May 10-16, 2012
Free & Frisky!
Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative
WALK OF LIFE
MUSIC
URBAN
design
Architects, planners reimagine downtown Chattanooga
‘THE AVENGERS’ the best comic-book movie ever?
arts
SOUTHSIDE WINE PIERRE BENSUSAN hard rock hunter CITY’S FIRST URBAN WINERY SET TO OPEN FRENCH GUITAR ICON AT BARKING LEGS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL PHOTO SHOW opens AT museum
2 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
HIGHLIGHTS
Since 2003
MAY 10-16, 2012 • vol. 9 no. 19
Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative ChattanoogaPulse.com • Facebook.com/ChattanoogaPulse
EDITORIAL Publisher Zachary Cooper Creative Director Bill Ramsey Contributors Rich Bailey • Rob Brezsny Chuck Crowder • Michael Crumb • John DeVore Randall Gray • Dr. Rick Pimental-Habib Paul Hatcher • Janis Hashe • Matt Jones • Chris Kelly D.E. Langley • Mike McJunkin • David Morton Ernie Paik • Alex Teach • Richard Winham Cartoonists Max Cannon • Richard Rice Tom Tomorrow Photography Jason Dunn • Josh Lang Lesha Patterson Interns Katie Johnston • Cole Rose
ADVERTISING Sales Director Lysa Greer Account Executive Rick Leavell
CONTACT
On the cover: “The Avengers” • Marvel Studios
Phone 423.265.9494 Fax 423.266.2335 Email info@chattanoogapulse.com calendar@chattanoogapulse.com Got a stamp? 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402
COVER STORY
Urban Design • Rich Bailey surveys the architects, planners and visionaries who are reimagining Chattanooga’s downtown for the future. » 7
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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.
WALK OF LIFE
An Urban Winery Ferments on the Southside
© 2012 Brewer Media BREWER MEDIA GROUP President Jim Brewer II
INSIDE » ARTS
Alfred Wertheimer’s “Elvis Presley, Chattanooga” (1956), from the exhibition “Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock and Roll Photography.” See Page 18
honest music
• Local craft beers are now common in Chattanooga, and we now have our own whiskey. But Chattanooga wine? Lee Morse and DeBarge Vineyards open the city’s first urban winery on Rossville Avenue. By Bill Ramsey » 6
local and regional shows
Gold Plated Gold with Crass Mammoth ($3)
Wed, May 9
9pm
Rick Rushing and the Blues Strangers with Dudes Blues and The Hangdog Hearts ($3)
Thu, May 10
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House of the Rising Funk with The Velvet Hand ($3)
Wed, May 16
9pm
Free Irish Music Sunday Nights at 7pm May 13: Chet Vincent and the Big Bend
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 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 3
BOWL
THE WEBSITES
TALK OF THE NOOG chattanoogapulse.com • facebook/chattanoogapulsE
Scenic Site Matches City New city website worth the price when it comes to spending money from the taxpayer’s till, the city of Chattanooga can frustrate its citizens just as well as any other government entity that has ever existed. On the order of what to spend money on, what it’s allocated to and the timing, there are myriad opportunities for citizens to ready their pitchforks and torches and descend upon city hall. With last week’s launch of the new Chattanooga city website (chattanooga. gov), we can test out the months of work that caused a good deal of controversy with the $328,000 cost ($128,000 for the
4 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
website, $200,000 for improvements and additions over the next four years). The winning bid for the work went to local branding and design firm Maycreate, who worked closely with the City Information Services to develop the site’s content and its more than 10,000 pages of information. I asked Aaron Hoffman, project leader at Maycreate for the city website design,
what the biggest challenge was in building the website. “Our biggest challenge was making all the information easy to find and easy to update for the departments,” he said. “At first glance, the website appears to have a moderate amount of content. When you dive deeper, you find over 51,000 pieces of content that are being managed by 18 different departments. It wasn’t as simple as just building in a killer search engine and having intuitive navigation. We also had to train 50-plus people in updating the site in the correct manner so that the content could be found with search and navigation.” Anyone who has ever had the experience of performing hands-on content management with a website knows ability to update and add content is paramount. No doubt at least some of you have been frustrated with not being able to execute seemingly simple tasks on a particular platform. The face of the website has dramatically changed, of course. Navigation has been clarified and refined, as have aesthetic attributes. The architecture, design and initial content population display the true functionality of a great municipal website. That work is the initial phase that will be followed with further enhancements of the site departments and sections. “The first phase was to get the whole city on a new content-management system so the website could be easily updated and built upon further,” Hoffman said. “Now that Chattanooga.gov is on a solid platform, there are plans to further enhance the functionality of each department and address wish lists that the departments have wanted, but had no way of accomplishing on the old system.” Addressing these issues has the potential to accomplish some important things. First, making the city government and its available information more accessible. Second, making it easier and more accommodating for city departments to add and update content so that when you do need to access information, it will be there. Third, what all of that ultimately has the potential to do is make the city government more transparent. We can debate the cost of this project,
but because we are talking about a website and not road repair, it always has the potential for controversy. But when you examine the amount of skill and effort it takes to build such a platform and then train people to use it, that price seems even more reasonable. There are subjective aspects to any project—especially those in the world of design. But creation of a municipal website for a city our size is a challenge. Additionally, having a navigable, well-organized website for our city is not a luxury, nor is it optional. Now the debates on the aesthetics of the new website can commence. That is if anyone cares more about its looks than its brains. —Zachary Cooper NETWORKING
Discovering Chatt, one cup at a time great conversations can take place over a cup of coffee. It stimulates your wit and your ability to function in the mornings, and coffee, like alcohol, also possesses the ability to make you and your conversation seem more interesting. Christopher Green wants to take advantage of that fuel and learn something in the process. Green, a Chattanooga newcomer, created CoffeeConnect@YourWork to treat total strangers to the hot beverage of their choice and learn about their favorite spots and sites to see in his new home. You get to enjoy a nice, free cup of coffee and, in return, you are helping Green and others new to the Noog find their own niches and hangouts around town. In return for your coffee, Green asks only two things of you: to share with him your favorite thing about Chattanooga and any advice you would give to people just moving here. Don’t have a job or regular work hours? Do not fret. He is willing to do a “meet and treat” at your favorite local coffee shop. “The original idea was that I would come to your work, but it seems as if people are a lot more excited to the leave the office to meet me for coffee,” said Green. Imagine that. An entrepreneur and Chattanooga enthusiast, Green has also started a companion project to CoffeeConnect called NoBadIdea. Green asks one simple question for his new project: What does Chattanooga need? CoffeeConnect has been a major success in helping Green network in a new city, and he hopes that NoBadIdea can help Chattanooga stay in the progressive mindset. Visit new2chatt.wordpress. com to get your cup. —Katie Johnston
On the Beat
alex teach
Shop Talk, Girl Talk 4 a.m. it was just late enough in the shift that the drunks and bad guys had mostly settled in for the night, doing whatever it is criminals do when they’ve finally worn themselves out and successfully (or coincidentally) evaded lawful interactions, but not so late that the regular beat cops were as exhausted as they. This is around the time of night the beat cop wants to have some lunch, some interaction with coworkers, to relax and ultimately decide how much more effort this night is going to receive. By that of course, I mean to doze off under the watchful eyes of other cops in a safe spot, or set up radar somewhere and seek out the N.D.D.Y.’s (Not Done Drinking Yet’s). Tonight we chose a greasy spoon off of State Highway 58 called the Hungry House. It was there that I could enjoy my generously discounted trucker-style food and bond with my co-workers by talking about both the things we hate and the things we don’t hate as much. “Sup’, Teach?” said a cop we called “Flipper.” “Nothin’ man! Great to see you, how you been?” I responded. He worked the Southside and I worked the East so it really had been a while. “Aw, nothin’s nothing.” He glanced down at my hip, cocking his head to the right a bit as he did. “Say, that a new gun?” “Yes!” I said enthusiastically. “I didn’t think anyone would notice.” “H&K? No, wait. Wait. Springfield?” “XD sub-compact! Good eye!” “Thanks,” he said. And I’d meant that. They all look a lot alike from the top of the slide, so I was
genuinely impressed. “.40 cal’, nine-plusone in the tube, Melonite finish. Dual spring recoil system, visual and tactile loaded chamber and striker status indicators, ambidextrous mag release, five-and-a-half inches high for a great group and only a little over six inches long ...” (I stopped myself at that last one, having opened myself up for Man-Ridicule, but to my astonishment he let it slide.) “You can clear your holster twice as fast I bet. I never thought about going shorter. Nice.” “Yeah,” I said, “I got the long gun for the hostage shots now. Everything else happens close-up, so I figured why not?” “That holster, it’s poly.” His was still the issued leather Level III. “Like it?” “Yeah, recessed forward section so it’s easier to find blind, and faster to draw with. Kind of fits on the belt funny though. Does it make me look fatter?” “Absolutely not, man! You look great.” “The vest is bad enough. Makes me look huge. God, I hate how some
guys can wear it and look so thin, but it just means they’ve got the body of a 10-year-old under that.” “Yeah,” he concurred, “besides, vests are like TV cameras. They add 12 pounds to everyone.” “I know, right?!” I said excitedly. About that time, a Brainerd cop in the booth behind me who had been typing up a report on his portable slapped the laptop lid closed, abruptly stood up, and glared at us as he began to walk past. “Iowa and Washington D.C. are your best bets for marriage. Until then, please shut up. I can’t eat now.” We both sat somewhat at a loss; we really had unintentionally crossed a line, I think, so I played it through by asking, “So you want to hold it, or just stare at it too?” He left in even greater disgust and I didn’t see him again for months. Some people, it seems, just aren’t secure in their armaments. “Wanna shoot radar from the Bonny Oaks on-ramp?” I asked my coworker as the checks arrived. Flipper glowed and replied, “I thought you’d never ask.” Alex Teach is a fulltime 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 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 5
