all that has occurred in this relatively brief period— and there is too long a list of positive developments to cite in this space—can now be viewed as just that—a remarkable renaissance that has paved the way for a new city that celebrates its renewal and looks forward. As a free alternative weekly newspaper focusing on music and the arts, The Pulse could simply not exist without that renaissance. Had city leaders and the visionaries behind the effort to revive downtown Chattanooga never come forward, the city might still resemble the town I left 30 years ago. That city was a very different place—a crumbling, boarded up and deteriorating town that offered little to young people like myself at the time. When I reluctantly returned last year to my hometown, I happily rediscovered a city in full bloom, capable of supporting a publication dedicated to covering a scene that didn’t exist when I left. In the Chattanooga of 1982, we lamented the city’s lack of much of anything to debate, besides its lack of luster. In the Chattanooga of 2012, we spend much time debating the merits of the city’s growing public art collection, the quality and appeal of acts appearing at such festivals as Riverbend and Nightfall, and trade ideas about the development of the city’s creative infrastructure. Chattanooga’s challenge moving forward is to continue to embrace all that has improved the quality of life here and build upon that foundation. It takes more than tourists and a single project to make Chattanooga a vital, vibrant city on a daily basis. Thankfully, there is no shortage of individuals and organizations devoted to doing just that, and we count ourselves among them. This is more the anniversary of a rebirth than a simple milestone—and you’re only 20, Chattanooga. Happy Rebirthday. The best is yet to come. —Bill Ramsey
On the Beat
alex teach
Sleep? Welcome to My Nightmare sleep. i’ve spent a sizeable amount of my career on the 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, the 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 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 allnight 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 above all-out snoring … programming your brain to respond to only one thing: Your name or badge number to bring you out of your haze, just as a hypnotist would snap his fingers to awaken 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
“
The trick to sleeping in court is you learn to ‘zombify’ ... programming your brain to respond to only one thing: Your name or badge number to bring you out of your haze. 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 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 some-
one (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. 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 walkin closet out of clothing covered with a comforter. Why? No windows—and it was wonderful, 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 a box fan for ambient noise? Babies don’t sleep that good. For legal reasons I won’t go too far into sleep aids, but there too we are experts. Diphenhydramine, melatonin— worthless. Hangover inducing pills that actually deny you any good REM sleep, just making you feel like a different “kind” of shit that the “regular” feeling of shit that goes with sleep
“
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. deprivation. And you can’t drink yourself to sleep every morning because not only is that absolutely cost-prohibitive, but 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 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 less 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. Goodnight, folks. Alex Teach is a full-time police officer of nearly 20 years experience. The opinions expressed are his own. Follow him on Facebook at facebook. com/alex.teach.
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 3-9, 2012 • The Pulse • 5
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ORIGINATING IN THE BAROQUE PERIOD,THE CONCERTO IS IDEAL FOR fleck’s restless creativity. sO WHY NOT THE BANJO? BY RICHARD WINHAM
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eclining in an easy chair, his banjo lolling in his lap, a relaxed Béla Fleck smiles out from the posters advertising the “Concerto for Banjo” scheduled for Thursday and Friday, May 3 and 4, at the Tivoli Theatre. In contrast, in an interview about the event, Kayoko Dan, Chattanooga Symphony conductor and Fleck’s partner in the performance, seems considerably less sanguine. “At first I didn’t know what to do because I’ve never accompanied the banjo before,” she said. “I’m kind of nervous, but in a good way.”
LUNCH
“I’m a fan of music, and I’m curious. I want to know how music that I love works. And I also love the banjo, which is my vehicle to understand music through.” béla fleck A mild case of nerves is hardly surprising. The event will only be the third time Fleck has played the piece since its premier with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra last September. And the music itself presents a unique set of challenges. The result of a collaboration between Fleck— whose music is demanding and complex—and musicians with the Nashville Symphony, it features some unusual percussion instruments (that were apparently just “lying around” back stage in Nashville), including sea urchin chimes. Despite the challenges, CSO’s musicians are excited to play with Fleck. “What’s fun about commissioning a work, and working with the composer,” said Dan, “is that you can ask them questions.” Originating in the Baroque period to feature a soloist (or soloists) along with the orchestra, the concerto is ideal for Fleck’s restless creativity. In the 20th century, concerti have been written for almost every instrument in the orchestra including alto sax, marimba, tuba and trombone. So why not the banjo? “I’m a fan of music, and I’m curious,” Fleck said of his inspiration for the piece. “I want to know how music that I love works. And I also love the banjo, which is my vehicle to understand music through.” Growing up in New York City, Fleck first played the guitar, but switched to the banjo after hearing Earl Scruggs play the theme song to “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Listening to Scruggs’ banjo “was like sparks going off in my head,” he said later. But when he enrolled in The High School for Music and Art, banjo wasn’t an option, so he took up the French horn. That was a mistake. His teachers
told him he had no aptitude for music. Undeterred, he took lessons from local banjo players Tony Trischka and Erik Darling, both of whom encouraged him to develop his own voice.
