Connect Savannah June 10, 2020

JUN 10-16, 2020 NEWS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

“SAY WHAT I NEED TO SAY” Five questions with local artist Xavier Hutchins

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

What's in your drinking water?

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The 2019 City of Savannah drinking water report is now available.

SAVANNAHWATERQUALITY.COM

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Davenport House

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TO HAVE AN EVENT LISTED EMAIL WAG@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. INCLUDE DATES, TIME, LOCATIONS WITH ADDRESSES, COST AND A CONTACT NUMBER. DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION IS 5PM FRIDAY, TO APPEAR IN NEXT WEDNESDAY’S EDITION.

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Georgia State Railroad Museum Wed.-Sun. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Livestreams:

Forsyth Farmers Market Enhanced social distancing between vendors.

9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday facebook.com/forsythfarmersmarket

Old Fort Jackson Wed.-Sun 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Bluegrass by the Pint from Service Brewing — Join Service Brewing for live streaming Bluegrass from one of our favorite local bands, City Hotel!

Fridays, 6 p.m. facebook.com/servicebrewing/

Tybee Island Farmers Market — Mondays, 4-7 p.m.

30 Meddin Dr. facebook.com/tybeeislandfarmersmarket

Site Reopenings: Davenport House Museum Daily tours begin 10 a.m., last tour 4 p.m. except Sundays when hours are 1-4 p.m.

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Farmer’s Market

Markets:

Islands Farmers Market — Enhanced social distancing between vendors.

Saturdays 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. , 401 Quarterman Dr. facebook.com/islandsfarmersmarket/

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Mars Theatre Friday/Saturday night movies at 7 p.m.

Mercer-Williams House Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m., closed Tuesday and Wednesday National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m.

Pin Point Heritage Museum Thu.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

American Prohibition Museum Daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m., last entry 4:15 p.m.

Front Porch Improv: Hot Takes Friday — Live improv comedy sessions.

Fridays 9 p.m. facebook.com/frontporchimprov/ Friday Night Live with Mayor Van Johnson — Savannah Mayor Van Johnson’s “fireside chat” about the state of the city.

Fridays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/MayorJohnsonSAV/ Psychotronic Film Society Viewing Parties -To receive the secret link to these hidden streaming

playlists, people MUST join the PFS of SAV’s Private Facebook Group, at the link below. Each week, anyone who chooses to donate at least $5 via PayPal or Venmo receives a free high quality digital download of a movie from the archive, and is entered into a drawing to win a limited edition T-shirt.

Wednesdays, Sundays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/ groups/2519522234807695/ Seldom Sober — Savannah’s only Irish music ensemble, Seldom Sober (Michael Corbett and Colleen Settle) perform a set spanning Trad Irish to American folk.

Tuesdays, 8 p.m. facebook.com/seldomsober/ Savannah Performance Project - Chris Bass’ daily live stream show airs at 1:15 p.m. at Facebook.com/SPPAdmi

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

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Glance

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NEWS & OPINION EDITOR’S NOTE Proud Sponsor

A time for action, a time for listening

BY JIM MOREKIS

Connect Savannah is published every Wednesday by Morris Multimedia, Inc 611 East Bay Street Savannah, GA, 31401 Phone: 912.231.0250 Fax: 912.238.2041 www.connectsavannah.com twitter: @ConnectSavannah Facebook.com/connectsav ADMINISTRATIVE Chris Griffin, General Manager chris@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 EDITORIAL Jim Morekis, Editor-in-Chief jim@connectsavannah.com Sean Kelly, A&E Editor sean@connectsavannah.com Rachael Flora, Community/Events Editor rachael@connectsavannah.com Josephine Beisel, Editorial Intern CONTRIBUTORS John Bennett, Matt Brunson, Brittany Curry, Kristy Edenfield, Geoff L. Johnson, Lindy Moody, Orlando Montoya, Jim Reed ADVERTISING Information: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com Bucky Bryant, Senior Account Executive bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381 DESIGN & PRODUCTION Brandon Blatcher, Art Director artdirector@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4379

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SOMETIMES, it’s best to sit back and listen.

The very rapid series of events and policy proposals in the wake of George Floyd’s killing present a challenge and opportunity for journalists not seen in 50 years – the last time a wave of massive unrest combined with real, lasting social change unfolded across America.

For people like me, accustomed to using our platforms to publish our opinions on matters both large and small, the temptation is great to weigh in on this matter as we would any other.

And to a certain extent, I’d be abdicating my responsibility to not do so at all.

Then again, as a middle-aged white male editor in one of America’s whitest industries, the media, it’s more important than ever to have some self-awareness, and some humility – both often rare commodities in the media world.

One of the most common tropes in American political life is the tendency of white people to make everything about themselves, especially when the topic is the challenges that people of color face.

There’s a whole genre of debate on Twitter about this all-too-common phenomenon; I doubt this tendency is going to stop anytime soon. The fact that it usually

FEEDBACK

Bluntly stated, we’re going to expand our scope to make sure we don’t fall victim to the same trope ourselves.

As the local altweekly, one of our main missions is to provide an alternative to the mainstream; that’s literally what the “alt” means, ever since our type of newspaper was created during that wave of social and political change and upheaval in the late 1960s-70s.

So as editor here, I see my most important role in this debate as facilitating the inclusion of points of view and ideas which are This past weekend’s Enough is Enough Call to Action in Forsyth Park brought ou hundreds of attendees to learn more about what harder to come by elsethey can do to dismantle systemic racism. PHOTO BY JIM MOREKIS where locally, and to do so in a more thoughtful and expansive manner comes from the best of intentions doesn’t than most media outlets are capable of in make it any less frustrating or often an era of clickbait and sound bites. counterproductive.