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Lee Morse plunges into the fermenting grapes that will fill the first bottles from DeBarge Winery, Chattanooga’s first urban winery. Photo • Charles Coleman
By Bill Ramsey long home to local craft beer, Chattanooga has significantly upped the ante on its adult beverage economy recently, with Chattanooga Whiskey making its debut in local liquor stores and bars. Now, local wine is getting its moment with the opening of DeBarge Winery at 1617 Rossville Ave. on the Southside. For the past few months, Lee Morse has been fermenting the first batches of wine under the DeBarge Vineyards label that will soon make its debut in Chattanooga’s first urban winery. Morse is general manager and winemaker of this outpost owned by Raymond DeBarge of DeBarge Vineyards of Lafayette, Ga. From this restored, early 20th century building behind The Church on Main, he has been readying a tasting room and watching over the wines that will be sold there. Urban wineries may be nov-
6 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
Chattanooga’s first urban winery set to open on the Southside. el to Chattanooga, but they are hardly new—they’ve existed in America for more than 150 years. And while these wineries are now hotspots for wine lovers in such cities as Portland, Ore., where Morse earned his winemaking stripes, the concept only recently found its way here. “There’s nothing like it in town,” says Morse, a 2006 graduate of UTC who earned his master’s degree in food science from UT in 2008. Urban wineries operate much like their craft beer counterparts, often owned by vintners such as DeBarge, and transport grapes from their vineyards to urban settings where they are fermented or finished off and sold in bottles on site. While the new DeBarge
Winery is owned by the vintner, many are not. In Oregon, Washington and California, urban wineries often purchase grapes from vintners and ferment them in cities at urban wineries under their own labels. “One of the great things about grapes is that they care a lot about where they are grown, but not at all where they’re made into wine,” says Brendan Eliason in a USA Today article charting the rise of urban wineries. Eliason’s Periscope Cellars, forged from a World War II submarine repair station in Emeryville, Calif., has become a popular gathering spot, according to the article. That’s the sort of experience in which Morse found himself while working in Portland, where he found himself after first pursuing craft beer-making at Big River in Chattanooga and later discovering Blue Slip, Tennessee’s first urban winery in Knoxville, where he worked while studying at UT. “I started out wanting to
make beer,” says Morse, “but I found the challenge of making wine much more preferable. Beer is so consistent— the quality of wheat, hops and barley are rarely compromised from year to year. But grapes are slaves to the harvest. It’s always a challenge because the climate varies from year to year.” Climate and terrain are key to great grapes, of course, which is why the South has yet to produce popular wines. But that hasn’t stopped vintners like DeBarge from trying, and Morse is putting his skills and research to the test in search of a type of grape that can produce a fine wine here. “In Oregon, it’s all pinot noir everywhere you go,” he says. “But in the South, where the climate is so inconsistent, the stuff everyone knows doesn’t grow here. So we’re experimenting with FrenchAmerican hybrids to produce chardonnays and other white wines.” Until Morse finds that perfect Southern wine, DeBarge is shipping in grapes from Oregon and California to produce its wines under its label that will soon be on sale at its Rossville Avenue winery. Morse says he is hoping for a June 1 opening, but that will likely be a soft opening. The property is nicely finished out, and Morse says they are adding a rooftop deck and outdoor areas where customers can gather. Samples will be free, since laws prohibit the sales of wine by the glass in the winery. But if you sample a wine you like and purchase a bottle, you can walk out and around and enjoy it on the deck or patio. DeBarge will also offer a selection of local breads, meats and cheeses to complement the experience.
From Highways to Street Parties,
URBAN DESIGN
Shapes the WAY WE VIEW AND NAVIGATE THE CITY by rich bailey
urban design has power. just ask tdot and rivercity company. A few weeks ago, the latest entry in RiverCity’s Urban Design Challenge raised questions about the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s plan for widening US 27 through downtown. Elemi Architects’ proposal for revitalizing the Fourth Street corridor called for moving an entrance ramp closer to the highway to reclaim a block’s worth of land for an expansion of the Creative Discovery Museum. It also brought up concerns about a roundabout on MLK that would create a pedestrian barrier between the Westside and downtown and wondered if all those 60-foot retaining walls are really necessary. The state highway agency responded by taking the widening project off the state’s project list. Although that sounds like taking its marbles and going home, TDOT’s response is probably not as draconian or as permanent as it sounds. Construction on that section was not slated to begin until after the segment north of the river is completed in several years, so there’s plenty of time to get the project back on the list. And there are plenty of powerful believers in urban design who are working with TDOT to find common ground. Although no one would comment on the record, Christian Rushing, an urban design consultant working with RiverCity on the Urban Design Challenge, would say, “I think there’s a great deal of optimism—both on our part and TDOT—that we can work together to find a solution that’s mutually beneficial.”
»P8
renderings courtesy elemi architects chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 7
Modest proposals add up For urban design to discombobulate a state department is probably one of the more extreme examples of its power. Most of its effects are cumulatively powerful but more subtle taken one at a time. So subtle, in fact, that there’s a significant danger, according to urbanists, that people who use and love downtown Chattanooga don’t understand how it got to be the way it is or what it takes to keep it viable. Some of the more modest recommendations of the Fourth Street plan show how urban design typically works. One of the key issues the Elemi team had to confront was the way heavy vehicle traffic on a major East-West street like Fourth seems to push building entrances to quieter NorthSouth streets like Market and Broad. The same phenomenon can be seen on MLK further south. The Read House was built with its front door on MLK facing what was then the Union Terminal station, where thousands of people arrived in Chattanooga. When the station closed and automobile traffic increased on MLK, the hotel’s primary entrance shifted to the quieter Broad Street. Rather than follow that wellworn path of least resistance and plan new buildings that face Broad or Market, Elemi’s Fourth Street design envisions new buildings that face Fourth Street, with design features that actively engage the public realm.
The Fourth Street corridor design envisions a six-floor boutique hotel facing Fourth Street next to the Majestic Cinema. Similar to the Ross Building, but not quite as dramatic, the hotel would feature a recessed ground floor that brings the public realm into the building and allows outdoor seating where there isn’t enough sidewalk space for it.
The new plan envisions the John Ross Building, which has been bricked up for years, as an office building with the first floor opened up to create semipublic space in the manner of a Greek agora. Originally built for a car dealership, the first floor features 18-foot ceilings and could become an open air loggia
along Fourth Street, similar to the partially covered walkway in Miller Plaza that connects Market and Cherry Streets along the built edge formed by the stage and commercial office buildings inside the park. “At Miller Plaza, that’s accomplished very successfully because it’s fronting a park,”
said Eric Myers of Elemi. “It can also be accomplished on the primary public edge. It can extend public realm into the building in a perceived way, even though it’s private space. The tall lower bay just screams for an open-air plaza, an outdoor dining opportunity. We went over the top with it and said, ‘Why can’t you
just drive a food truck in there.’” The corridor design also envisions a six-floor boutique hotel facing Fourth Street next to the Majestic Cinema. Similar to the Ross Building, but not quite as dramatic, the hotel would feature a recessed ground floor that brings the public realm into the building and allows
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8 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
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plantings—are the kind of “urban design intervention” that has been going on for decades in Chattanooga. Urban design is about bringing a number of different elements together—streets, sidewalks, open space, commercial buildings, residential buildings, office buildings—rather than considering them in isolation, according to Rushing. “Urban design is putting all of those things together to make each one better, to make the whole more than sum of its parts.” For the last 60 or 70 years in this country, we’ve built our cities by specializing and putting everything in silos, he adds, building all those pieces in isolation. “Before that, we spent thousands of years as a people building cities where all those things go together, and they depend on one another and they create a richness and a texture you can’t get in a place that’s built on a monoculture.”
Elemi Architects’ proposal for revitalizing the Fourth Street corridor called for moving an entrance ramp closer to the highway to reclaim a block’s worth of land for an expansion of the Creative Discovery Museum.
outdoor seating where there isn’t enough sidewalk space for it. Urbanism can capture real estate demand “The biggest thing those two parcels need to do is reorient to Fourth Street,” said Myers. “The buildings need to respond
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to Fourth and not pick sides, either Broad or Market. If you can do that, you’ve captured the real estate demand that Fourth provides. I think it’s our highest-traffic street morning and night. I don’t think you can turn your back on that. It’s one of the reasons why major chain businesses come into that area.