Fleck played with a couple of groups after high school before joining Sam Bush and John Cowan in New Grass Revival in the early 1980s. Formed in the early 1970s, the group’s intention was to take bluegrass where it had never been before. Adding elements of jazz, blues and rock to bluegrass, they created a distinctive hybrid they called “new grass.” From the time Fleck heard Chick Corea’s Return To Forever in New York in the early ’70s, he began mixing bop with bluegrass. He was a natural fit
with Sam Bush and John Cowan in New Grass Revival. The band’s first album featuring Fleck made it clear that this would not be Bill Monroe’s bluegrass, even though it features the mandolin, banjo and guitar, as well as traditional three-part, high-tenor-harmony vocals. The band had at least two distinctive voices in Bush and Cowan, but Fleck’s contribution, a banjo instrumental called “County Clare,” signaled his already innovative approach. Within two years, Fleck had come into his own, as evidenced by the heady instrumental “Seven By Seven” (nominated for a Grammy in 1987) on the album New Grass Revival. Featuring Fleck and Bush on banjo and mandolin—trading licks like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker in full flight—this was a bluegrass group, but one as far from Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys as Monroe’s music was from the old-time banjo and fiddle tunes he’d heard his mother and uncle Pen play in Kentucky in the 1920s and ’30s. Fleck stayed with New Grass Revival until the group broke up in the late ’80s. Almost immediately, he formed The Flecktones, a quartet of prodigiously talented visionaries who developed a fresh and original approach to the music. In 1988, Dick Van Kleek, artistic director for PBS’ “Lonesome Pine Series,” based in Louisville, Ky., had offered Fleck a solo show. The show became The Flecktones’ first gig. Fleck had met Howard Levy, the group’s keyboard and harmonica player, at a festival in Canada the previous summer. Soon after he was introduced to bass player Victor Lemonte Wooten, who introduced him to his »P8
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brother, drummer Roy Wooten. Roy, thereafter known as “Futureman,” had developed an instrument he called a drumitar. Shaped like a guitar with buttons instead of strings, the drumitar plays prerecorded percussion samples unlike anything played by a traditional drummer. Even Elvin Jones would’ve had trouble reproducing these patterns. Futureman and his brother play like other siblings sing—it’s hard to tell where one’s thoughts start and the other’s stop. Take a tune like “Stomping Grounds,” an airy, Return To Forever-ish blast of free jazz melody and harmony with a bottom end worthy of Funkadelic. Victor opens the tune with a funky, jittery run until Fleck joins him playing a parallel melodic line. Soon after, Futureman’s percussive samples begin to skitter in and around his brother’s bass and Fleck’s keening banjo. Melody and rhythm fuse in a breathless, relentless stomp. They call it “blubop.” It’s another giant step from New Grass Revival—and a world away from Monroe— and yet it’s as quintessentially American as Monroe’s mountain music. This is truly the melting pot. A roiling gumbo drawing on every indigenous strand from the blues to bop to rock and beyond—it’s a unique fusion of past, present and future. But the problem for the musicians, as always, is keeping it fresh. Levy left in the
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early 1990s, and has only first was an album called “It’s hard. It’s recently returned. They Perpetual Motion, a collecwere a trio for a time, and really challenging tion of classical pieces by then saxophonist Jeff Coffin Bach, Scarlatti and Debussy for the orchestra. and others; they later wrote brought in a whole new set of colors. But as Fleck told double concerto for banjo But I’m confident aand an interviewer for Nashville bass that made its pubScene recently, “It’s really a that the musicians lic debut with the Nashville trap when you’re successful Symphony in November will rise to the in a group like that. When 2003. In 2009, Fleck wrote everybody decides to really a second concerto with challenge.” like you and you’re working Meyer and the Southern kayoko dan a lot, it gets harder to keep it Indian percussionist, Zakir fresh. It’s always been one of Hussein. They recorded the my challenges as the leader piece they called a “triple to try and make sure everybody’s into it concerto” with the Detroit Symphony on an and intrigued, making sure that I’m keepalbum with a title that neatly summarizes ing enough new, challenging information all of Fleck’s work, The Melody Of Rhythm. coming at everybody, whether it’s mine Fleck began work on his own concerto in or theirs, so that people don’t just become October 2010. In part, he wanted to “prove” complacent. Because anything can just he could do it. In an email to me about the turn into a gig.” two concerti, he bemoaned the fact that In an effort to find new challenges Fleck “when we performed these pieces, people took off for Africa in 2005. For a month tended to assume that Edgar really wrote he met and jammed with musicians in them. He certainly led the approach,” he Mali, The Gambia, Tanzania and Uganda. went on, “but Zakir and I contributed sigIn a note about the trip on his website, he nificantly. So for my self-respect, I had to wrote: “My goal was to collaborate with insee if I could do it without my big brother!” credible African musicians, and look into He added that Meyer “knows what a great the origins of the banjo and banjo music.” inspiration he is to me, so I think he was Fleck has also collaborated with bassist happy to see me go do it myself too.” Edgar Meyer on a couple of projects. The After his debut performance with the
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8 • The Pulse • MAY 3-9, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
Nashville Symphony, a reviewer wrote that the concerto “offered an intriguing glimpse into Béla’s path as a musician.” The concerto, he wrote, “had moments of swing, Gershwin, contemporary classical, and more. If anything predominated, many moments of orchestration sounded like a symphony playing Flecktones-style music.” Fleck, describing his writing process, said, “The way I chose to write was to create lots of short ideas, and then choose from them to find my main themes, and sonic landscapes to build from. Then I expanded the strongest ones.” The concerto form is designed to allow a conversation between the soloist and the orchestra. CSO Conductor Kayoko Dan said that when she looked at the score she noticed that some of Fleck’s sections were not notated to allow for him to improvise in performance. “It’s hard. It’s really challenging for the orchestra,” she said. “But,” she added, “I’m confident that the musicians will rise to the challenge.” For his part, Fleck hopes the performance will help the audience “appreciate the banjo apart from the stereotypes that surround it, and simply enjoy what it brings to the orchestra—a unique sound and set of properties that no other instrument can duplicate.” If his work so far is anything to go by, it will do just that.
LIST
THE CALENDAR
may 3-9
» pulse picks
ROYAL BANGS FRI 05.04 • Knoxville-based indie rock. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400
» pulse pick OF THE LITTER: CFC HOME OPENER
THU05.03 MUSIC Cherub • Avant-garde electro pop duo. 9:30 p.m. • Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. • rhythm-brews.com
home game
EVENT
SCHEDULE
Traditional Jazz Festival • 22nd annual jazz music fest. See Page 10. 6 p.m. • Chattanooga Choo Choo 1400 Market St. • (423) 266-0944 chattanoogajazzfestival.com
Sun, May 6 • 5:15 PM SunTrust Sunday
FRI05.04
Mon, May 7 • 7:15 PM
MUSIC Royal Bangs • Indie rock from Knoxville. 8 p.m. • JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. • (423) 266-1400
EVENT Sangria on the Southside • Cultural event highlighting Latino heritage. 7 p.m. • The Mill 1601 Gulf St. No. 100 (423) 634-0331 sangriaonthesouthside.org
SAT05.05 MUSIC Finster Fest • Festival honoring late artist Howard Finster. 10 a.m. • Dowdy Park • 84 Knox St. Summerville, Ga. • (678) 641-8700 finstersparadisegardens.org
EVENT Southern Blooms Festival • Celebrating the beauty of southern blooms. 8:30 a.m. • Rock City • 1400 Patten Road Lookout Mountain, Ga. • (800) 854-0675 seerockcity.com
vs. Montgomery
Kickin’ It at Finley F ootball is back in Chattanooga. But it’s only May, you say? OK, we’ll call it soccer, which is what the rest of world knows as football. Join hardcore soccer fans the Chattahooligans for the Chattanooga Football Club’s home opener on Saturday against the Knoxville Force at Finley Stadium. Wearing new jerseys, the club outplayed the Nashville Metros during an April 28 scrimmage at Finley. Beginning its fourth season with Saturday’s match, the club is hoping for a big crowd. “There’s a tournament in town, Volkswagen is going to encourage the people to come to the game and with Cinco de
Faith & Family Night
vs. Montgomery
Tue, May 8 • 7:15 PM BI-LO BOGO College Fair Mayo, it just seemed like, ‘Let’s go for it,’ “ the club’s Krue Broke told the Times Free Press last month. Besides its new jerseys, the club has a new coach in Bill Elliott, the men’s soccer coach at the University of West Florida. Another new element is free parking, which was previously $5. The team hits the road after this game, but will return on May 26 for a match against Rocket City United.
vs. Montgomery
Wed, May 9 • 11:15 PM vs. Montgomery
Thu, May 10 • 7:15 PM Ladies Night Presented by GPS
vs. Montgomery
Chattanooga Football Club vs. Knoxville Force $5 7 p.m. Saturday, May 5 Finley Stadium 1826 Carter St. chattanoogafc.com chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 3-9, 2012 • The Pulse • 9
Deli Fresh Subs philly cheesesteaks • salads party platters • caterinG
Trad Jazz Weekend By Bill Ramsey
despite being known as the home of bessie smith, chattanooga has never really been known as a jazz town. There is a solid fan base, as evidenced by fans who organized Jazz Appreciation Month in April, and venues such as Barking Legs bring in jazz artists on a regular basis. But most are one-shots and core enthusiasts are left waiting for the next big show.