It’s not that I don’t have opinions on this Now is a better time than any to redoumyself – believe me, I do, lots of them – and ble efforts to give others a voice and a it’s not that I’m taking a neutral stance. platform on these crucially important But sometimes, the best thing you can and riveting global movements, for racial do is sit back and listen. CS justice in general and police reform in particular.

LETTERS@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

City curfew call came too late, valued property over lives Editor, Youth organizers in Savannah orchestrated a phenomenal protest against police brutality. However, what should have been a peaceful ending to a peaceful protest was negatively impacted by local leadership.

Actions taken later on in the night proved that property is valued over Black lives.

Mayor Johnson announced that the implementation of a curfew was dependent on behavior at the protest. According to attendees, news reports, and social media posts, the protest was peaceful.

Nevertheless, at 6:21 p.m. a tweet was sent out via Twitter

publicizing that an 8:30 p.m. curfew was put in place.

Many protestors were unaware of the curfew due to several contributing factors including: dead cell phones, lack of service, and the lateness of the notification. This left them with little reactionary time. If he intended to implement a curfew, this could have been communicated at the protest.

The reasoning behind instating the curfew was to ensure that rioting and looting did not occur, in essence, to protect local property. Curfew could be implemented to protect local property from being harmed, yet, a pandemic that has claimed over 100,000 lives, disproportionately impacting Black people, did not move the city enough to implement a

curfew. That is pretty revealing about where the city’s priorities lie.

The decision to implement the curfew was poorly communicated and put Black protestors directly in a position of harm. Sixteen protestors were arrested and thirty charges were filed.

Some of these arrests were a direct result of the implementation of the curfew. This is problematic for several reasons: 1. What was the purpose of arresting people, who were peacefully protesting their right to have their humanity respected? Despite claims that protestors became unruly, several videos prove otherwise.

2. Currently, jails are breeding grounds for the spread of COVID-19. Quite literally,

arresting them put their lives at risk.

3. During a pandemic, where many people’s income is heavily impacted, having to pay bail is a waste of resources that many people cannot afford.

Additionally, the bail system is a discriminatory system that penalizes already over-policed black communities and poor people.

4. Video proof shows that in some of the arrests excessive force was used, even when they were not resisting.

These actions directly undermined the message that Black lives, and Black people’s right to advocate for their lives, matter.

Deborah Jackson

NEWS & OPINION COMMUNITY

When I hear people say “All lives matter,” I respond by saying, “Of course they do, and Black lives matter too.” That’s what this is about right now. That’s the conversation we’re having right now.

Father Michael Chaney recommends that the first book that you read is Made for Goodness, And Why This Makes All the Difference by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu.

that we educate ourselves about the struggle Black people continue to encounter.

that white folks can do at this time?

The most important thing white people can do at this time is to learn how to become a good ally to those that face injustice and oppression. It takes humility to be an ally and we’re going to make mistakes.

Black people are exhausted. White people Deal with it and begin the process. have the luxury of checking into issues Being a good ally means listening more of racial inequality when it’s convenient and talking less. Yes, you have a valid then tuning out when it gets overwhelmopinion, but it’s not necessary to share it ing. Black people don’t have this privilege. at all times. Right now is not the time to They’re living racial inequality every day. ask Black people and other people of color Black people don’t need the extra burden to understand how you feel or share how of trying to explain the difficulty of being you’ve struggled as a white person too. black in this country while simultaneously Sometimes it’s best to pass the mic and living the realty. Let’s do this work on our amplify the voices of those without our own and help lighten the load. privilege. You might learn something.

It’s also not enough to not be racist right CS: What do you say to “all lives matnow. We have to be actively anti-racist. ter” folks?

This means engaging one another. It is imperative for white people to talk to one When I hear people say “All lives matter,” I another with humility and honesty about respond by saying, “Of course they do, and racism. I’m not talking about debating racBlack lives matter too.” That’s what this is ism, I’m talking about talking. This can be about right now. That’s the conversation uncomfortable. This isn’t going to happen we’re having right now. on social media and it sure isn’t going to When it’s breast cancer awareness happen over Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t month we don’t respond with “all cancers debate. Discuss. Step outside of your commatter.” When it’s someone’s funeral we fort zone and ask “What if?” Attempt to don’t respond with “all deaths matter.” “try on” a perspective that isn’t yours.

I’d like to invite you to consider why it’s And we have to continue this discussion so important for us to acknowledge police and refuse to let it evaporate when this is Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin brutality and racial inequality aimed speno longer on the front page of the news.

Luther King Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere cifically at Black people right now.

We must continue to hold one another is a threat to justice everywhere. We are accountable in ways that are loving and caught in an inescapable network of mutu- CS: What are some of your favorite affirming rather than shaming or blamality, tied in a single garment of destiny. resources that white folks can use to ing if we want to see change. It’s really Whatever affects one directly, affects all become better people? easy to get defensive about topics of racindirectly.” ism. Resisting the urge to shame or blame From a pragmatic perspective, it isn’t There are some excellent resources on ally- another in conversation is an effective tool prudent to allow the cycle of injustice to ship available online at guidetoallyship. in defusing this defense and opens a door eventually catch up with itself. An ethical com. for actual change. humanist might assert that pushing back Sojourners is a faith-based organization on injustice is the virtuous thing to do. that focuses on justice, anti-racism, and CS: What else would you like to add?