They want traffic count. I think there’s going to be incredible demand.” RiverCity Company, which owns the land next to the Majestic, is already preparing to issue a request for proposals to develop a hotel on the site. And a new Hampton Inn and Suites, completed in 2011 at
Mother’s Day
Chestnut and Fourth, fits right into Elemi’s vision. “It’s pretty amazing how much that project has improved the corridor,” said Myers. These methods of directed redevelopment—along with infrastructure investments from the city, like sidewalk and parking improvements and median
Urbanism revived downtown Chattanooga Designing and coordinating all these myriad details is what made downtown Chattanooga a great place again after decades of disinvestment and decline. “In Chattanooga in the 1980s, we made very conscious decisions about the future health of downtown,” according to Rushing. “The two broad strokes that were made were to »P10
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re-establish a center, the heart of the city, and to return to the place of our birth, which is the river.” In accomplishing those two things, a number of principles were embraced: downtown is for everybody; downtown should be a diverse and welcoming place; the city is for people, so decisions should be geared toward them, not just the infrastructure that is intended to support them; downtown should be a place where people live (“That was a very foreign concept in 1980s, because at that point the white flight to the suburbs had occurred and no one lived downtown,” said Rushing.); every downtown project should to be done at a high level of quality, in a way that was lasting and permanent. The most important principle, according to Rushing, was that nothing downtown would ever be considered in isolation.
Every project would be seen in the larger context. Nowhere can that be seen more clearly in how Miller Plaza was created. Now known and loved as the location of the Nightfall festival, Miller Plaza was one of the first urban design interventions in downtown Chattanooga. And it began as a set of urban design guidelines. “When Miller Plaza was designed, they designed the plaza and five blocks around it in every direction,” said Rushing. “The concept that all our sites are connected in a number of ways to adjacent buildings, to the district and to the city as a whole is very important.” Miller Plaza: A psychological maneuver The most important thing about Miller Plaza is not necessarily the architecture or the plan or buildings, said Rushing. “It was more a psychological maneuver in the minds of
the community to understand where our heart was, where the center of downtown was.” It was a long process. First, there were several years of student architectural projects that considered the surrounding district and developed a number of concepts for it. When the city planned to create a grassy park similar to Miller Park, Stroud Watson, director of the Urban Design Studio, suggested another direction. “Stroud said that’s the wrong way to go about it. We already have the green grass, what we need is a great plaza: hardscape that has activity, that’s energizing, that adds a different set of elements that we don’t have in Miller Park,” according to Rushing. “And beyond that, he said what will make that plaza successful is not necessarily what’s going on there, but the quality of public realm that is around it. At the time, that was an unheard of concept—that the
sidewalks and the streetscape were as important, if not more so, than the buildings.” Eventually, RiverCity Company developed Miller Plaza, which it still owns and operates as a public park. Before the plaza was built, consultants were hired to write design guidelines along with the Design Studio. Then, five architectural firms were hired to create five hypothetical building proposals that followed the guidelines, which were exhibited publicly. “The purpose was to show that guidelines don’t result in cookie-cutter architecture, that you could get a wide variety of styles of buildings with same set of guidelines,” said Rushing. Downtown didn’t just happen RiverCity’s Urban Design Challenge—both as a whole and individual projects—is doing something very similar to the Miller Plaza district guidelines,
“Irrashaimase!”
according to Rushing. “One of the things I think that some people don’t realize is that downtown didn’t just happen,” said Rushing. “All of the things we now take for granted—like the Aquarium, the Aquarium plaza, Miller Plaza, the Riverwalk, all the redevelopment in the Southside, the Chattanoogan—none of those just started off as a project one day. Each of them had dozens of student projects or professional consultant projects or city staff projects. Each was looked at and designed on and mulled over and considered and reconsidered and vetted long before any real projects came along. All the research and design and consideration are ultimately what led to the high quality of what we have now.” More than 20 years later, the Miller Plaza guidelines are still shaping development – EPB’s 2007 headquarters building looks remarkably like a hypo-
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10 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
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A bird’s-eye view of the reimagined Fourth Street corridor.
thetical design from 1986. And the urbanism-inspired discussions with TDOT are nothing new. According to Elemi’s Eric Myers, the entire process—controversy and all—shows how
holistic urban design can be, when the city’s past, present and future are viewed as a complete system. “In Chattanooga, people have been getting that for 20 years, from student visions to profes-
sional work,” said Myers. “They don’t all have to get built or effect change in a dramatic way. They’re meant to posit ideas that filter out and affect people who do what they do every day, whether it be owning a hotel or
designing and building a transportation system. Our community gets it. There are so many leaders in our community that get it. They’ve experienced it first hand, either as a business owner or a local elected official.”
The next Urban Design Challenge—looking at the Vine Street corridor, between Georgia Avenue and UTC—is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15, at Christ Central Church on Vine Street.
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 11
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12 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
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may 10-16
» pulse picks
THIS AMERICAN LIFE—LIVE! THU 05.10 • The popular public radio show hosted by Ira Glass comes to life on the big screen live from New York University. 8 p.m. • Regal Cinemas 2000 Hamilton Place Blvd. (423) 855-5951 8 p.m. • Rave Cinema 5080 South Ter. (423) 855-9652
» pulse pick OF THE LITTER: MOTHER’S DAY
THU05.10 MUSIC Ashley and The X’s • Progressive-rock and blues group from Chattanooga. 9 p.m. • JJ’s Bohemia 231 E MLK Blvd. • (423) 266-1400
home game
SCHEDULE
EVENT Lookouts Home Game • Chattanooga vs. Montgomery. 7:15 p.m. • AT&T Field • 201 Power Alley (423) 267-2208 • lookouts.com
Wed, May 9 • 11:15 PM vs. Montgomery
FRI05.11
Thu, May 10 • 7:15 PM
MUSIC Switchfoot • Alternative-rock. 8 p.m. • Track 29 • 1400 Market St. (423) 521-2929 • track29.co
EVENT Nightfall • Alexis P. Suter Band opens concert series with local band Ashley and The X’s opening. 7 p.m. • Miller Plaza 850 Market St. • (423) 265-0771 nightfallchattanooga.com
SAT05.12 MUSIC Eight Knives • Crunk, folk-rock. 9 p.m. • JJ’s Bohemia 231 E MLK Blvd. • (423) 266-1400
EVENT Who-Fest • Folk art festival begins two-day run. 10:30 a.m. • Coolidge Park 150 River St. • (423) 757-2143 whofest.com
Take Mom to the Market L
et’s be honest: it snuck up on you again this year. You disregarded the forewarnings left on your voicemail by your more responsible siblings, ignored the Hallmark-inspired ad campaigns on the radio and didn’t even reply to multiple texts from your own mother asking, “What are your plans this Sunday?” Does forgetting Mother’s Day make you bad offspring, the undeserving runt of a disgruntled litter? Possibly. But, there is a chance at redemption. Luckily for you, the Chattanooga Market has you covered. Rather than running all around town searching for flowers, a meal and entertainment
options, the market has gathered them all underneath the First Tennessee Pavillion for you and your mom. Along with the characteristic charm and pastiche of local flavors, the market will feature champagne and wine along with strawberries lining the center aisle. According to Melissa Siragusa, media and marketing relations director for the market, “We feel that Chattanooga Market will be a perfect outing for mom and family as we have several new local eateries, fresh cut flowers, produce and of course arts and crafts.” Nashville musical artist Louise Mosrie will be on stage sharing her folk picking and
smooth Southern lyrics followed by Moors and McCumber, who bring a unique, mellifluous blend of Americana acoustic guitars and multi-instrumental capabilities, coupled with two-part harmonies that make their ballads perfect for the occasion. Basically, it’s all the things Moms love, and since it’s at the market, you’ll have a good time too, all while solidifying your status as the favorite child. —Cole Rose
Ladies Night Presented by GPS
vs. Montgomery
Thu, May 17 • 7:15 PM Home & Garden Night
vs. Huntsville
Fri, May 18 • 11:15 PM
Fire Prevention Night Fireworks · Rolling Thunder
vs. Huntsville
Sat, May 19 • 7:15 PM Breakin’ B’Boy McCoy Military Appreciation Night
vs. Huntsville
Mother’s Day Sunday, May 13 Chattanooga Market First Tennessee Pavilion 1826 Reggie White Blvd. chattanoogamarket.com chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 13
richard winham
Bensusan Lets Music Speak
there’s a good reason that pierre bensusan, the French–Algerian guitarist scheduled to play at Barking Legs Theatre on Thursday, May 17, remains in relative obscurity despite his reputation among guitar aficionados as one of the world’s top players. Shaped by that brief, shining moment in the late 1960s when musicians privileged strong values, tolerance, and music over money and fame, Bensusan, 54, is still the idealistic 14-year-old who fashioned from Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline a model for his own idiosyncratic artistic path. Dylan has, of course, served as a muse for thousands of singer-songwriters. What sets Bensusan’s 40-year career apart is his refusal to allow the business of music to interfere with the ideals that originally informed and inspired it. Growing up in Paris, Bensusan started playing piano and studying classical music at age 7 and within a few years began teaching himself to play the guitar. It was slow going at first, but then he discovered
14 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
English guitarists Davey Graham, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. “I heard Jansch and Renbourn when I was about 14,” he said. “They made the guitar sing in a very dif-
ferent, romantic, sensual way. It was elegant, striking, but never flashy, meaningful and original. And yet they carried that sense of baroque and medieval that has always touched me.” Graham, in particular, proved a potent influence on young Bensusan. Widely credited with having developed the DADGAD (pronounced “dad-gad”) tuning method on the guitar, Graham had spent time in the early ’60s in North Africa. After returning to England, he began to try to replicate the music he’d heard in Morocco on his guitar. The Moroccan oud looks like a lute, but sounds like a high-pitched guitar with a couple of droning bass strings. It’s a bit like a stringed version of the Scottish bagpipes. Graham approximated that sound by tuning down his lowest and two highest guitar strings. Jansch later used the tuning for his arrangement of the Irish folk song, “Black Waterside,” famously re-recorded by Jimmy Page on the first Led Zeppelin album as “Black Mountainside.” “I consider this instrument like a little orchestra,” Bensusan said of his technique in an interview in Guitar Messenger last year. “I cannot play everything, but I can suggest that some of those things are there.” And singing gives him “two extra strings,” as he put it. With his light tenor, Bensusan sometimes sings a lyric (usually in French) and at other times scats, adding a wordless vocal line reminiscent of George Benson that complements his guitar. On other occasions he sounds more like Bobby McFerrin, as in the song (purportedly about his dog, Garlic) “Le Chien Qui
Tourne,” from his most recent album, Vividly. For Bensusan, music is both a spiritual and an emotional form of expression, and no divide exists between voice and guitar. Moreover, the combination of guitar and singing actually creates a third instrument. “I like to look at the guitar part behind a voicing that would help the voice and the text to carry another voicing, but also to not be in the way of whatever qualities are vehicled by the voice,” he said in an email. Although Bensusan claims both Dylan and Donovan as early influences, he seems to have more in common with Donovan in his use of the voice as an instrument. His gentle, romantic ballad, “Par un Beau Soir de Dimanche,” for instance, hardly requires a literal translation to understand or appreciate. Bensusan is refreshingly dismissive of his famous fingerstyle technique. “You need to train your physical tool so that you can let the music use you and shine through you,” he said. “For me, technique is transparent, fluid, effortless. It should not be distracting, never in the way. It should just let the music speak.” Pierre Bensusan 7:30 • Thursday, May 17 Barking Legs Theatre 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org
Richard Winham is the host and producer of WUTC-FM’s afternoon music program and has observed the Chattanooga music scene for more than 25 years.