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10 • The Pulse • MAY 3-9, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
That show is this weekend, when fans of traditional jazz, particularly New Orleans-style Dixieland jazz, welcome a feast of music during the 22nd annual Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival, where the bands will swing and sway from morning to night from Friday to Sunday in the appropriate setting of the Chattanooga Choo Choo. For this, jazz lovers can thank Mike and Astrid Griffin, both longtime traditional jazz aficionados from the midwest who moved to Chattanooga from Ohio in 1985. Mike has a long and abiding interest in jazz, dating back to 1947, when he witnessed the legendary Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic touring bands in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Chicago. He went on to work at the Grand Rapids Civic Auditorium, where he brought his passion for jazz and his skill as a promoter to the forefront. In 1956 and 1958, he brought Louis Armstrong and his All Stars to Grand Rapids, the 1956 show now available on the CD, Jazz is Back in Grand Rapids, on G.H.B. Records. When he later moved to Ohio, Mike met Astrid, a Dutch native and former KLM flight atten-
Bob Schulz’s Frisco Jazz Band performs this weekend during the Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival.
dant who worked in the front offices of the North Ohio Opera Association. They married in 1978 and, when the couple relocated to Chattanooga in the mid-1980s, they combined their love of jazz music and skills to create a festival here. “When we came to Chattanooga, we didn’t realize Bessie Smith was from here,” remembers Mike. “We were kind of excited and decided to create a jazz festival to honor her in the spirit of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.” That first festival in 1990 was dubbed the Bessie Smith Traditional
Jazz Festival, organized to raise seed money for what is now known as the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. Twenty-two years later, the festival, since renamed the Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival, has been a huge hit each year, attracting fans from all over the country for a weekend of traditional jazz by some of the best bands in the business. The Griffins are proud of the traditional jazz they’ve brought to Chattanooga each year, but this year’s festival is “our last hurrah,” says Mike. “We’ve been very successful, but after 22 years we’ve decided to move on and do other things.” Hopefully, this Chattanooga jazz tradition will continue under new leadership, but for now the Griffins plan to join the crowd and jam the weekend away. For ticket information, a complete list of bands and more information on the festival, visit chattanoogajazzfestival.com. Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival Friday-Sunday, May 4-6 Chattanooga Choo Choo 1400 Market St. (423) 266-0944 chattanoogajazzfestival.com
Between the Sleeves
ERNIE PAIK
No Sellout “i got it! we’ll have them write hit songs,” says a tie-wearing record label exec on the cover of the legendary genre-defying punk band Minutemen’s Project: Mersh EP from 1985, poking fun at the notion of “selling out.” Minutemen lead singer and guitarist D. Boon died that year in a van accident, leaving bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley devastated and largely uninspired to continue making music, until guitarist Ed Crawford, a hardcore Minutemen fan in his early 20s, convinced them to form a new trio. This group, fIREHOSE, is often overshadowed by Minutemen in indie-rock history, with a somewhat more conventional style and less of an emphasis on political themes, but the fIREHOSE catalog is consistently rewarding and could be seen as the logical extension of the direction toward which Minutemen was heading. After three records on indie powerhouse SST Records, fIREHOSE joined the major label migration wave of the early ’90s and signed with Columbia Records. The two-disc compilation lowFLOWs: The Columbia Anthology (’91’93) arrives conveniently in conjunction with the band’s reunion tour, collecting remastered versions of the 1991 album Flyin’ the Flannel, the live EP Live Totem Pole from 1992, and the 1993 album Mr. Machinery Operator, plus the rarity “Max and Wells,” a few unnecessary tracks (two instrumental mixes and an edited version of “Witness”), and four additional live songs. Those live tracks are
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The fIREHOSE catalog is consistently rewarding and could be seen as the logical extension of the direction Minutemen was heading. decent but hardly essential, and a better representation of the band’s live fury is on Live Totem Pole, with a motley assortment of charged covers from Public Enemy, Wire and Blue Oyster Cult, among others. The excellent Flyin’ the Flannel launches with Watt’s
mightily thumping twooctave bass riff that opens “Down with the Bass” and plows through rock numbers with ballad diversions and even a welcome cover of Daniel Johnston’s “Walking the Cow.” Crawford sounds most comfortable singing his own lyrics rather than Watt’s unique folksy lingo, which suits Watt’s own low, gruff voice. Something seems off on Mr. Machinery Operator, although it has its standouts, and the guitar-heavy mix is problematic, since the Hurley/Watt rhythm section (which deserves a place in the pantheon) is key to the band’s identity. The trio’s final album is flawed, sure, but not a sellout. Read more of Ernie Paik’s reviews online at chattanoogapulse.com. chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 3-9, 2012 • The Pulse • 11
Music
CHATTANOOGA LIVE
Thur 05.03
Wednesday • May 2
Red State • Timechild • Babar
Thursday • May 3
Moonlight Bride (acoustic) Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun
Friday • May 4
Royal Bangs • Nim Nims • Lew Card
Saturday • May 5
Opposite Box • Baby Baby Groove Moose
Sunday • May 6
All You Can Eat Comedy Buffet featuring Andy Andrist Whoremones • Fancytramp
Tuesday • May 8
Eddie Bridges • Craft & Game Night
Wednesday • May 9 Velvet Hand Hangdog Hearts
LIVE MUSIC CHATTANOOGA MAY
2 THU. CHERUB with THIS IS ART and NEW PLANET 9:30p 3 SAME AS IT EVER WAS FRI. 10p 4 SAT. THE BREAKFAST CLUB 10:15p5 THU. OLD MAN 9:30p10 LETICIA WOLF
GRUNGE ROCK MEETS COUNTRY & MODERN INDIE
WED. 9:30p
SEXY, AVANT-GARDE DANCE MUSIC FROM THE FUTURE!
A TRIBUTE TO THE TALKING HEADS ALL THE HITS OF THE ’80s
A TRIBUTE TO NEIL YOUNG ALL THE GREAT SONGS! ALL NIGHT!