As a person of faith, my Christian tradi- dialog to alleviate poverty. sojo.net. tion demands that I strive for justice and GoodGoodGood has an excellent list of This is sensitive material. Engaging in peace among all people, and respect the anti-racism resources adapted from the honest dialog about racism doesn’t mean dignity of every human being. Most faith Antiracism Resources Google doc combeating yourself up for being white or for traditions have, at their core, a deep abidpiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker & Alyssa being privileged. It means acknowledging love for all of creation. How can people Klein. ing privilege and using that privilege for of faith honor this love without taking Esquire just published a list of 10 starter the work of dismantling racism. We have action to learn more? books on anti-racism. to work on ourselves. We have to take up If we truly care about creating a more the struggle as if it is our own and stand up just and equitable world it is imperative CS: What is the most important thing even when we feel scared. CS 5 CS: Why should white people not ask black people to help them learn how to not be racist?

Voices on the Path:

BY KRISTY EDENFIELD Voices on the Path is a new series where we listen to people who are doing the work in our community right now.

WHEN George Floyd called out for his mama in one of his final breathes, millions of parents were summoned to action.

Father Michael Chaney has decades of experience learning and teaching about social and racial justice. He offers some insight of why it is important and where to start.

CS: Why does it matter that white people educate themselves?

Why wouldn’t we educate ourselves? In his

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

Michael Chaney

NEWS & OPINION NEWS CYCLE

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Seeking equity in transportation

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EFFORTS to make streets safer for people who walk, bike, and roll have centered on redesigning streets and implementing other measures to protect vulnerable users from drivers. The situation is urgent.

Bicycle fatalities rose in 2018 to the highest level in 30 years. The number of people killed while walking in our country has increased by more than 50 percent over the last decade, while overall traffic fatality rates have remained steady and even declined.

The risk of being hit by a car is not equally distributed. Older adults, people of color, and people walking in low-income communities are disproportionately represented in fatal crashes involving people walking, according to an analysis conducted last year by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition.

“We know that streets are safer for people biking, walking, using public transportation and driving when there are bike lanes, sidewalks and safe crossing opportunities. We also know that traditionally Black and low-income neighborhoods

suffer from disinvestment in that basic infrastructure,” said Caila Brown, executive director of Bike Walk Savannah. “This lack of investment and support is a direct result of systemic racism and selective policies that cause our communities of color to suffer.”

But for many Americans, cars aren’t the only threat they face while walking, biking, or using wheelchairs.

“Just having a bike lane or a sidewalk is not enough to guarantee the safety of a Black person in our community,” Brown said. “Whether or not there is a sidewalk, a Black person is at greater risk for harm, harassment and violence than a white person. That’s why it’s important for transportation and mobility justice to be closely tied with racial and social justice.”

Brown, along with Bike Walk Savannah Board co-chairs Michael Edwards and Mike Nadeu, issued a statement on racial justice that reads, in part, “From traffic fatalities to police brutality to a broken justice system, Black people like George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and a disturbingly long list are being killed with alarming frequency. This needs to end now. Bike Walk Savannah stands with those fighting against racism in the United States and around the globe. We remain committed to our mission of an equitable environment for biking and walking in

Savannah — and beyond — and commit to supporting the racial justice work that needs to be done to get there.”

The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition issued a similar statement, saying, “We cannot have mobility justice without racial justice. We are an organization dedicated to reclaiming Atlanta’s streets as safe, inclusive, and thriving spaces for people to ride, walk, and roll. We talk a lot about re-envisioning streets as inclusive public spaces. Seeing our streets militarized is the antithesis of what public space should be about.”

BikeAthens acknowledged the organization’s relationship to the community it serves and committed to “lift up the voices of people of color” in a statement issued last week: “We recognize that BikeAthens is a white-led organization with predominantly white volunteers and donors. Every day, we see the results of intergenerational poverty among black Athenians that has been brought about by segregation, Jim Crow laws, red-lining, and other racist policies. We see the stark contrast between the people we serve. Many of them are people of color, who ride bikes because they have no other options. We also see the broader cycling community, which is mostly affluent and white. There is no transportation equity without social justice and trust. We must put in the work to learn how best to play a part in that.”

The reference to the broader cycling community being “mostly affluent and white,” is indicative of how bicycling is often viewed around our state and especially in rural and suburban areas where bikes are used mostly for recreation. And it shapes the way many white Georgians think about what and who bicycling is for.

On May 8, the #IRunWithMaud hashtag was trending as people jogged, walked, and biked to show solidarity with Ahmaud Arbery’s family. A post on the Georgia Bikes Facebook page encouraged people to take part and affirmed, “These activities are not safe for any of us if they are not safe for all of us. Racial justice is an essential part of the discussion around transportation and use of public space.”

In response to the post, one person suggested Georgia Bikes should, “stick to cycling issues.”

The good news is advocates for safer streets in our state reject this narrow view of “cycling issues.”

“It is our responsibility to speak out and acknowledge that systemic racism exists in our transportation system,” said Bike Walk Macon Executive Director Rachel Umana said in a statement. “We are committed to being an anti-racist organization.

We are committed to taking the time to listen and learn during this time. And, we’re committed to taking action and doing the work, not just speaking about it.” CS

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BY KENNETH ZAPP ABOUT ninety years ago, British economist John Maynard Keynes explained how individual and family thrift can be harmful for a market economy.

This is a paradox because the JudaoChristian ethic (and most other major religions) teach us that saving more today (and spending less) helps us build a more prosperous future.

Keynes explained that when we (households and individuals) increase our savings more than businesses expect us to do, we spend less than what is needed to purchase

acquired home equity loans to fund spending binges when their home values soared before the great recession 12 years ago?

A drop in wealth can have the opposite effects.

One of Keynes’ most important contributions to our understanding of household behavior, however, was that our expectations of our future income plays a powerful role in our division of disposable income into savings and spending.

When we expect a loss of income, most of us reduce our spending in order to put some funds aside for the bad (or rainy) days to come. When we expect to have larger incomes in the future, most of us are more willing to allocate more money to spending and less to savings.

recently enjoyed.