Music
Party at the
CHATTANOOGA LIVE
Wednesday • May 9
Velvet Hand • Hangdog Hearts
Thursday • May 10 Ashley and the X’s Now You See Them
Friday • May 11
Machines Are People Too Behold the Brave • Baby Baby
Saturday • May 12
Eight Knives • Ultra s/c • Fastboys
Tuesday • May 15
Strung Like A Horse • Banditos
Wednesday • May 16
Woodford Sessions • Bearhound Hudson K
Thursday • May 17
KAREN WALDRUP & ASHLEE K THOMAS • “Platinum Hit” star Karen Waldrup and Earthfolk Yoga songstress Ashlee K Thomas team up for a double dose of country via New Orleans, Salt Lake City and Nashville. THU 05.10 • Tremont Tavern • 1203 Hixson Pike • (423) 266-1996 • tremonttavern.com
Thur 05.10 Queen B & the Well Strung Band 8 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Road (423) 499-5055 thepalmsathamilton.com Ashley & The X’s, Now You See Them 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400 Rick Rushing and the Blues Strangers with 3 Dudes Blues and The Hangdog Hearts 9 p.m. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Pkwy. (423) 468-4192 thehonestpint.com Old Man: A Tribute to Neil Young 9:30 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com
Fri 05.11 Alexis P. Suter Band, Ashley & the X’s 7 p.m. NightFall Mu-
sic Series, River City Stage at Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. nightfallchattanooga.com. Joe Firstman with 7Horse 7 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Switchfoot 8 p.m. Track 29, 1400 Market St. (423) 521-2929 track29.co Ashley & The X’s 10 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 624-0260 Bounty Hunter 8 p.m. Acoustic Café, 61 RBC Drive, Ringgold, Ga. (706) 965-2065 ringgoldacoustic.com Elton Hendrix 8 p.m. The Foundry, 1201 Broad St. (423) 424-3775 Machines Are People Too, Behold the Brave, Baby Baby
9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400 Gentlemen’s Jazz Quartet 9 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956 sugarsribs.com Fly By Radio 10:15 p.m Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Bud Lightning 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Road (423) 499-9878 budssportsbar.com Jacob & The Good People 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919 Joshua Songs 10 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191
Sat 05.12 Johnston & Brown 8 p.m. Acoustic Café, 61 RBC Drive, Ringgold,
Sweet GA Brown • Leticia Wolf Royal Hounds • Stephen Simmmons Longshot Saints
All Week Long!
Mon & tue LIVE DJ
Wii on the Big Screen wednesdays OPEN MIC thursdays LOCAL LEGENDS
LIVE MUSIC
HOUSE PARTY WITH 5 DJS
CHATTANOOGA MAY
WEEKEND
PARTY ZONE!
10 $1 BEER 10-11PM FRI. FRI FLY BY RADIO 10:15p 11 DAVE MATTHEWS TRIBUTE SAT. JACOB & THE GOOD PEOPLE 10p 12 with THE FRAZIER BAND $1 BEER 10-11PM sat SUNNY LEDFORD THU. 9:30p 17 FRI. CRANE 10p 18 YACHT ROCK SCHOONER OLD MAN
A TRIBUTE TO NEIL YOUNG ALL THE GREAT SONGS! ALL NIGHT!
THU. 9:30p
FEMALE FRONTED ROCK AT ITS BEST!
LIVE MUSIC WITH
SUNNY MAKES GOOD TIMIN’ MUSIC!
LIVE MUSIC WITH
SMOOTH SOUNDS OF THE ‘70s ALL NIGHT LONG
COMING MAY 19: SPACE CAPONE, SOUL MECHANIC SOON! MAY 22: THE HEARTLESS BASTARDS ALL SHOWS 21+ UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED • NON-SMOKING VENUE
221 MARKET STREET
HOT MUSIC • FINE BEER • GREAT FOOD BUY TICKETS ONLINE • RHYTHM-BREWS.COM
Party on Two Floors!
1st Floor: Live Music • 2nd Floor: Dancing
Raw Sushi Bar
Restaurant & Nightclub 409 Market Street •423.756.1919
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 15
901 Carter St (Inside Days Inn) 423-634-9191
Thursday, May 10: 9pm Open Mic with Mark Holder
Friday, May 11: 9pm Joshua Songs
Saturday, May 12: 9pm
Jon Kirkendoll & Justin Guess
Tuesday, May 15: 7pm Server 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
Facebook.com/theofficechatt
Live Music
Party after Nightfall!
Friday • May 10 • 10pm
Ashley and The X’s No Cover
Nightly Specials
Music
ERNIE PAIK Ga. (706) 965-2065 ringgoldacoustic.com Elton Hendrix 8 p.m. The Foundry, 1201 Broad St. (423) 424-3775 Eight Knives, The Ultras S/C, Fastboys 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400 Gentlemen’s Jazz Quartet 9 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 5088956 sugarsribs.com Dave Matthews Tribute with The Frazier Band 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Queen B Band 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Road (423) 499-9878 budssportsbar.com Crane 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919 Jon Kirkendoll, Justin Guess 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191
Sun 05.13 Travis Laplante & Peter Evans 7:30 p.m. Barking Legs Theatre, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347. www.barkinglegs.org
Mondays
Mon 05.14
50¢ Wings • $3 Yazoo
JJ Grey & Mofro 7 p.m. Track 29, 1400 Market St. (423) 521-2929 track29.co
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
Between the Sleeves
CHATTANOOGA LIVE
Tue 05.15 Strung Like A Horse, Banditos 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400
Wed 05.16 Strung Like a Horse,
16 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
Lacy Jo and The Accidental Circus 6:30 p.m. Barking Legs Theatre, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Prime Cut Trio 8 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Road (423) 499-5055 thepalmsathamilton.com House of the Rising Funk with The Velvet Hand 9 p.m. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Pkwy. (423) 468-4192 thehonestpint.com
Regular Gigs Thursdays Open Mic with Mark Holder 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 Jimmy Harris 7 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Road (423) 499-5055 thepalmsathamilton.com Thursday Night Fever with DJ Barry P 7:30 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956 sugarsribs.com
Fridays Johnny Cash Tribute Band 5 p.m. Choo Choo Victorian Lounge, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000 choochoo.com Bluegrass Night 8 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com
Saturdays Johnny Cash Tribute Band
5 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo Victorian Lounge, 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 Folk School of Chattanooga Old Time Jam 6:30 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Ben Friberg Trio 6:30 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260 marketstreettavern.com
Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send live music listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@ chattanoogapulse.com.
in the catalog of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, there are the acknowledged classic masterpieces, such as Giant Steps and A Love Supreme, and then there are the difficult masterpieces of his later period, such as Ascension, that polarized critics and fans by going into free-jazz territory with an avantgarde attitude. The fifth John Coltrane and latest installment The Impluse! of the Coltrane-onAlbums: Volume Impulse! re-mastered Five (Hip-O boxed set reissue series Select/Verve) concentrates on Coltrane’s thorny late period, presenting five albums originally released after his death in 1967 with original non-expanded editions. The aptly titled Transition was recorded by Coltrane’s “classic quartet,” including bassist Jimmy Garrison, drummer Elvin Jones, and pianist McCoy Tyner, serving as a sort of link between Coltrane’s classic/ difficult divide. It has a definite feeling of restlessness and expansion, with Tyner’s relatively conventional chord sequences in sharp contrast with the rest of the band. The same lineup pushed this even further on the equally excellent Sun Ship, with both sensitivity and an aggressive playing style, showing growth from Tyner. Even more formidable is Coltrane’s lineup featuring tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders on Live in Seattle. Listeners will likely either find this style either wearying or nourishing. Sanders also graces Concert in Japan, which begins with the bustling, yet relatively gentle and restrained 25-minute “Peace on Earth.” Also included is the controversial Infinity, on which Alice Coltrane used posthumous overdubs to enhance several of her husband’s recordings with elements such as a string ensemble, harp runs and bass playing from Charlie Haden. Sacrilege or not, this writer finds it to be tastefully done and an interesting reimagining, particularly for Alice Coltrane aficionados. During this period, Coltrane expressed an overt spirituality with his music, and he even stated, “I believe in all religions.” The overall feeling on this set is that, with this overwhelming, hard-to-grasp music, the performers are conveying a presence larger than everything—too big to describe with conventional methods. Completists will want the expanded editions of the live albums, but this boxed set is a tidy package, featuring a generous dose of Coltrane’s mind-expanding, hugely rewarding late period music.