COMING MAY 11: FLY BY RADIO MAY 12: DMB IN MAY TRIBUTE BAND MAY 13: SUNNY LEDFORD ALL SHOWS 21+ UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED • NON-SMOKING VENUE
221 MARKET STREET
HOT MUSIC • FINE BEER • GREAT FOOD BUY TICKETS ONLINE • RHYTHM-BREWS.COM 12 • The Pulse • MAY 3-9, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
Rachel Pearl with Mary Ellen Kirk and Delnora Reed 7 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Béla Fleck 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8583 chattanoogasymphony.org Crossfire 8 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Road (423) 499-5055 thepalmsathamilton.com Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun 8 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400 Hudson K with The Bears of Blue River 9 p.m. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Pkwy. (423) 468-4192 thehonestpint.com Cherub with This is Art and New Planet 9:30 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Pieter Meijers Trio 6 p.m. Hunter Museum, 10 Bluff View (423) 266-0944 huntermuseum.org
Fri 05.04 Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival 6 p.m. The Choo Choo City Jazz Society, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-0944 chattanoogajazzfestival.com Blake Morrison 8 p.m. Acoustic Café, 61 RBC Drive, Ringgold, Ga. (706) 965-2065 ringgoldacoustic.com Stereotype 10 p.m., Raw, 409 Market St.
(423) 756-1919 Royal Bangs 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400 Wide Open Floor 9 p.m. Barking Legs Theatre, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Same as it Ever Was: A Tribute to the Talking Heads 10 p.m Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Strung Like A Horse, The Brown Chicken Brown Cow String Band 10 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260 Power Players Show Band 9 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956 sugarsribs.com Amber Fultz 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 Singer/Songwriter Competition 7 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com
Sat 05.05 Long Gone Darlings with Zach DuBois and Bearhound 7 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Power Players Show Band 9 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956 sugarsribs.com Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival Noon. The Choo Choo City Jazz Society, 1400 Market
St. (423) 266-0944 chattanoogajazzfestival.com Toneharm 10 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260 Béla Fleck 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8583 chattanoogasymphony.org Clutch & HellYEAH 7:30 p.m. Track 29, 1400 Market St. (423) 521-2929 track29.co Bobby Bare 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5050 chattanoogaonstage.com Channing Wilson and Nathan Farrow 8 p.m. Acoustic Café, 61 RBC Drive, Ringgold, Ga. (706) 965-2065 ringgoldacoustic.com The Breakfast Club 9:30 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Stereotype 10 p.m., Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919 Hap Henninger 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191
Sun 05.06 Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival 10:30 a.m. The Choo Choo City Jazz Society, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-0944 chattanoogajazzfestival.com
Mon 05.07 Coheed and Cambria 7 p.m. Track 29, 1400 Market St. (423) 521-2929 track29.co
Chattanooga All Star Band Jam 7 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956 sugarsribs.com
Wed 05.09 Prime Cut Trio 8 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Road (423) 499-5055 thepalmsathamilton.com Gold Plated Gold with Crass Mammoth 9 p.m. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Pkwy. (423) 468-4192 thehonestpint Roger Alan Wade 7 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956 sugarsribs.com
Regular Gigs Thursdays Open Mic: Mark Holder 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 Thursday Night Fever with DJ Barry 7 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956 sugarsribs.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Road
(423) 499-5055 thepalmsathamilton.com
Fridays Johnny Cash Tribute Band 5 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000 choochoo.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Road (423) 499-5055 thepalmsathamilton.com Bluegrass Night 8 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com amilton.com
Saturdays
Johnny Cash Tribute Band 5 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000 choochoo.com Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Road (423) 499-5055 thepalmsathamilton.com
Mondays Live Classical Music 7:30 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Big Band Night 8 p.m. The Palms at
Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Road (423) 499-5055 thepalmsathamilton.com
Tuesdays Open Mic Night 7 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839 funnydinner.com
Wednesdays Jimmy Harris 6:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Road (423) 499-5055 thepalmsathamilton.com Ben Friberg Trio 6:30 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260 marketstreettavern.com Folk School of Chattanooga Old Time Jam 6:30 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Open Mic Night 7 p.m. Acoustic Café, 61 RBC Drive, Ringgold, Ga. (706) 965-2065 ringgoldacoustic.com
Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send live music listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@ chattanoogapulse.com.
901 Carter St (Inside Days Inn) 423-634-9191
Thursday, May 3: 9pm Open Mic with Mark Holder
Friday, May 4: 9pm Amber Fultz
Saturday, May 5: 9pm Hap Henninger
Tuesday, May 8: 7pm
Server Appreciation Night $5 Pitchers $2 Wells $1.50 Domestics
THE BEST ACOUSTICS IN THE AREA IN OUR 22’ X 28’ LIVE ROOM
BREAKER 17STUDIO EXPERIENCED, PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS
"Recently, I went in search of a studio in the Chattanooga area to record only one song for a movie soundtrack. Breaker 17 offers Pro Tools and the best in recording equipment and the BEST engineer you will ever work with. Needless to say, I won't be looking for a place to make quality recordings anymore. I found it. Josh Chuma and Breaker 17 Studio."
—Cody McCarver, Solo Artist/Ex Confederate Railroad
Joel Sullivan • Owner/Engineer Josh Chuma • Chief Engineer 665 Patterson Ave. • Fort Oglethorpe • Booking: 423.260.1902 email: breaker17studio@gmail.com • breaker17.webs.com
All Week Long!
Mon & tue LIVE DJ
Wii on the Big Screen
●
All shows are free with dinner or 2 drinks! Stop by & check out our daily specials! Happy Hour: Mon-Fri: 4-7pm $1 10oz drafts, $3 32oz drafts, $2 Wells, $1.50 Domestics, Free Appetizers
Facebook.com/theofficechatt
wednesdays OPEN MIC thursdays LOCAL LEGENDS
HOUSE PARTY WITH 5 DJS
Live Music
Friday • May 4 • 10pm
Strung Like A Horse
with The Brown Chicken Brown Cow String Band $5 cover
Saturday • May 5
Cinco de Mayo Party
Tequila Specials after 4pm
Toneharm at 10pm $5 cover
BETTER SOUND FASTER
Party at the
Nightly Specials Mondays 50¢ Wings • $3 Yazoo Tuesdays $1 Tacos 1/2 Price Margaritas
Wednesdays Wine Night + Live Jazz!
Thursdays Burger & Beer Night
Saturdays
$2 Domestics 4pm to Midnight
850 Market Street• 423.634.0260 Facebook.com/marketstreettavern
WEEKEND
PARTY ZONE!