The high savings rates mean that households will not purchase all the goods or services business have produced and many laid-off employees will not be called back for some time.

The impact on travel and tourism will persist long after the current social distance restrictions are history for two reasons. Some people are not going to return as fast as possible because of the uncertainty associated with the virus and conflicting claims emanating from different levels of government.

People will also continue saving more and spending less than businesses expected them to do as long as this uncertainty persists.

“...the need to bolster consumer confidence causes some politicians to minimize the threat or overstate our ability to beat the virus. Both serve to increase uncertainty and reduce confidence.” the goods and services businesses create.

When this happens businesses cannot sell what they produced and they reduce production and lay-off workers until their unsold items are finally purchased.

This is one cause of unemployment in a market economy.

For this reason, economists try to understand the factors which influence consumer decisions which determine the allocation of their disposable income between consumption and saving.

Some are self-evident. Families with higher than average income usually save a higher percent of their available funds than those with lower incomes.

Families which experience a loss of income (through job loss, health crises, or any other event) suddenly spend less on discretionary items and more on essentials. Households with positive changes in their income do the opposite.

Changes in wealth also affect these decisions. An increase in wealth (stock market gains or increased value of real estate) itself represents an increase in saving and households experiencing this benefit often respond by increasing their spending.

Remember how many households

The need to understand how consumers view their economic future has led the Institute for Survey Research at the University of Michigan to develop a monthly measurement of consumer confidence (called the Consumer Sentiment Index).

This statistic is now one of eleven inputs the Federal Department of Commerce uses to create its composite index of leading economic indicators. Businesses use these data to develop their plans for future production and employment.

The problem is that household or consumer confidence can vary widely. Since fear of the COVID-19 pandemic developed, the Consumer Sentiment Index has fallen more than 30%. During this same time, the savings rate of American households has almost doubled.

During past periods of high economic growth, savings increases were needed to support business expansion. Today, however, the meaning of Keynes’ paradox is painfully clear.

Until households have a more positive view of the future, their high savings rates will make it difficult, if not impossible, for our economy to return to the high employment (or low unemployment) we have

We can, however, see three positive factors for our local economy. We may experience the resurgence of “staycation” spending by Americans who see even greater uncertainty (and the risk of twoweek quarantine) associated with travel abroad.

Second, the Federal government has inserted trillions of dollars into households and businesses, without which the drop in demand for goods and services would have been terribly more severe.

Finally, the latest report on consumer confidence showed a slight increase.

Sadly, the need to bolster consumer confidence causes some politicians to minimize the threat or overstate our ability to beat the virus.

Both serve to increase uncertainty and reduce confidence. The economy needs firm, honest, and sincere messaging from leaders and until we receive it the rebound will be slow. CS Kenneth Zapp, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at Metropolitan State University and Mentor with SCORE Savannah.

CITIZEN ADVOCACY: Changing the conversation around special needs

BY BRITTANY CURRY

inkybrittany.com

CHATHAM-SAVANNAH Citizen Advocacy is a 40-year-strong community organization that initiates relationships between independent citizens who live good, comfortable lives and citizens who live hard lives because they have a disability.

Having a disability by itself does not equal having a hard life. But when the world looks at you on the outside and

automatically thinks that you “belong” with “other special people” and your life choices are limited to what disability services can offer—that’s a hard life.

When you’re surrounded by nothing but paid, professional medical and social workers, and can’t point to a single friend or ally outside of the day program or the group home—that’s a hard life.

When other people are the ones making decisions about what time you’ll wake up in the morning, where you’ll live, who you’ll live with, how you’ll spend your day, and no one thinks you’re capable of having

dreams and goals and navigating your own path—that’s a hard life.

The average citizen has no idea what daily reality is like for folks who are pushed into the “special needs” lane in life, and who rely on paid services for their care because they don’t have a mum or a spouse or a friend to speak up on their behalf.

Being hidden away in congregate services not only leads to tedious boredom and life wasting, but people often find themselves in dangerous and life-threatening situations.

A short-term volunteer opportunity to

“help” people with disabilities does not help. It adds one more person to the revolving door of people coming in and out of the person’s life, deepening the wounding and rejection that people with disabilities feel from not having typical relationships.

Citizen Advocacy brings people together in freestanding, independent relationships that are intended to be long-term, and offers support to the advocate without mediating or “tracking” what’s going on in the relationship.

When I hang out with my best friend, there are no background checks involved and nobody is keeping a “log” of the hours we spent together (because that is 100% counterintuitive to the way people in the real world enter relationships with one another).

When measures are taken in the name of “safety” and “protection” for people with disabilities, we’re often “protecting” people so much, that we’re eliminating the possibility that they will make and experience authentic friendships with other people.

If this sounds foreign, ask a Citizen Advocate who has had to go through the red tape, fill out the forms, and face the resistance of care providers, in order to do something simple and mundane, such as picking up their friend from the group home on a Saturday afternoon to go out for burgers.

In this week’s edition of Magic Makers, I’m sharing a graphic recap of the Chatham-Savannah Citizen Advocacy Board Retreat that took place in early February. The Board hosted out-of-town guests who lead a Cincinnati-based organization called Starfire Council.

Starfire’s story is that they were once a huge congregate disability service.

Through the years, they realized that all the time and money being spent taking people on “outings” (bowling, shopping, and the movies in a big van with other people with disabilities) were only filling up the calendar with activities and not actually leading to valued roles in the community where people are seen as participants and contributors with something to offer.

Programs and services cannot create rich lives for people, only other people can.

Modern congregate services make that option impossible for people with disabilities by continuing the “activity” and disability service paradigm. Some people might need accommodations, but they do not have “special needs.”