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 17
Arts
EXHIBITS
The Hunter Rocks with‘Sound and Vision’ New photo exhibit highlights history of rock ‘n’ roll By Bill Ramsey rock ‘n’ roll is the bastard child of the blues and country, a half-breed offspring that went on to produce a litter of progeny so wildly diverse and ethnically infused, it’s difficult to imagine a family reunion in which someone does not get caught sodomizing the cousins. Metaphorically speaking, that happened fairly frequently and with little regret. Rock ‘n’ roll is musical incest at its best. So to distill its history into a 40-image family album is to invite disagreement, fuel argument and find fault with any exhibit that attempts to chronicle the history of rock in that space. Thankfully, the curators of the new exhibit, “Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock and Roll Photography” at the Hunter Museum, find it less necessary to define rock ‘n’ roll history than to highlight its storied past through the lenses of some great photographers. The arrangement is logical, but doesn’t claim to be exhaustive, and the exhibit underscores the dynamic connection between the power of music and photography. It’s like a trip to a Hard Rock Cafe, but artfully presented and sans the kitsch. From this perspective it’s less like flipping through a photo album than renting a rock ‘n’ roll rent-a-car. Taken strictly as a photographic exhibit, this is a stunning collection of the familiar and notso-familiar by some of rock’s star photographers—Harry Benson, Danny Clinch, Mark Seliger and Baron Wolman, among others. The exhibit, which debuted at the Columbus Museum in Georgia last year, is on its first tour stop
(Above) “Bruce Springsteen, 1978” by Frank Stefanko and (right) “The Beatles, Paris 1964” by Harry Benson, two of 40 images featured in “Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock and Roll Photography” at the Hunter Museum.
at the Hunter and features large digital prints from the original negatives that burst with richness and detail. Chronologically arranged while remaining historically and musically relevant, the exhibit begins, predictably, with the young Elvis, recently crowned, looking somewhat pensive while passing through Chattanooga on a train on his way back to Memphis in 1956. But just behind him lurks his alter ego in the flamboyant personage of Little Richard in the same era, whose face, (with more
18 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
makeup and carefully styled hair) mirrors Presley’s pent-up anxieties. Brothers of different mothers, one will become The King, the other will remain a prince who gives rise another Prince. Thus begins the ride in the long, black rental Cadillac named Rock ‘n’ Roll. The lanes switch as frequently as the drivers, each leaving telltale signs of their turns in the driver’s seat. The brief exhibit jolts boldly, necessarily, from the American South to England, as The Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Who launch the British Invasion, then quickly back across the pond and west to California. All the boldface names of rock ‘n’ roll are here—Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin, Dylan—along with some surprises, such as Donovan, as if to mention that London still rocks as much as Los Angeles. Just as quickly, the exhibit bridges the 1970s in all its eclecticism, from the Thin White Duke of David Bowie to the equally androgynous Freddie Mercury. Disco, mercifully, is excluded from the party. But so are many pioneers. There is little evidence of rock’s country cousins, such as Gram Parsons. Likewise, you will see Neil Young, but no Crosby, Stills or Nash; Mercury, but not Elton John. Much of what is missing is explainable. Obtaining the rights and negatives of these images is as complicated as printing them here is as much fun (and costfree). Or it may simply be a case of “curator’s choice.” But viewers may still wonder why there are three images of reggae’s most influential artists but few of rock’s raw past. The Clash represents the latter in the photo used on the cover of its seminal “London Calling” album cover. A pre-”Born in the USA” Bruce Springsteen and »P19
FESTIVALS
THEATRE
Who-Fest Debuts at Coolidge ‘Tuesday
the who-fest [12] folk art Festival returns earlier and in a new location this year. The popular art and music festival returns to the North Shore this weekend at Coolidge Park. Celebrating it sixth year in Chattanooga, the festival is produced by Winder Binder Gallery & Bookstore in collaboration with the Who Ha Da Da Artist’s Fellowship and the Shaking Ray Levi Society. “The really big thing is moving to Coolidge Park from Renaissance Park and the shift to from Memorial Day week-
end Mother’s Day weekend,” said David Smotherman of Winder Binder. “Coolidge is a more mature park with more trees, so we hope it will be a bit cooler.” Originally produced in Atlanta, Who-Fest moved to Chattanooga in 2007. The festival normally attracts 70 local, regional and national artists and provides the unique opportunity to meet and purchase directly from artists that specialize in folk, outsider, visionary, and selftaught art. Fields of study
portraits of Patti Smith, KISS and Lou Reed add to the ’70s coverage. The exhibit skips hurriedly through time, paying just as much attention the reggae of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh as the entire 1980s, which, considering much of the throwaway music of that decade, will be just fine for most. But here’s where some arguments may begin. There’s KISS, but no New York Dolls. The Clash, but no Ramones. Rap is represented by such figures as Tupac, pop by Madonna and Michael Jackson. Debate amongst yourselves in the audio lounge adjacent to the exhibit, or lob your questions at Kristen Miller
Zohn, the curator from the Columbus Museum of Art, who will be on hand to share stories behind the exhibit at 6:30 on Thursday, May 10, at the Hunter. Better still, take the ride at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 18, when the Hunter hosts “Rock the Bluff: A Sound and Vision Party.” For $25 (in advance; $30 at the door), you can view the exhibit along with food, drinks and the Nim Nims providing the musical background. Now that is the Hard Rock, Hunter-style. There are also talks by UTC assistant professor of photography, media arts and graphic design Lakshmi Luthra on
include painting, glass, metalworking, sculpture, jewelry, pottery, furniture, photography and textiles. “There’s a strong theme of folk art,” said Smotherman, who also produces the Faux Bridges Festival. “Half of the artists are folk artists, but there are also jewelers and potters. But the true heart of the festival has always been really strong folk art.” After five years at Renaissance Park, the festival committee decided to change the venue to the much more visible Coolidge Park, said Smotherman. An earlier date in May was also secured to help avoid the typical Memorial Day weekend heat. Festival organizers have also announced that music director Tina Torrance, with the support of the Shaking Ray Levi Society, will once again host two days of diverse musical offerings from local performers. Who-Fest [12] Folk Art Festival Free 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday,May 12-13 Coolidge Park whofest.wordpress.com
Thursday, May 17; a screening of “The Doors” on Thursday, May 24; and on Thursday, May 31, Clint Schmitt, UTC professor of music and jazz, and Hunter curators explore the sounds and images behind the exhibition. Clearly, it’s Rock Month at the Hunter. And that, kids, is all right. “Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock and Roll Photography” Through Aug. 12 Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org
FRI. 9:30 • SAT. 10:30
Night Live!’ MAY 11-12: MIKE GARDNER
MAY 18-19: RICHIE HOLLIDAY the last time actor and native Chattanoogan Leslie Jordan was in town, the diminutive comic actor had just scored a winning turn in the Oscar-nominated film, “The Help,” and was honored with a plaque on the Walnut Street Bridge Walk of Fame. Now the Emmy Awardwinning actor and author is back to headline “Tuesday Night Live!”, the annual Chattanooga Theatre Centre fundraiser, which will be held on Tuesday, May 15, at the centre. Tickets to “Tuesday Night Live!” are $100 per person with beer, wine, heavy hors d’oeuvres and entertainment included. A limited number of tickets are available for $175 for the entire evening, including a pre-show meet-andgreet cocktail party and photo opportunity with Jordan. Tuesday Night Live! 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 15 Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.org
thu. 7 • fri. 7 • sat. 5:30 & 8
138 MARKET • 423.517.1839
FUNNYDINNER.COM
full bar
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 19
Arts & Entertainment Thur 05.10 “This American Life—Live!” 8 p.m. Regal Hamilton Place, 2000 Hamilton Place Blvd. (423) 855-5951 8 p.m. Rave Cinema, 5080 South Ter. (423) 855-9652 Spring Job Fair 9 a.m. Brainerd Crossroads, 4011 Austin St. (423) 643-4978 ypchattanooga.org Lowe’s Free Women’s Build Workshop 6 p.m. Lowes, 5428 Hwy. 153 (423) 756-0507 lowes.com “Sound and Vision” Curator Kristen Miller Zohn Speaks 6 p.m. Hunter Museum, 10 Bluff View (423) 266-0944 huntermuseum.org Hanging Basket Gardens 6 p.m. The Barn Nursery, 1801 E 24th St. Place. (423) 698-2276 tnaqua.org Moccasin Bend Bicycle Tour 6 p.m. Outdoor Chattanooga, 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com May After Hours 6 p.m. Hart Gallery, 10 E. Main St. (423) 521-4707 hartgallerytn.com Lookouts vs. Montgomery 7:15 p.m. AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley. (423) 267-2208 lookouts.com Challenge
20 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
NIGHTFALL RETURNS FRI 05.11 • Alexis P. Suter Band opens Nightfall with Ashley and the X’s opening. 7 p.m. • Miller Plaza • 850 Market St. • nightfallchattanooga.com
Entertainment Live Trivia 7:30 p.m. T-Bone’s Sports Café, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240 chattanooga. cetrivia.com Chattanooga Sports Ministries 8 p.m. Pasha Coffee & Tea, 3914 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 475-5482 pashacoffeehouse.com
Fri 05.11 Spring WineFrest 10 a.m. Georgia Winery, 6469 Battlefield Pkwy., Ringgold, Ga. (706) 937-WINE georgiawines.com CELLARbration 7 p.m. The Walden Club, 633 Chestnut St. (423) 756-6686 hatcherfoundation.
org/cellarbration Mike Gardner 9:30 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839 funnydinner.com Nightfall 7 p.m. Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. (423) 265-0771 nightfallchattanooga.com “Stellaluna” 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com “A Doll’s House” 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 1918 Union Ave. (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com Hicks Gone Wild! 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd.