FRI $1 BEER 10-11PM
LIVE MUSIC WITH
STEREOTYPE
LADIES FREE!
sat $1 BEER 10-11PM CINCO DE MAYO PARTY! STEREOTYPE Party on Two Floors! LIVE MUSIC WITH
1st Floor: Live Music • 2nd Floor: Dancing
Raw Sushi Bar
Restaurant & Nightclub 409 Market Street •423.756.1919
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 3-9, 2012 • The Pulse • 13
Arts Folk Art in Paradise visual art
Finster Fest celebrates the visionary artist with folk art, music and tours of his famed Paradise Gardens By Chuck Crowder nothing sums up the simplicity of southern culture better than folk art. And the Picasso of folk art, the late Rev. Howard Finster, delivered the most noted representations of how many in the rural South view the outside world. Inspired by God to spread the gospel through more than 46,000 pieces of art, Finster first came to widespread notice in the 1980s with his album cover designs for bands such as R.E.M. and Talking Heads. So great was his influence on the art world, and his hometown, that The Paradise Garden Foundation is once again celebrating his life’s work at Finster Fest, to be held this weekend in Summerville, Ga. Patterson Hood of the Drive-by Truckers, Roger Alan Wade and Lee Bains III & Glory Fires will join other musicians in downtown Summerville’s Dowdy Park to celebrate Finster’s legacy and his most-prized creation, Paradise Gardens, located just blocks down the street. Even though his works hang in major galleries around the world, Finster’s best-known
14 • The Pulse • MAY 3-9, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
Finster’s Paradise Gardens (above) and his cover art for the Talking Heads’ 1985 album, “Little Creatures.”
art installation can be found right in his own backyard. Paradise Gardens is a wonderful maze of walkways, buildings and nooks filled with thousands of pieces of Finster’s visionary art. A pilgrimage destination for artists such as Keith Haring and musicians like R.E.M., these two sacred acres contain thousands of inspiring works of art that were originally conceived in the late seventies and continually honed until Finster’s death in 2001.
Since then, however, the Gardens have fallen into disrepair, forcing Finster’s family to sell the tourist attraction a few years ago. Chattooga County purchased the site earlier this year with the help of donations from locals and a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal economic development entity. “Our goal is to save this local, national and internationally renowned art site while creating a sustainable heritage tourism destination to promote our local economy,” Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters said. The new Paradise Garden Foundation, headed by Jordan H. Poole, the former res-
toration manager at George Washington’s historic Mount Vernon home, is developing a site-management plan and will direct a new fundraising campaign for restorations. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has also agreed to help attract visitors, which organizers hope will maintain the momentum of interest generated at each year’s Finster Fest. What began as Howard Finster Day in Summerville in the early 1980s has become internationally known as Finster Fest, one of North Georgia’s most popular folk art and music festivals. In addition to performances from The Bohannons and the Shaking Ray Levi Society among others, Finster Fest 2012 will host artists from all over the country, coming together to celebrate Finster’s legacy. There will also be a recycled art project for all to participate in and enjoy. Tours will be held at Paradise Gardens during festival hours and shuttles will be available between the Gardens and Dowdy Park. Finster Fest 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, May 5 Noon to 5 p.m., Sunday May 6 Dowdy Park Summerville, Ga. finsterspardisegardens.org Entertainment • Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers • Roger Alan Wade • It’s Hard to be Lew Card • Lee Bains III Glory & Fires • The Bohannons • New Binkley Brothers • Shaking Ray Levi Society • Molly Conley
“Irrashaimase!”
Nestled in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, Sekisui
offers authentic Japanese sushi along with a kitchen featuring a Pacific Rim fusion cuisine. With a relaxing ambiance coupled with great food and friendly service, you are sure to enjoy your dining experience.
Sushi Bar
Importing fresh seafood from Japan, Europe as well
as from all over the United States, our sushi bar features over 20 different kinds of fish and shellfish. We regularly buy fish such as Japanese Red Snapper (madai), fresh sea urchin (uni), fluke (hirame), as well as other seafood that happens to be in season.
Kitchen
Our kitchen menu features a Pacific Rim cuisine which is
predominantly Japanese but is fused with American and East Asian cuisines. These combinations result in entrees like our popular soba dish (sauteed buckwheat noodles with various seafood in a spicy chili broth), our Atlantic salmon breaded in panko with 12 asian spices, and our teriyaki burger!
Bar
You’ll enjoy it even more with our special pricing through the week.
Every day we have half-price hot sake and draft beers from 5-7 p.m. Then from 7 to closing on Sundays through Thursday we have special pricing on select cocktails and wines!
Monday-Thursday 11:30 am-2 pm & 5-9:30 pm • Friday 11:30 am-2 pm & 5-10:30 pm • Saturday 5-10:30 pm • Sunday 5-9 pm
1120 Houston Street • 423-267-4600 • sekisuichattanooga.com
Nine45
Take the Leap into Something New! At Second Presbyterian
A New Path to a Timeless Destination
Informal worship with praise, prayer, music, discussion, and fellowship.
Each Sunday 9:45 am to 10:30 am
700 Pine Street (at the corner of 7th and Pine) An open, come-as-you-are environment for all ages
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 3-9, 2012 • The Pulse • 15
Arts & Entertainment Thur 05.03 “Hot Jazz in Stone and Steel” 5:30 p.m. Hunter Museum, 10 Bluff View (423) 266-0944 huntermuseum.org Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival 6 p.m. The Choo Choo City Jazz Society, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-0944 chattanoogajazzfestival.com Explore Israel Through Language 6 p.m. Jewish Federation of Chattanooga, 5461 N. Terrace Road (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com Béla Fleck with the CSO 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8583 chattanoogasymphony.org Chattanooga Sports Ministries 8 p.m. Pasha Coffee & Tea, 3914 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 475-5482 pashacoffeehouse.com
Fri 05.04 Southern Blooms Festival 10 a.m. Rock City, 1400 Patten Road Lookout Mountain, GA. (800) 854-0675 seerockcity.com “A Doll’s House” 7:30 p.m. St. Andrews Center, 1918 Union Ave. (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com Armed Forces Day Parade 10:30 a.m. Market Street, Downtown Chattanooga
16 • The Pulse • MAY 3-9, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
SOME CALL IT SOCCER SAT 05.05 • The Chattanooga Football Club home opener against the Knoxville Force. Finley Stadium • 1826 Carter St. • chattanoogafc.com
Fresh on Fridays 11 a.m. River City Company, 850 Market St. (423) 265-3700 rivercitycompany.com “Histories of Nature” Opening Reception 6:30 p.m. River Gallery, 400 E. 2nd St. (423)265-5033 river-gallery.com Johnny Beehner 7 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839 funnydinner.com Moccasin Bend Brewery Tour & Tasting 6 p.m. Moccasin Bend Brewing Company, 4015 Tennesee Ave. (423) 821-6392 bendbrewingbeer.com Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival 6 p.m. The Choo Choo City Jazz Society, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-0944 chattanoogajazzfestival.com Sangria on the Southside 7 p.m. The Mill,
1601 Gulf St. (423) 634-0331 themillofchattanooga.com “Stellaluna” 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Henry Cho 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Raod (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Béla Fleck with the CSO 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8583 chattanoogasymphony.org Wide Open Floor 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theatre, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org
Sat 05.05 Finster Fest 10 a.m. Dowdy Park, Summerville, Ga. finsterspardisegardens.org Chattanooga Football Club Home
Opener vs. Knoxville 7 p.m. Finley Stadium, 1826 Carter St. chattanoogafc.com Do the Derby 4:30 p.m. AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley (423) 757-5259 kidsontheblock.net 3-State 3-Mountain Challenge 6:30 a.m. Chattanooga Bicycle Club, 736 Market St. (706) 820-1157 chattbike.com Southern Blooms Festival 8:30 a.m. Rock City, 1400 Patten Raod Lookout Mountain, GA. (800) 854-0675 seerockcity.com Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival Noon. The Choo Choo City Jazz Society, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-0944 chattanoogajazzfestival.com Johnny Beehner 7 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839 funnydinner.com Racin’ @ Ruby Noon. Ruby Falls, 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com Moccasin Bend Brewery Tour & Tasting 1 p.m. Moccasin Bend Brewing Company, 4015 Tennesee Ave. (423) 821-6392 bendbrewingbeer.com Smith Family Melanoma Benefit Concert Starring Bobby Bare 7:30 pm. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5050 chattanoogaonstage.com Ray Zimmerman
Book Signing 2 p.m. Pasha Coffee & Tea, 3914 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 475-5482 pashacoffeehouse.com Community Gathering 2 p.m. Planet Altered, 48 E. Main St. (423) 400-4100 planetaltered.com “Stellaluna” 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Henry Cho 7 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Raod (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com “A Doll’s House” 2 p.m. St. Andrews Center, 1918 Union Ave. (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com
Sun 05.06 Finster Fest 10 a.m. Dowdy Park, Summerville, Ga. finsterspardisegardens.org Southern Blooms Festival 10 a.m. Rock City, 1400 Patten Road Lookout Mountain, GA. (800) 854-0675 seerockcity.com Chattanooga Traditional Jazz Festival 10 a.m. The Choo Choo City Jazz Society, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-0944 chattanoogajazzfestival.com Community Gathering 11 a.m. Planet Altered, 48 E. Main St. (423) 400-4100
REDEFINE YOUR WEEKEND. REDEFINE YOUR PROPERTY. REDEFINE YOUR IMAGE. CALL US TODAY OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO START IMPROVING YOUR HOME
423.667.2662 REDEFININGLANDSCAPES.COM
GREEN IS OUR BUSINESS. WE RECYCLE.