We all need the same things—to be known by other people, to have a safe, stable place to live, to experience love and friendship, to have dignity and respect, and to exercise say-so over what we see for our own future. CS Learn more at chathamsavannahcitizenadvocacy.org and starfirecincy.org.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

NEWS & OPINION MAGIC MAKERS

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NEWS & OPINION BLOTTER 2020 Sav/Chatham County Crime Stats through Sunday June 7

HOMICIDES

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Aggravated Assault suspect sought

The Savannah Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance identifying a suspect in a May 11 aggravated assault.

Officers responded to the 2400 block of Elgin Street around 12:45 p.m. for a possible shooting. Cameras in the area captured the shooting and the suspect. Nobody was injured as a result of the shooting. The suspect is described as a black male wearing all red clothing.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the SPD Crime Tip Line at (912) 525-3124. Tips can also be forwarded to Crimestoppers at (912) 2342020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

SPD, U.S. Marshals make arrest in April homicide

Aggravated assault suspect.

“ With assistance from the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, an arrest was made in the April 16 homicide of a Guyton, GA man,” police report.

At around 8:15 p.m. April 16, “Savannah Police officers responded to the 2600 block of Pate Street and located a male, later identified as Brandon Smith, 26, deceased with injuries from gunfire,” police report.

Throughout the course of the investigation, detectives identified Antavius Wilcox,

THANK YOU.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

Our sincere thanks to the awesome advertisers who supported this week’s issue of Connect Savannah.

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23, as the suspect in this case. Intelligence was gathered on Wilcox’s location, and the U.S. Marshals Service Atlanta Office took her in to custody at a residence in Clayton County on Wednesday, May 27.

Wilcox was extradited to the Chatham County Detention Center on Saturday, May 30 and charged with murder.

SPD after-action report on George Floyd protest

After being notified about a protest scheduled for Sunday, May 31 from Johnson Square to City Hall, “SPD began planning to ensure participants had the opportunity to protest peacefully and safely. The official protest began at 2 p.m. and ended around 3:00 p.m. without incident,” police report.

“For safety purposes, SPD as well as partner agencies continued to monitor participants as they began to disband and march through additional areas Downtown. Moving closer to the evening, Mayor Van R. Johnson, II signed an order to enact a curfew between 8:30 p.m. and 7 a.m. the following morning. This decision was made to combat any potential disturbances overnight,” police say.

“Due to a small group of protesters acting disorderly and refusing to comply with the curfew, pepper balls were deployed

bar.food Barnes Restaurant Carey Hilliard’s Restaurant

in the area of the group in order to gain their compliance. None of the individuals required medical attention due to the deployment.”

During the evening, SPD made 16 arrests, with one being a felony arrest for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Out of the 16 arrestees, three were from areas outside of Chatham County.

With 30 charges between the 16 individuals, 11 were for disorderly conduct, 10 for curfew violation, five for obstruction, two for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, one for loitering and prowling and one for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

“The purpose of this protest was to shed light on the tragic death of George Floyd and speak out about inequalities and the conduct of some law enforcement officers.

I believe that was accomplished yesterday, and the few disturbances during the evening did not overshadow this purpose,” said SPD Chief Roy Minter. CS

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NEWS & OPINION NEWS OF THE WEIRD Alex Masmej of Paris, France, is a 23-year-old with a strong sense of selfworth. So strong, in fact, that he sold shares of himself via an initial coin offering, or ICO, in April. Masmej sold tokens, called $ALEX, to 30 investors, raising more than $20,000, which he plans to use to move to San Francisco. Investors in $ALEX reportedly receive a share of any money he makes over the next three years, up to $100,000; a vote on some of his life decisions; and promotion from Masmej on his social media channels, Decrypt reported. (He has a whopping 3,200 followers on Twitter and 517 on Instagram.)

“Since there are no legal contracts,” Masmej said, “I can technically run away with the money.” But he won’t because “it will hurt my reputation amongst those very people I need help from. It’s more likely that I just don’t make money and pay back very little.” Mmm hmmm.

didn’t know the right way to position it on the lift. Car owner Jake Anthony posted a photo of the wrecked hot rod on his Instagram account.

I Am Not Dead Yet

The BBC reported that on June 2, railroad workers became alarmed after spotting a pair of human feet and “no signs of life” near the Chafford Hundred station in Essex, England. The British Transport Police reported that officers who rushed to the scene “found a man in his late 30s enjoying some nude sunbathing.” A spokeswoman for Network Rail punned: “Let me lay it bare, the railway is not a place to sunbathe. Please keep away from the tracks.” Another spokesperson said the episode was “not as uncommon as you might think.” The sunbather received “words of advice” but no citation.

Police in Madrid, Spain, caught up with a wanted criminal in late May, AFP Some folks never learn. On May 9, a New reported. Nacho Vidal, a porn star, was Hampshire State Police trooper pulled charged with manslaughter relating to the over Nicole George, 31, in Newington. death of fashion photographer Jose Luis George was driving 90 mph in a 50 mph Abad last year at Vidal’s country residence. zone; after the traffic stop, she went on.

According to authorities, Abad died after But only 13 minutes later, a second trooper inhaling “venom of the bufo alvarius toad” clocked her doing 111 mph in a 65 mph zone during the “celebration of a mystic ritual.” in Rochester. The first trooper responded The toad, which is native to Mexico and to assist at the second traffic stop, NECN the southwestern U.S., secretes venom reported, and she was arrested for reckcontaining a powerful psychedelic subless operation. However, after her arrest, stance. Police said Vidal and his cohorts authorities found about 40 grams of fenhave lured people who are “easily influtanyl and some methamphetamine in enced, vulnerable or who were seeking George’s possession; they seized her Honda help for illnesses or addictions” to the rituPilot, and they suspect criminal activity als on a regular basis. One of Vidal’s relawas the reason for her big hurry. tives and an employee were also arrested.