(423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
Sat 05.12 Day Out With Thomas 9 a.m. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com River Market 9 a.m. Tennessee Aquarium Plaza, 1 Broad St. (423) 402-9960 chattanoogamarket.com An Artfully Wild Urban Exploration 9 a.m. Hunter Museum, 10 Bluff View (423) 266-0944 huntermuseum.org HubFest 10:30 a.m. Heritage Park, 1428 Jenkins Rd.
(423) 425-6311 chattanoogahasfun.com Who-Fest 10:30 a.m. Coolidge Park, 150 River St. (423) 757-2143 whofest.com Mike Gardner 10:30 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839 funnydinner.com Spring WineFrest 10 a.m. Georgia Winery, 6469 Battlefield Pkwy., Ringgold, Ga. (706) 937-WINE georgiawines.com Blue Moon Spring Cruises 11 a.m. Ross’s Landing, 100 Riverfront Pkwy. 1-888-993-BLUE bluemooncruises.org “A Doll’s House” 2 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of
Chattanooga, 1918 Union Ave. (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com “Stellaluna” 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Beer Over Dirt Festival 3 p.m. Renaissance Park, River St. (423) 842-1163 beeroverdirt.com NRHA Choo-Choo Chapter Horse Show 5 p.m. Tri-State Arena, 3350 Ocoee St. Cleveland (423) 476-9310 tsec.org Another Gorgeous Evening 5:30 p.m. Tennessee River Place, 3104 Scenic Waters Ln. (423) 821-1077 trgt.org Mother’s Day “Sleep in the Deep” 6 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 262-0695 tnaqua.org Roller Derby 7 p.m. Chattanooga Convention Center, 1 Carter Plaza chattanoogarollergirls.com Hicks Gone Wild! 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
Sun 05.13 Who-Fest 10:30 a.m. Coolidge Park, 150 River St. (423) 757-2143 whofest.com Spring WineFrest 12:30 p.m.
“SOUND AND VISION: monumental rock and roll photography” FRI 05.11 • Curator Kristen Miller Zohn speaks about the Hunter rock photos exhibit. 6 p.m. • Hunter Museum 10 Bluff View huntermuseum.org
5:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Rapid Learning Roll Practice 6 p.m. Greenway Farm, 5051 Gann Store Rd. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Intentional Living 6:30 p.m. Pasha Coffee & Tea, 3914 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 475-5482 pashacoffeehouse.com Georgia Winery, 6469 Battlefield Pkwy., Ringgold, Ga. (706) 937-WINE georgiawines.com Chattanooga Market 11 a.m. First Tennessee Pavilion, 1829 Carter St. (423) 402-9960 chattanoogamarket.com Special Mother’s Day Cruise 1 p.m. Ross’s Landing, 100 Riverfront Pkwy. 1-888-993-BLUE bluemooncruises.org Mother’s Day Luncheon Cruise 1 p.m. Southern Belle Riverboat, 201 Riverfront Pkwy. (800) 766-2784 chattanoogariverboat.com Mother’s Day
on the River 5 p.m. Southern Belle Riverboat, 201 Riverfront Pkwy. (800) 766-2784 chattanoogariverboat.com “A Doll’s House” 6:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 1918 Union Ave. (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com Travis Laplante & Peter Evans 7:30 p.m. Barking Legs Theatre, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org
Mon 05.14 Southside Casual Classics presents Jay Craven “Melodies from Memorial”
7:30 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 505-6688 thecamphouse.com Live Team Trivia 7:30 p.m. BrewHaus, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 531-8490 chattanoogatrivia.com
Tue 05.15 Women Love Whiskey Tasting Event 6 p.m. Blacksmith’s Bistro, 3914 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 702-5461 blacksmithstelmo.com Girl’s Inc. Golf Open 11:30 a.m. Lookout Mountain Golf Club, 1730 Wood Nymph Tr. (706) 820-0719 girlsincofchatt.org “Tuesday Night Live”
Wed 05.16 Ronald McDonald House Charities Bowl-a-rama 6 p.m. Pin Strikes, 6241 Perimeter Dr. (423) 710-3530 rmhchattanooga.com Strung Like a Horse with Belly Dance 7 p.m. Barking Legs Theatre, 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Mud Run Registration Party 5:30 p.m. GreenSpaces, 63 E. Main St. (423) 756-0507 habichatt.org
Map these locations on chattanoogapulse. com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@ chattanoogapulse.com.
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 21
Screen
JOHN DEVORE
‘The Avengers’: A Great Time for Fanboys “
if you are hoping for a review of this film from an objective standpoint, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. A film like “The Avengers” isn’t going to be reviewed by the rational adult I’ve become; the man who loves independent film and David Cronenburg is on vacation this week. Instead, “The Avengers” is being judged by the 12-year-old who knows all the words to “Ninja Rap.” My interest in reading was maintained in my youth by DC and Marvel comic books. They are as responsible for my education as any teacher I’ve ever had. If it hadn’t been for Clark Kent, I would never have learned about Atticus Finch. Comics were a stepping stone that led me to the deep waters of English literature. There wasn’t a chance I wouldn’t like this film. I can’t tell you that “The Avengers” is high art. I can’t tell you it’s the best movie I’ve ever seen. But I can tell you that it sure felt that way when I was in the theater—and I loved every second of it. It’s my childhood obsession come to life. So take this review with a grain of salt and a shot of patience.
There wasn’t a chance I wouldn’t like this film. I can’t tell you that ‘The Avengers’ is high art. I can’t tell you it’s the best movie I’ve ever seen. But I can tell you that it sure felt that way when I was in the theater—and I loved every second of it.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) battle forces of evil in “The Avengers.”
“The Avengers” is the culmination of a long marketing campaign of superhero movies. Most of the Marvel heroes have had their own features over the past four years, films that thrilled
fanboys and irritated critics. The market has been flooded with CGI and tights for the simple reason that there is a built in audience of 30-year-old nerds (like myself) who will pay handsome-
ly to see their favorite mystery men save the world. We’ve been lucky that the industry has taken these stories seriously and done a decent job of making quality films. Beginning with 2008’s
“Iron Man” and ending with last year’s “Captain America,” Marvel Studios has lovingly crafted a dominating genre that pleases audiences. “The Avengers” seems like the best of them. The story follows heroes Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye as they come together to form the world’s first superhero team. They must join forces to save the world from Loki, a petulant child of a villain who
cool gifts for mom • 30 frazier ave. • 423.266.8010 • open 7 days 22 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
commands an army of lizardlike cyborg minions. He is, of course, bent on ruling the world with an iron fist because his dad didn’t give him enough hugs. Earth’s greatest heroes must band together and overcome their personalities to defeat a common enemy. It’s kind of like “Major League” with superpowers. Of course, the heroes clash, leading to fun superhero-onsuperhero displays of power. The plot is simple, but it needed to be
to accommodate the number of characters. The actors take their roles seriously, necessarily avoiding camp, and keeping close to the source material. The writing and directing was handled masterfully by Joss Whedon, the mind behind geek favorites like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly.” Whedon’s clever dialogue and steady pacing allows the film to unfold naturally. Past films with large casts of heroes have suffered from
being rushed, trying to cram too much character development and action into one feature length film. The previous films covered these character’s origins and powers sufficiently, allowing for a real sense of direction and purpose. While “The Avengers” is primarily an action film, there is quite a bit of dialogue and character development. This pads the film out to almost two and half hours, but I was never bored.
If I had one complaint (and I do because of my legal obligation as a comic book geek), it would be with the Hulk. He can’t be both an uncontrollable monster and a precisely aimed weapon capable of taking direction. I would have preferred him to be chaotic, attacking friend and foe alike. The film sets the Hulk up as a last-resort nuclear strike, but he doesn’t quite deliver in the climactic scenes. However, watching him smash his enemies
SUMMER GUIDE 2012
apart is so damn cool I’m willing to overlook the oversight. As I wrote earlier, there was no chance I wasn’t going to love “The Avengers.” I knew that going in. I’m thrilled that my childhood nostalgia has become mainstream Hollywood fare. I like the butterflies I get before buying my ticket. That doesn’t happen a lot. Eventually, these films will run their course. But for now, it’s a great time to be a fanboy.