DREAM
CLEANING 423-645-7703 Residential • Commercial Construction • Boats
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE! Easter is right around the corner! We can hop right over to for Spring Cleaning!
WE HOST PARTIES! RACIN’ @ RUBY SAT-SUN 05.05-06 • Racin’ @ Ruby features Tony Stewart’s car onsite and many other NASCAR-themed activities, merchandise, food and displays. Ruby Falls • 1720 Scenic Hwy. • (423) 821-2544 • rubyfalls.com
planetaltered.com Chattanooga Market 11 a.m. First Tennessee Pavilion, 1801 Carter St. chattanoogamarket.com Racin’ @ Ruby Noon. Ruby Falls, 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com Moccasin Bend Brewery Tour & Tasting 2 p.m. Moccasin Bend Brewing Company, 4015 Tennesee Ave. (423) 821-6392 bendbrewingbeer.com “Stellaluna” 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Open Improvisational Jam 3 p.m. Barking Legs Theatre, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Lookouts vs. Montgomery 5:15 p.m. AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley (423) 267-2208
lookouts.com “A Doll’s House” 5:30 p.m. St. Andrews Center, 1918 Union Ave. (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com
Mon 05.07 Music Monday 7 p.m. Pasha Coffee & Tea, 3914 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 475-5482 pashacoffeehouse.com Free Organ Concert 7 p.m. Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave. (423) 757-5156 chattanoogaonstage.com Lookouts vs. Montgomery 7:15 p.m. AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley (423) 267-2208 lookouts.com
Tue 05.08 Chattanooga Writers Guild Editor’s Panel 7 p.m. The Public Library,
NOW HIRING!
1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310 lib.chattanooga.gov Lookouts vs. Montomery 7:15 p.m. AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley (423) 267-2208 lookouts.com Live Team Trivia 7:30 p.m. BrewHaus, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 531-8490 chattanoogatrivia.com
Wed 05.09 Lookouts vs. Montgomery 11:15 a.m. AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley (423) 267-2208 lookouts.com Main Street Farmer’s Market 4 p.m. 325 E. Main St. mainstfarmersmarket.com
Map these locations on chattanoogapulse. com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@ chattanoogapulse.com.
DINE-IN, DINE-OUT, & CATERING
SANDWICHES, SOUPS, BAKES POTATOES, HOMEMADE DESSERTS Store Hours: Mon – Fri: 11am-8pm, Sat: 11am-4pm, Sun: 11am-3pm
It just doesn’t get any better than GollyWhoppers. 6337 E. Brainerd Rd • Chattanooga • (423) 855-2001 chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 3-9, 2012 • The Pulse • 17
Food&Drink
DINING OUT CHATTANOOGA
Traditional Meets Modern at Fuji By D.E. Langley the popular trend for asianthemed restaurants these days is to go Pan Asian—that is, to take a list of greatest hits from multiple and disparate cuisines and offer them alongside one another on a single menu. And there’s nothing wrong with that, not in the least. The diner is presented with a great number of options—but fusion can obscure the origins of a dish to those unfamiliar with it and serve to dilute the impression that a particular culture’s cuisine leaves on one’s palate. Not so at Fuji Steak and Sushi. As the name implies, they offer Japanese fare. Upon entering, you are filled with a sense of what you can expect. Traditional Japanese visual elements blend with art-deco and pop-art influences that convey in a very modern sense exactly what Fuji is all about—delivering a truly Japanese experience with accents of American comfort. Fuji finds different ways to offer its patrons the options so many Americans desire in a dining experience. When pondering Japanese restaurants, many American minds conjure up sushi bars with their cool, sleek counters or teppanyaki cooking, with meticulously trained chefs performing spectacles of culinary dexterity at the table. Fuji offers both of those experiences—and then some. A full dining area sits between the two, and it’s not a problem to order anything on the menu anywhere you’d like to eat it. You can even enjoy the warming weather on their patio (which occasionally plays host to live, family-friendly acoustic music), or call ahead and
Photos • Josh Lang
Fuji Steak and Sushi 5437 Hwy. 153 • (423) 531-3183 fujihixson.com Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday
bring a crowd of up to 20 for the party room. Specials offer more incentives to stop in, even if you’re not quite
18 • The Pulse • MAY 3-9, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
in the mood for a sit-down meal. Half-price sushi is offered on Wednesdays and Sundays, and Fuji also has a full bar, which offers all-day, everyday specials like draft beers for less than $1 and two-for-one wine. Margaritas and martinis are also offered at very reasonable rates. (And of course, there’s sake.) I visited on a weekday afternoon, and a compartmentalized bento box, divided and filled with
all sorts of delicious choices, offered a fresh way to experience several of the tastes on offer. The meal began with a sweetly dressed ginger salad and salty and savory miso soup, which revved up my appetite even more. Just as I was finishing my first course, out came the box. Even though I was expecting several items, I was genuinely surprised by the size of the box. Its contents were artfully presented, each
looking as delicious as the next, and they lived up to their appearances. First up were fried gyoza, crispy dumplings filled with seasoned pork. (They are also available steamed and/or filled with veggies.) The entree portion of my box contained a perfectly prepared sautéed filet of calamari and a medium-rare steak sat atop a bed of peppers and onions, lightly dressed with teriyaki sauce. I traded back and forth between bites of these and the fried rice that had clearly been freshly prepared just minutes before in the kitchen. When I felt the need for contrast, I snagged a bite of the simple, refreshing California roll (an iconic example of Japanese cuisine and American comfort meeting in the middle). A sliced orange finished off an excellent light (if large) lunch. Fuji certainly achieves its goal of bringing the best of Japanese hospitality and cuisine to an American restaurant, all while providing a wonderful comfort level for Chattanooga families. There’s nothing to be intimidated by and no pretense—just loads of options and an accommodating staff. Just as I was getting up to leave, a young boy and his mother were sitting down to one of the flat-top cooking tables. He rubbed his hands in anticipation of the arrival of the chef, and it became evident that this was his choice of dinner for the evening, perhaps a reward for good behavior. I’d be hard-pressed to think of a better choice. (And I did just finish a story … I think I’ll be paying them another visit tonight to reward my work ethic.)