As rioters looted and vandalized stores and other businesses in Seattle on May 30, one woman, wearing a cloth mask and a backpack, was caught on news cameras calmly walking out of the Cheesecake Factory with a whole cheesecake, adorned with undisturbed strawberries on top. A KIRO news crew captured the footage as others threw bottles of liquor and broke windows. “With everything going on, sometimes you just have to take a moment to treat yourself,” one Twitter user commented.

Oops

Car buffs who were able to snag a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 were lucky: Coronavirus shut down production before too many of them could be built. So imagine how angry the owner of one of the prized autos was when he took his car to a Chevy dealership in Jacksonville, Florida, for service on June 1 -- and the car was dropped off the lift. According to CarBuzz, the new ‘Vette has a different weight distribution than its predecessors, and service techs

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Unclear on the Concept

Julie Wheeler of Beaver, West Virginia, pleaded guilty in February to health care fraud and faced up to 10 years in prison.

So she and her husband, Rodney Wheeler, apparently cooked up a plan to keep her out of jail: On May 31, Rodney and the couple’s 17-year-old son reported that Julie had fallen from the Grandview overlook at the New River Gorge National River.

Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and rescue crews began a search for her, including use of a helicopter and rappelling into a jagged canyon, to no avail.

After three days of searching, however, Julie turned up —hiding in a closet in her home, WVNS reported.

Now, in addition to the fraud conviction, Julie and Rodney will face multiple charges of conspiracy and giving false information to West Virginia State Police.

“It is hard to hide at home,” remarked U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart.

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MUSIC INTERVIEW

Bottles & Cans play a Quarantine Concert on Sat., June 13. PHOTO BY ACE ANDERSSON

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More than blues: Bottles & Cans gear up for Quarantine Concert Local group readies first show since the pandemic began

long that we said, ‘Hey, maybe we should knock the rust off and play some of these songs.’”

Lundy says he hasn’t gone three months IT’S EASY enough to categorize Bottles without a gig since he was in his 20s. & Cans as a blues band, but the reality is “It’s been a hell of a learning curve. And that they’re so much more. The group, certainly when you’re in that rhythm and which has been together for many years you’ve got a routine with gigs, you look and is made up of a collection of top-notch forward to it. And when it’s all gone, you’re local musicians, plays a serious mix of like, ‘Hey, I’m missing something!’ It’s Americana, blues, rock, country, and soul. been strange,” he says.

It’s something they’ve been doing for a long Though it’s been tough not being able to time and had no intention of stopping. play regularly with his band, Lundy says That is, until three months ago when he’s been doing all he can to stay safe and everything came to a halt. Gigs had to be isolate with his wife at their home. It’s parcancelled, and Bottles & Cans was put on ticularly important for Lundy because of hold. Bandleader Ray Lundy says this is his long battle with pneumonia, which he the longest stretch they’ve gone without had for two years in a row. playing a gig.

“When this stuff started happening, I “We have not played together since Feb- took it very seriously. I was like, ‘Well, I’m ruary, and then everything started dropstaying in.’ But the house has turned into ping off. One after the other, we were losing a pretty nice green room!” he says with a gigs,” Lundy tells Connect. “It’s been so laugh.

When we caught up with Lundy, he was getting ready to meet up with his bandmates for the first time in months and rehearse for their upcoming Quarantine Concert on Sat., July 13.

“It’ll be the first time we’ve seen each other together,” he says. “I’m ready to see these guys and hang out! This is the first time I’m going to be in close quarters with anybody but my wife or the odd person at the grocery store. I want to see these guys, but I don’t know if I’m going to hug them!”

As far as the show goes, Lundy says the band is sticking to their main catalog of songs rather than pulling out any new surprises. Considering that they haven’t played these songs together in months, it should feel just as new and exciting as playing an entirely new song would.

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

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“We’re going to stick with what we know pretty well,” he says. “I don’t think we’ll have too many surprises, but we’re for sure going to try to be entertaining. I think we’re all looking forward to it.”

One thing that will be different for this show is that the band will be playing a few songs with drummer Paul Cooper, who filled in for the band’s regular drummer Josh Safer when he underwent surgery.

Both Safer and Cooper will be on hand for the show, and it’s possible that they may even play together in a dual drum setup.

It’s not lost on Bottles & Cans that this opportunity to do a full band show is a rare one these days, and may be their only one for the foreseeable future.

“The future of performing live in a band is very well in jeopardy, you know? But thinking about it, it’s like, what do you expect anyone to do? And if the clubs can only operate at a certain percentage of capacity, then they don’t have room for a band anyway. And who can afford it? So naturally, live entertainment is the first thing to go. But who knows when it’ll come back,” Lundy says.

One thing that’s certain is that outlets like Quarantine Concerts are a necessity for musicians and music fans alike right now.

“It’s great that it’s happening. It’s why I appreciate all the work that these guys are doing to make this happen,” Lundy says, “and it’s nice to see people coming together to make something.” CS

BOTTLES & CANS / QUARANTINE CONCERT

Sat., June 13, 9 P.M. Visit quarantineconcerts.org for tickets and info

13

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Venues weigh in on getting back to live music Only a couple venues have begun hosting shows since restrictions have eased

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com Josephine Johnson performs outside of Wild Wing Cafe in City Market. PHOTO BY SHARON

RESTRICTIONS put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 meant that music venues had to cancel or postpone every single performance planned from March onward.

And while some are still not able to get shows going again, others have started doing open air performances to test the waters and see where things go.

Coach’s Corner is one of those venues.

Owner John Henderson was eager to figure out how to continue shows in a safe and responsible ways, and so far it’s been working. It wasn’t without some brainstorming and planning, though.