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chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 23
24 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
Food&Drink
DINING OUT CHATTANOOGA
Quality, Choices Abound at E Sushi By D.E. Langley e sushi is the newest sushicentric restaurant to land downtown, opening in late April on the 200 block of Market Street. With that location, they’re a quick walk away for lots of Chattanoogans, and an easy stop for lunch or dinner for many others. While graced with a terrific location, a recent visit to the new eatery aimed to reveal what else besides convenience was on offer. The first discovery (after the atmosphere-soaked interior) was a truly gargantuan menu! E Sushi’s fusion cuisine offers Thai, Korean, Chinese and other Japanese choices in addition to their namesake. (Luckily, ample images accompany the listings, offering a helping hand to the unfamiliar guest.) American influences are also apparent, as their offerings are truly sourced from all over the Pacific Rim. Appetizers ranged from panfried gyoza and chicken yakitori to deep-fried, crab-and-shrimpstuffed chicken wings and baked mussels with cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños and spicy Japanese mayo. Main courses are just as widely varied. Diners can choose from teriyaki and hibachi entrees, pad Thai, multiple takes on fried rice … I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that even the most die-hard regulars won’t run out of new dishes to try anytime soon. I asked the owner what he thought made his restaurant a winner in the war for your business. “Quality is the most important thing,” he answered. “We get only Triple-A graded fish, the highest level available.” Their dedication to their product is best tasted through the various
E Sushi 200 Market St Second floor (423) 668-2788 Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday
offerings we Americans tend to lump together as “sushi.” The options here are just as varied as the rest of the menu. Nigiri and/or sashimi, the simplest offerings, are available in no less than 20 varieties, including cooked options for those unaccustomed to dining on raw seafood no matter the quality. When my maguro and sake (tuna and salmon, respectively) sashimi arrived, the owner beamed as he challenged me: “Hold it up to the light!” Bright afternoon sunlight streaming
Photos • Josh Lang
through the windows illuminated the translucence of the thickly-cut slices. “That’s TripleA.” Each fresh bite was perfectly succulent and tender. A plethora of sushi rolls are also available. I placed my faith in the owner’s judgment, and was presented with two rolls. First was the Big Island Roll, a Hawaiian-influenced sweet and savory combination. Crunchy salmon is rolled up inside and avocado, mango and roe join a creamy sauce on top. Like many of my favorite dishes, this one highlighted differences in textures and flavors to produce a fantastic result. The second was the Fantastic Roll, a leviathan-sized roll served sliced and laid out on its side. Chopped salmon, tuna, yellowtail and avocados top the
rice, and the plate is finished off with a spicy wasabi mayo. This was more like rolls I’d had in the past, though it is difficult to convey how big each of these pieces were. The contrast in textures between the fish themselves is what made this roll work so well. I was quite satisfied with my dinner, and I hadn’t even touched any of my standby favorites. In fact, I hadn’t even searched them out, so great was the number of options. However, if your favorite roll somehow isn’t on their extensive list, don’t fret—they’ll gladly make it for you. Given their location, it also makes sense that E Sushi has a full bar on hand to provide your favorite libations, and they serve house wine at half-price all day, every day. The setting makes for a great jumping-off point for a night out on the town, and competitive pricing and nightly liquor specials ensure you’ll still have a cover charge or two in your pocket when you leave. (If late nights aren’t your thing, you can also enjoy a drink during happy hour, as guests get halfpriced beers and sake, as well as 15 percent off food from 3 to 6 p.m.) If you’re trying to figure out where to take Mom this Sunday, worry no more—families of three or more can treat Mom to E Sushi for free to celebrate Mothers’ Day! My visit convinced me that there is a lot more to E Sushi than just their ideal whereabouts. High-quality product at reasonable prices does a lot to win me over, and having plenty of choices never hurts either. Fresh weather, fresher food and a table with a view? Sign me up.
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 25
Sushi & Biscuits
MIKE MCJUNKIN
Bug is the Drug That Does Nothing for Love first dates are awkward. The other night I sat across from this very lovely woman who was desperately trying to have a normal conversation with me when she asked a fateful question. “Have you found anything interesting to eat lately?” Moments like these can make or break an evening and mean the difference between a tender kiss good night or a panicked dropand-roll from the still-moving car as I pull up to her house. Because I sometimes have the dating instincts of Seth Brundle I responded with this little gem of an answer. “I’ve been exceptionally entomophagic this week. Sure, we all get a little entomophagic from time to time, but this week I really let my inner entomophage cut loose with beondegi, kai mod daeng, and even mangda paste from Thailand.” Cue the blank stare followed by a visibly uncomfortable smile. I was going to explain to her that entomophagy is the practice of eating insects, something that humans have always done and continue to do to this day. I could have explained how the recent concern over Starbucks using ground cochineal (a tiny insect) as a coloring in one of their drinks is overblown since co-
Roasted silkworms
chineal has been used in a wide range of foods for decades. I was going to tell her how nutritional insects are and that if we ate more insects it would take a huge burden off of the environment through reducing the demand for other proteins. That’s what I would have said if she had come back from the bathroom. Instead I was left with a half bottle of wine and the promise of sensuous self-love to come. This all started about a week earlier when I stumbled on a few packages of cooked silkworm pupae (beondegi) while I was digging around in the back freezers of Asian Market on Lee Highway. I mentioned the silkworms to my friends at Asian Food & Gifts on Hixson Pike and was quickly
26 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
“
Just like chitterlings and pigs feet in the South, many of the foods I tried are considered ‘country foods’ in their home country. whisked over to a freezer and handed a container of red ant larvae used to make kai mod daeng and then shown a jar of mangda chili paste (mangda being a large water beetle that is ground with spices and aromatics into a paste). Within two hours, I had
located the main ingredients for three edible insect dishes right here in Chattanooga. Lucky me. I decided to roast the silkworm pupae two ways: one batch with Chinese spices and the other tossed with Sriracha, green onions and peppers. I made a Thai dish, Kai Mot Phat, with the red ant eggs stir-fried in chilies, lemon grass and fish sauce. Finally, I made Nam Prik Mangda with steamed vegetables and sticky rice. Strangely enough, my adventurous eater friends were unexpectedly busy that night, so I decided to make a generously poured libation and try to overcome more than 40 years of prejudice against eating insects in one daring solo meal. Maybe it was the vodka, but I kind of enjoyed the Kai Mot Phat. The ant eggs provided a sour, slightly citrus contrast to the chilies and fish sauce. The Nam Prik Mangda was only slightly less appealing with its dark, fibrous texture and mildly metallic yet flowery smell, which I understand is the primary contribution of the water beetle. Then came the silkworms. I’ve seen Andrew Zimmern eat praying mantis lips, scorpion scrotum and whatever else someone hands him on “Bizarre Foods” and have always maintained I would try anything anyone else considers food. But the roasting
silkworms smelled like Snookie’s bathroom after a long night on the Shore—a mixture of burning hair, musty taint and boiled peanuts. They tasted earthy and nutty, which is another way of saying they tasted like dirty, mildewed nuts. The almost burnt ones were the least offensive—crunchy outside and slightly firm inside. The rest were still a bit crunchy on the outside, but gave me an unexpected money shot of slightly viscous liquid when I bit into it. Let’s just say the silkworms were “challenging.” If my foray into entomophagy did nothing else, it solidified the idea that culture and experience have a dramatic effect on taste. Just like chitterlings and pigs feet in the South, many of the foods I tried are considered “country foods” in their home country. These dishes may be shunned by some and savored by others, but when removed from the context of their culture we have to take care that novelty doesn’t become an excuse for condescension. That said, I still don’t think we’re going to see a scorpion on a stick vendor at Fresh on Fridays anytime soon. Mike McJunkin cooks better than you and eats quite a bit of very strange food. Visit his Facebook page (Sushi and Biscuits) for updates and recipes.
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Free Will Astrology ARIES
moon’s pale glow shimmers on your face as you run your fingers through your hair. In your imagination, 90 violins play with sublime fury, rising toward a climax, while the bittersweet yearning in your heart sends warm chills down your spine. You part your lips and open your eyes wide, searching for the words that could change everything. And then suddenly you remember you have to contact the plumber tomorrow, and find the right little white lie to appease you-know-who, and run out to the store to get that gadget you saw advertised. Cut! Cut! Let’s do this scene again. Take five. It’s possible, my dear, that your tendency to overdramatize is causing you to lose focus. Let’s trim the 90 violins down to ten and see if maybe that helps.
SAGITTARIUS
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “We
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The idea of a housewarming party comes from an old British tradition. People who were moving would carry away embers from the fireplace of the home they were leaving and bring them to the fireplace of the new home. I recommend that you borrow this idea and apply it to the transition you’re making. As you migrate toward the future, bring along a symbolic spark of the vitality that has animated the situation you’re transitioning out of.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the Byrds’ 1968 song “Fifth Dimension,” the singer makes a curious statement. He says that during a particularly lucid state he saw the great blunder his teachers had made. I encourage you to follow that lead, Libra. Now would be an excellent time for you to thoroughly question the lessons you’ve absorbed from your important teachers—even the ones who taught you the best and helped you the most. You will earn a healthy jolt as you decide what to keep and what to discard from the gifts that beloved authorities have given you.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): My
SCORPIO
your BS-detector in good condition? I hope so, because it’s about to get a workout. Rumors will be swirling and gossip will be flourishing, and you will need to be on high alert in order to distinguish the laughable delusions that have no redeeming value from the entertaining stories that have more than a few grains of truth. If you pass those tests, Pisces, your reward will be handsome: You’ll become a magnet for inside information, valuable secrets, and unusual but useful clues that come from unexpected sources.