Comix
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 3-9, 2012 • The Pulse • 19
Free Will Astrology
FRI. 9:30 • SAT. 10:30
ARIES
MAY 4-5: JOHNNY BEEHNER
MAY 11-12: MIKE GARDNER
(March 21-April 19): On the one hand, you’re facing a sticky dilemma that you may never be able to change no matter how hard you try. On the other hand, you are engaged with an interesting challenge that may very well be possible to resolve. Do you know which is which? Now would be an excellent time to make sure you do. It would be foolish to keep working on untying a hopelessly twisted knot when there is another puzzle that will respond to your love and intelligence. Go where you’re wanted.
to nibble on peanut butter mixed with apples and rolled oats. The biologist didn’t investigate whether mountain goats would rather eat grasses and rushes than ice cream sundaes or whether lions like fresh-killed antelopes better than Caesar salad, but I’m pretty sure they do. In a related subject, Leo, I hope that in the coming weeks you will seek to feed yourself exclusively with the images, sounds, stories, and food that truly satisfy your primal hunger rather than the stuff that other people like or think you should like.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): From an astrological perspective, it’s the New Year season; you’re beginning a fresh cycle. How would you like to celebrate? You could make a few resolutions— maybe pledge to wean yourself from a wasteful habit or selfsabotaging vice. You could also invite the universe to show you what you don’t even realize you need to know. What might also be interesting would be to compose a list of the good habits you will promise to cultivate, and the ingenious breakthroughs you will work toward, and the shiny yet gritty dreams you will court and woo.
VIRGO
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “My father-in-law was convinced that his sheepdogs picked up his thoughts telepathically,” writes Richard Webster in his article “Psychic Animals.” I happen to believe that the human animal is also capable of picking up thoughts that aren’t said aloud. And I suspect that you’re in a phase when it will be especially important to take that into account. Be discerning about what you imagine, because it could end up in the mind of someone you know! CANCER
thu. 7 • fri. 7 • sat. 5:30 & 8
138 MARKET • 423.517.1839
FUNNYDINNER.COM
EVERY WEEK onlY in
full bar 20 • The Pulse • MAY 3-9, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
rob brezsny
(June 21-July 22): Your right brain and left brain have rarely been on such close speaking terms as they are right now. Your genitals and your heart seem to be in a good collaborative groove as well. Even your past and your future are mostly in agreement about how you should proceed in the present. To what do we owe the pleasure of this rather dramatic movement toward integration? Here’s one theory: You’re being rewarded for the hard work you have done to take good care of yourself.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): A South African biologist was intrigued to discover an interesting fact about the rodent known as the elephant shrew: It much prefers to slurp the nectar of pagoda lilies than
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): There are only a very few people whose ancestors were not immigrants. They live in Africa, where homo sapiens got its start. As for the rest of us, our forbears wandered away from their original home and spread out over the rest of the planet. We all came from somewhere else! In accordance with the astrological omens, I invite you Virgos to get in touch with your inner immigrant this week. It’s an excellent time to acknowledge and celebrate the fact that you are nowhere near where you started from, whether you gauge that psychologically, spiritually, or literally.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “When I’m good, I’m very good,” said Hollywood’s original siren, Mae West, “but when I’m bad I’m better.” I think that assertion might at times make sense coming out of your lips in the next two weeks. But I’d like to offer a variation that could also serve you well. It’s articulated by my reader Sarah Edelman, who says, “When I’m good, I’m very good, but when I’m batty, I’m better.” Consider trying out both of these attitudes, Libra, as you navigate your way through the mysterious and sometimes unruly fun that’s headed your way. SCORPIO
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The Weekly World News, my favorite source of fake news, reported that the lost arms of the famous Venus de Milo statue were languishing in a cellar in Southern Croatia. Since her discovery in 1820, the goddess of love and beauty has been incomplete. Will the Louvre Museum allow her to be joined by her original appendages and made whole again? Let’s not concern ourselves now with that question. Instead, please turn your attention to a more immediate concern: the strong possibility that you will soon experience a comparable development, the rediscovery of
and reunification with a missing part of you.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Seventeenth-century physicians sometimes advised their patients to consume tobacco as a way to alleviate a number of different maladies, from toothaches to arthritis. This bit of history may be useful to keep in mind, Sagittarius. You’re in a phase when you’re likely to have success in hunting down remedies for complaints of both a physical and psychological nature. But you should be cautious about relying on conventional wisdom, just in case some of it resembles the idea that cigarettes are good for you. And always double check to make sure that the cures aren’t worse than what they are supposed to fix. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Outer space isn’t really that far away. As astronomer Fred Hoyle used to say, you’d get there in an hour if you could drive a car straight up. I think there’s a comparable situation in your own life, Capricorn. You’ve got an inflated notion of how distant a certain goal is, and that’s inhibiting you from getting totally serious about achieving it. I’m not saying that the destination would be a breeze to get to. My point is that it’s closer than it seems. AQUARIUS
(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When most Westerners hear the word “milk,” they surmise it has something to do with cows. But the fact is that humans drink milk collected from sheep, goats, camels, yaks, mares, llamas, and reindeer. I’m wondering if maybe it’s a good time for you to initiate a comparable diversification, Aquarius. You shouldn’t necessarily give up the primal sources of nourishment you have been depending on. Just consider the possibility that it might be fun and healthy for you to seek sustenance from some unconventional or unexpected sources.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You wouldn’t want to play a game of darts with an inflatable dartboard, right? If you were a smoker, you’d have little interest in a fireproof cigarette. And while a mesh umbrella might look stylish, you wouldn’t be foolish enough to expect it to keep the rain out. In the spirit of these truisms, I suggest you closely examine any strategy you’re considering to see if it has a built-in contradiction. Certain ideas being presented to you may be inherently impractical to use in the real world.