“When we started back with live entertainment, we came up with this plan of how to manage our attendees,” Henderson tells Connect.

“I discussed with all bands and band members to help with the implication of enforcing social distancing and preventing any issues with our patrons.”

Jennifer Siebenaler, who oversees the booking at nearly every Wild Wing Cafe in the region—though Savannah is not a city that she herself books directly—says that things came to a complete halt in mid-March.

“When everything shut down, St. Patrick’s weekend happened in Savannah. But they said we could still have music in City Market. We put live music out there, and we had to get a stage the next day because there were too many people. But a couple of days later, the bottom dropped out,” she says.

“All of these musicians, this is what they do for a living. And with everything shut down, they’ve had to be creative.”

Getting music back at the restaurants was a challenge for Siebenaler, who said their initial live stream series was met

BARRINGTON

with slight confusion from customers.

“We started a series called Friday Night Live, and we streamed live from one of our Charlotte locations for the first couple of weeks. It was great, but then we also had a lot of confusion from customers coming for pickup about why there was a band playing and whether we were open,” she explains.

Wild Wing ultimately decided to discontinue the in-store performances, but encouraged their regular roster of performers to play from their homes and stream it from the Wild Wing socials. The restaurant’s reach amplified the at-home performances.

Following the streaming series, when orders were lifted in Georgia and South Carolina, the restaurant began to book bands again.

“It’s hard to keep that social distancing when you have a full band,” she says, adding that they’ve been focusing on a maximum of three people playing in the restaurants. The biggest struggle, she says, has been having to ask artists to play for tips and a bar tab rather than the fee that they’d normally be paid for a Wild Wing gig.

“As a musician, asking a fellow musician to play for tips and a tab has been one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had to have,” Siebenaler says. The response from bands has been great, though, and artists are booked with the understanding that they’ll be given priority when the venue can pay them their full fee once more.

For Coach’s Corner, live shows have been well attended so far and they’ve been able to keep things organized in terms of ticket sales and ensuring that the venue

doesn’t get crowded.

“It has been good and well attended. Due to the space in our venue we were able to seat everyone at a table, spaced apart, and we limited the capacity by half—150 people. We asked that everyone go to eventbrite for tickets to manage our crowds,” Henderson says.

As for the future, both Henderson and Siebenaler say that they’re hopeful things will improve throughout the country so that people can get back to enjoying live music—and so that other venues who don’t aren’t yet able to host shows will begin to thrive once again.

“I hope that in the near future, we’ll have guidelines eased so that patrons can dance and enjoy shows like they used to,” Henderson says.

Both venue leaders offered simple yet important advice to others who may not know just yet how to navigate this new normal in terms of putting on concerts.

“Reach out and try to find entertainment,” Siebenaler says. “I’ve had people come out of the woodwork and share my [open call] with friends. I had musicians who I would have never looked at before.

College kids who weren’t regular performers. So I considered it an opportunity for up and coming artists to get exposure.”

In terms of precautions, Henderson says it’s a tricky question because every venue is different.

“I would only recommend that the highest precautions be taken to ensure your guests and staff remain as safe as possible,” he says. “Also, study up on all the restrictions and understand what is expected of you as the business owner or operator.” CS

MUSIC FEATURE

‘Caffeine Drip’ will be available on NoiseTrade on June 12. ALBUM ART BY BRENDAN KELLY

However, “Caffeine Drip” feels modern still, an album entirely of its time. Remarkably, it was all recorded separately.

The three musicians all live separately— Sean is based in Savannah, Kyle in Charleston, and Brendan in New York state—which certainly complicates recording plans, as does the current coronavirus pandemic and the limiting of nonessential travel.

But, this is 2020 after all, and they found a workaround to allow them to record an album while being states apart. “[Sean and I are] both using Pro Tools, and they have a collaboration function that’s cloud-based,” explains Brendan.

“You can essentially work on a session and the other person can see the changes in real time. We were working on that together, and then Kyle had a separate recording set up and just sent us files. We’d send him different versions of the demos and the songs as they were progressing.”

Kyle mentions that he hasn’t seen Brendan or Sean since that string of shows, which took place in September of last year. incorporate that sound into the music they That distance hasn’t hindered their creplayed. After that run of shows, on which ative process in the slightest.

Kyle joined them, their passion for “Love“I’ve recorded albums with people less” was rekindled. where we all live in the same town and it “That record in particular is just one takes us two years to do it—we just lose the that I had the reaction, ‘I didn’t know you excitement,” he explains. “I think a testacould do this,’ and then spent years trying ment to this type of music has fueled us to to figure out how they did it,” says Brenbe excited.” dan. “When we got that record and learned Sean, the primary lyricist, wrote songs how to play it and recreate those sounds, it that capture the feeling of being in this volwas such an eye-opening experience and atile, anxious moment. The sound of shoegave us an even deeper appreciation for gaze is perfectly suited for lyrics that offer records that we all really loved anyway.” a little more personal reflection.

“In Charleston, when we played it for the “I think a lot of shoegaze and dreampop first time, I think we were all kids on roller tends to be a bit more personal and introblades for the first time, trying not to eat spective, which I think this is to a degree,” it,” remembers Kyle. “Then in Savannah, it muses Brendan. “There’s a general theme was like, ‘Okay, we’ve done this before; let’s of a lot of the songs about the anxieties of really tap into the more spiritual side of it.’ living in a country where the government I’m glad people were there, but if people is failing its people, and watching that in weren’t there, I was still able to tap into the real time. With the pandemic, there’s a lack relevancy and the nostalgia of being part of of social safety nets, people are just scared something that’s so important to me.” and the government’s not doing anything Shoegaze can often evoke that nostalabout it. And then when these protests gic feeling, so the band had to work not to started, it’s tapping into the same thing.” create a record that was stuck in the past.