(March 21-April 19): In one of your past lives, I think you must have periodically done something like stick your tongue out or thumb your nose at pretentious tyrants—and gotten away with it. At least that’s one explanation for how confident you often are about speaking up when everyone else seems unwilling to point out that the emperor is in fact wearing no clothes. This quality should come in handy during the coming week. It may be totally up to you to reveal the truth about an obvious secret or collective delusion. Can you figure out a way to be relatively tactful as you say what supposedly can’t or shouldn’t be said?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus actor Daniel Day Lewis will star as American president Abraham Lincoln in a film to be released later this year. Hollywood insiders report that Lewis basically became Lincoln months before the film was shot and throughout the entire process. Physically, he was a dead ringer for the man he was pretending to be. Even when the cameras weren’t rolling, he spoke in the cadences and accent of his character rather than in his own natural voice. It might be fun for you to try a similar experiment in the coming weeks, Taurus. Fantasize in detail about the person you would ultimately like to become, and then imitate that future version of you.
friend Irene has a complicated system for handling her cats’ food needs. The calico, Cleopatra, demands chicken for breakfast and beef stew at night. Caligula insists on fish stew early and tuna later. I’m bringing your attention to this, Cancerian, because I think you could draw inspiration from it. It’s in your interests, at least temporarily, to keep your loved ones and allies happy with a coordinated exactitude that rivals Irene’s.
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28 • The Pulse • MAY 10-16, 2012 • chattanoogapulse.com
rob brezsny
(July 23-Aug. 22): The
all need a little more courage now and then,” said poet Marvin Bell. “That’s what I need. If you have some to share, I want to know you.” I advise you to adopt his approach in the coming days, Virgo. Proceed on the assumption that what you need most right now is to be braver and bolder. And consider the possibility that a good way to accomplish this goal is by hanging around people who are so intrepid and adventurous that their spirit will rub off on you.
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): What are the most beautiful and evocative songs you know? What are the songs that activate your dormant wisdom and unleash waves of insight about your purpose? Whatever those tunes are, I urge you to gather them all into one playlist, and listen to them with full attention while at rest in a comfortable place where you feel perfectly safe. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you need a concentrated dose of the deepest, richest, most healing emotions you can tap into.
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Tourists rarely go to the South American nation of Guyana. That’s mostly because much of it is virgin rain forest and there are few amenities for travelers. In part, it’s also due to the reputation-scarring event that occurred there in 1978, when cult-leader Reverend Jim Jones led a mass suicide of his devotees. Last year, after travel writer Jeff Greenwald announced his trip to Guyana, and said he was glad he went. The lush, tangled magnificence of Guyana was tough to navigate but a blessing to the senses and a first-class adventure. Be like him, Sagittarius. Consider engaging with a situation that offers challenging gifts. Overcome your biases about a potentially rewarding experience.
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “You have more freedom than you are using,” says artist Dan Attoe. Allow that taunt to get under your skin and rile you up in the coming days, Capricorn. Let it motivate you to lay claim to all the potential spaciousness and independence and leeway that are just lying around going to waste. According to my understanding of the astrological omens, you have a sacred duty to cultivate more slack as if your dreams depended on it. (They do!) (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): If you’ve been tuning in to my horoscopes during the past months, you’re aware that I have been encouraging you to refine and deepen the meaning of home. I’ve been asking you to integrate yourself into a community that brings out the best in you; I’ve been nudging you to create a foundation that will make you strong and sturdy for a long time. Now it’s time to finish up your intensive work on these projects. You’ve got about four more weeks before a new phase of your life’s work will begin.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Is
Jonesin’ Crossword
matt jones
“Stretch Those Quads!”—a hardcore freestyle workout. Across
1. Second half of a ball game? 5. Used (to) 15. She uses a bird to sweep the house 17. Computer overhaul 18. Arian Foster stats 19. Little sip 20. Gold, to Guatemalans 21. “Who Wants to Marry a MultiMillionaire?” network 22. Bodybuilder’s units 24. Word before Earth or City, in computer games 27. Drab shade 29. She was Dorothy on “The Golden Girls” 30. Org. that listens for alien signals 31. It’s obsolete 35. Jovial question from someone eager to help 36. It covers Miami, Montpelier and Montreal 37. SOPA subject 38. Opera follower? 39. New Year’s, in Hanoi 40. Mandolin relative
41. Nancy Grace’s network 42. Southwest sch. whose mascot is King Triton 44. Daily grind 45. Homey 46. “___ Ho” (Best Original Song Oscar winner of 2008) 47. The D in OED 50. Easy lunch to prepare 56. Insider’s knowledge 57. Viktor Bout or Adnan Khashoggi 58. Dark form of quartz
Down
1. Off-kilter 2. Messed with the facts 3. World Series precursor, for short 4. “As I see it,” in chatrooms 5. Tack on 6. Shorten nails 7. Smoke 8. Palindromic prime minister of the 1940s-60s
9. Leather sharpener 10. Old rulers 11. Chemist Hahn 12. Oneself, cutely 13. Roxy Music name 14. Room for board games, perhaps 16. Person with a booming voice, often 21. Donut shop option 22. Upgraded 23. Fail spectacularly, like a skateboarder 24. British structure of WWII 25. “No need to pay” 26. Bishops’ wear 27. Grain alcohol 28. Put someone in their place 29. Some hats worn on The Oregon Trail 30. Lose your composure, in junior high-speak 31. “Anchors ___” 32. Senator Jake who flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery 33. The plate 34. Ophthalmologist’s
concerns 42. Implored 43. Richard who played Don Barzini in “The Godfather” 44. Vacation time, in slang 45. ___ the Younger (Arthurian knight) 46. Director Campion 47. Zoologist Fossey 48. Disgusting 49. Cereal with gluten-free varieties 50. Org. that bestows merit badges 51. “Love, Reign ___ Me” (The Who) 52. 420, for 20 and 21: abbr. 53. “Just as I suspected!” 54. “On the Road” protagonist ___ Paradise 55. “Never heard of her”
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. 0571. chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 29
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chuck crowder
★
last week the hunter museum unveiled a new exhibit called “Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock and Roll Photography,” which features 40 famous photos of rock ‘n’ roll royalty. The postcard I received in the mail contains a photo of the Rolling Stones likely taken during the shoot for the “Between The Buttons” album cover back in the mid-1960s, so I’m sure that’s one of the 40. Only 39 left to see. Even though the postcard doesn’t go into detail about the remaining photos or photographers featured, I’m intrigued enough to want to pay the old Hunter a visit and see what’s what. I’m a huge fan of not only rock ‘n’ roll, but also photography, especially when the subject matter is something or someone I enjoy. I suspect this exhibit may or may not feature some of the more memorable rock n’ roll photographs that are tattooed in my memory—Keith Richards sitting under poster that reads “Patience Please ... A Drug Free America Comes First!”, Gram Parsons in a Nudie suit standing in the desert, Pete Townshend in mid-swing of smashing a guitar as Keith Moon kicks over his drum kit, the iconic yet ironic photograph of The Pretenders neatly dressed on the cover of their second album. It’s no light-bulb revelation that the images of rock stars captured in photographs help add a visual element to the audio art they make. Isn’t that why album covers are so iconic? Listening to “Sgt. Pepper’s” is a little more interesting when you’re staring at the album cover trying to figure out how many stars you can identify— and then wonder why they’re there. And, when
you see a press photo of The Beatles heading out on the train to enlightenment with the Maharishi or whoever, their mystery becomes a little deeper than “I wanna hold your hand.” In fact, to me, looking at photos and video of my favorite artists performing is just as much part of the audio experience as the catchy tunes. But that’s probably true for anyone who enjoys live music. Why would anyone want to stand and watch someone play an instrument if that action didn’t add a certain feel to the experience of hearing a song being played right in front of you? When a photographer snaps a cool photo of that action, the image sometimes becomes as much a part of pop culture as the music. Regardless, band photography—whether iconic or not—has always been a tool of marketing. Back in the 1980s, I remember taking many a photo of local bands standing against brick walls to be used as 8” x 10” black-and-white glossies in hopeful press kits. Sadly, none of those acts ever
made any of us famous. I say “us” because some photographers have enough hits to be rock stars themselves. Several come to mind— Annie Lebovitz, who has photographed just about anyone you can name; Bob Gruen, who might be best known for his photos of John Lennon in his NYC T-shirt; Henry Diltz, whose photos can be found on more than 100 album covers it seems. I don’t know if the work of any of these photographers is included in the exhibit at the Hunter, but if so, they’re likely still making a buck on that fateful snap of the shutter. I’m glad rock photographers earn a little chunk of change every time their work is (legally) used. Otherwise we probably wouldn’t have as many people out there capturing the hundreds upon hundreds of shots required to get that one jewel that may eventually become emblazoned in our minds each time we hear a certain band or song. I’m sure I’ll be singing at the top of my lungs (in my head) when I see what the Hunter has rockin’. Check it out. Chuck Crowder is a local writer and general man about town. His opinions are just that. Take what you read with a grain of salt, but let it pepper your thoughts.
chattanoogapulse.com • MAY 10-16, 2012 • The Pulse • 31