Jonesin’ Crossword
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1. Ukrainian port 7. They patrol Fisherman’s Wharf, for short 11. Reason for an “R” rating 14. They’re pairs of pairs of pairs 15. Nobelist Wiesel 16. It’s hailed on the street 17. Japanese count of baseball hats? 18. Lady of a thousand looks? 19. Prefix meaning “egg” 20. Sans opposite 21. Express lane unit 23. Kitchen glove material 25. Spanish count for a chemist? 28. Give the appearance of 29. Salicylic acid target 30. Latissimus ___ (back muscle) 31. “___ Iron Man...” 32. Sony’s ___-101 (first commercial compact disc player)
35. French count of superficial wounds? 40. They’re in their last yr. 41. Loaf in a “Seinfeld” episode 42. “The King,” in Cordoba 43. One side in an eternal battle 45. Hold in 47. German count of bottles under the kitchen sink? 50. Christina’s panelmate on “The Voice” 51. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” band 52. Places to check your balance 55. Broadway actress Salonga 56. “B.J. and the Bear” sheriff 58. Chinese count of a library item? 60. Pitcher’s asset 61. Make ___ for it 62. Careless 63. Toady’s response 64. Just meh 65. Finch relative
named for its call
Down
1. Charlie Chaplin’s wife 2. CCCII doubled 3. List-ending summarizers 4. “American Idol” guy 5. NASCARsponsoring additive 6. Help out 7. Jason of 2011’s “The Muppets” 8. Vitriolic postings 9. Bacon source 10. Seller of cars 11. Stone Temple Pilots frontman Weiland 12. Places for Christmas lights 13. What the Kinect hooks up to 22. Formula One driver Fabi 24. Grasshopper’s fable mate 26. Qatari ruler 27. “Whoa ___!” 28. Like grumpy expressions 30. Chain restaurants with soft-serve, for short
31. Winter walking hazard 32. Waltz on the big screen 33. Butter-loving TV chef Paula 34. ___-ops 36. McCormack of “Will & Grace” 37. Class outline 38. Head of the Seine? 39. Old-school actress known as the “It Girl” 43. Electrophorus electricus, for one 44. String section members 45. Totally awesome 46. Surround in a sac, in anatomy 47. Tractor man John 48. Stack by the copier 49. ___ Lodge 50. Art school material 53. Show gloominess 54. Cusack’s “Say Anything” costar 57. Gold, in Mexico 59. UN body dealing with worker’s rights
Jonesin’ Crossword created By Matt Jones. © 2012 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. 0570.
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chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 3-9, 2012 • The Pulse • 21
Life in the Noog
chuck crowder
Siren Song of the Jackass i’ve recently discovered a trend in the noog that’s probably always been present, just unnoticed and/or patiently tolerated by me until now. Some people are just plain jackasses. You know the species. The jackass, known for its cunning ability to spread obnoxious behavior with thoughtless, unpredictable accuracy in the paths of normal, savvy individuals who unknowingly happen to enter their domain. It’s easy to spot a jackass, though they will not always display jackass behavior immediately. For, if a jackass knew it was a jackass, it wouldn’t act like a jackass. No, this creature’s inability to recognize its own missteps only adds to its mysterious nature. It’s kind of like a dog. All dogs look like dogs, only some fetch and some bite. You just never always know which will do what at first glance. There are some tale-tell signs to look for when determining whether an unknown individual has the propensity to be a jackass (even in disguise). Here are some obvious things to look for: Headwear: The jackass is commonly seen sporting a baseball cap turned around backwards so that the only thing the bill is good for is keeping the neck from becoming even redder. Never in my life have I heard an intelligent comment or seen acceptable behavior that wasn’t forced coming from someone wearing a backwards baseball cap. It’s Jackass 101. The hipster version, in
case you were wondering, is the loose fitting wool “Where’s Waldo” toboggan worn regardless of outdoor temperatures. Vehicle: The jackass prefers one of two types of transportation. The first is a truck or jeep “jacked up” with lift kits and oversized mud tires that defy street legalities and good common sense. And, just to prove that the vehicle has been off the pavement sometime in its life, any mud streaks it adorns must never be washed … ever. The second type of preferred vehicle is any late-model, American-made muscle car with after-market wheels, oversized window decals and of course, an alarmingly loud stereo system. Sound System: Within their chariot of choice, the jackass
nearly always surmises that stock sound systems will in no way meet the demands for displaying their prowess on the streets. Therefore, after-market stereos and speaker boxes with power capabilities normally reserved for the PA systems of small clubs must be crammed within the trunk and then cranked up in order to enable every car in a twoblock radius of their current location to hear their favorite jams. Favorite Songs: In addition to normal bass-thumping hip-hop, the Caucasian jackass likes to crank “The Road Goes on Forever (and The Party Never Ends)” by Robert Earl Keen, “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” by David Allen Coe, any and every jam band, Kanye West’s complete catalog and any song that’s ever been played on Rock 105. Now that we’ve determined some common visible (or audible) traits of the jackass, the only thing left to cover is the mannerisms of their breed. Jackasses want everyone to know they’ve arrived. For example, their mating call at local watering holes starts with the infectious “I’m here to party” howl of “wooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!” From there, things immediately proceed downhill. With a Coors Light in one hand and a Marlboro Light in the other, they bow up their one-size-too-small Ed Hardy T-shirts that conveniently
“
It’s easy to spot a jackass, though they will not always display jackass behavior immediately. For, if a jackass knew it was a jackass, it wouldn’t act like a jackass. No, this creature’s inability to recognize its own missteps only adds to its mysterious nature. enable upper-arm tribal tattoos to blaze and strut around buying shots for unsuspecting females with heels higher than their IQs. They twirl pool cues in Ninja fashion, nearly always jump the cue ball off the table during the break and have an unquenchable desire to know “whassup” from anyone who approaches the pack. But I feel as if I’m picking on the meathead subspecies, so
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22 • The Pulse • MAY 3-9, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
let me tell a little story about a set of hipster jackasses I recently encountered. A couple dressed in nice clothing and a photographer enter a locally owned coffee shop for an impromptu photo shoot. Without purchase, they proceed to use the interior of the space for cute shots that’ll probably be used for some sort of engagement announcement. They even borrow EMPTY coffee mugs from the establishment to use as props. Then I noticed that among their belongings was a half-full Starbuck’s coffee drink. Not cool. And, if that wasn’t enough to seal their status as thoughtless jackasses, one member of the couple in question actually approached the counter afterwards and asked for a job application. Seriously. Being a jackass isn’t limited to the outward signs I outlined above. A jackass pure and simple is someone with exactly zero social skills and a complete disregard for how their behavior might harsh the gig of those around them. Don’t be that guy. Chuck Crowder is a local writer and general man about town. His opinions are just that. Everything expressed is loosely based on fact and crap he hears people talking about. Take what you read with a grain of salt, but let it pepper your thoughts.
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 3-9, 2012 • The Pulse • 23
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