In keeping with the political nature

So Sure releases debut EP, ‘Caffeine Drip,’ to benefit ACLU on June 12

BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

SO FAR, the year 2020 has been marred by a global pandemic and racial injustice. “Caffeine Drip,” the debut album from So Sure, is an album entirely of its time, warts and all.

So Sure is a new outfit featuring Connect’s own Arts and Entertainment editor Sean Kelly and his brother Brendan of A Fragile Tomorrow, as well as friend Kyle Polk.

The idea for So Sure began last year, when A Fragile Tomorrow covered three influential albums in their entirety in both Charleston and Savannah.

One of those albums was My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless.” The sound of the 1991 album—big guitar, soft vocals and a swirling, ethereal feeling—would come to define the shoegaze genre.

Brendan and Sean, who both grew up on shoegaze music, had wondered how to

of the songs, all proceeds from “Caffeine Drip” will benefit the ACLU. Originally, the beneficiary was set to be coronavirus relief, but with the ongoing struggle for racial equity in our country, the need to pivot became clear.

“As it was getting closer to the release, it felt like it might be a better use of our energy to fight for civil rights,” explains Brendan, “and obviously the ACLU has been at the forefront of that for a hundred years.”

“Caffeine Drip” will be released first on June 12 exclusively at NoiseTrade, and hit streaming sites shortly after. It’s more than worth it to make the purchase, not just for the charity angle: this album is masterfully done and certainly doesn’t feel like it was recorded separately.

While traveling is currently on hold, So Sure wouldn’t rule out playing with each other in person in the future.

“Once the world returns to normal at some point, and people can gather in a place again, then I think we would definitely like to try and play live,” says Brendan. “I guess we’ll have to play that by ear.”

Whether playing live or apart, the effect of shoegaze music still holds true.

“The emotional involvement of being part of this type of music is so different than other things I’ve done in the past,” says Kyle. “Your brain starts to fill in the pieces of the puzzle, and listening to shoegaze, especially if it’s bending in and out, feels like a wild ride. The more you get an ear for it, you star tto hear in between those gaps. It also opens itself up to complicated feelings. There’s more being felt there than just vulnerability. There’s an aggression behind it, of wanting to be something more than vulnerable. It’s been a really cool ride.” CS Find So Sure on Instagram @SoSureOfficial, and mark your calendars for the release date on June 12 at NoiseTrade. All proceeds will benefit the ACLU.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

“I think a lot of shoegaze and dreampop tends to be a bit more personal and introspective, which I think this is to a degree. There’s a general theme of a lot of the songs about the anxieties of living in a country where the government is failing its people, and watching that in real time.”

15

MUSIC REVIEWS

Album reviews

BY SEAN KELLY

sean@connectsavannah.com

Jacob Evans - Just Breathe

Local guitarist and singer/ songwriter extraordinaire Jacob Evans is a force to be reckoned with. I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts to really move beyond Savannah in the coming year— Just Breathe is the only argument you really need for that prediction.

From the opening song “New Times,” you definitely get the sense that you’re hearing from someone who listens to everything. The production on the song is

so unique and even utilizes a field recording of a crowd, which enhances the vibe that is already so present throughout the song. It’s equal parts folk, neo soul, blues, jazz, and pop—as is the rest of the release.

“You Can” is probably my favorite song on this record, and certainly a standout.

Evans’ amazing voice really stands out here, as does the angular and behind-the-beat Questlove-esque drums (and the drum sound itself).

Complete with horns and a minimal approach to production, this is the kind of soul music that we need in 2020 because it feels modern while also paying homage to its influences.

The fuzz guitar in the solo is staggering and so wonderfully done that it lifts this already great song to even greater heights. To my ears, it’s reminiscent of the

best work from the legendary Funkadelic (Maggot Brain vibes, anyone?).

The album ends with “Luke 21:19,” a beautiful piano-based song that’s just jazzy enough to be jazz. It’s unfair to end the description there, though, because what Evans does here is create something wholly listenable with absolutely no lyrics whatsoever pulling it through. It’s not an instrumental either, because Evans scats all the way through in what might be one of the best vocal performances I’ve heard in a long time.

All in all, there’s no way around it—this is an album that needs to be in everyone’s homes, Savannah and beyond. That’s why I began by saying that I feel Evans won’t be confined to our city for very long. His artistry and creativity could obliterate just about anything in the mainstream right now, and I’m ready to see him try.

Just Breathe is available now on streaming platforms.

Matthew Jaidev - Victory

Savannah’s Matthew Jaidev recently released Victory, an album he describes as his magnum-opus. It’s a bold statement, for sure, but it absolutely has the makings of that kind of record. Jaidev brings forth a new take on acoustic and piano-based

anthemic songwriting, employing a variety of soundscapes and drum machine loops in the process.

What’s most compelling about this album is the fearlessness Jaidev has in his production. There’s ethereal, almost U2-esque guitar work on songs like “Untethered Souls,” but there’s also classical influences coming through on the piano-centric “Awakening the Bright Future.”

This is world music in the truest sense of the world, as it really does evoke the sounds and artistic footprints of many different cultures.

“Southern Isle” is a standout here, with its 6/4 time signature and cinematic percussion. Diversity continues with “Love Will You Bring You Home,” which finds Jaidev providing rhythm through beatboxing.

The album ends with “Let It Rise,” which is the perfect song for those who are interested in modern folk and Americana music that truly does source traditional melodies in creative ways. This is something Jaidev does really well, with conviction and precision. CS Victory is available at matthewjaidev.bandcamp.com

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Ben’s Friends is the food and beverage industry support group offering hope, fellowship, and a path forward to professionals ’s Friends is the food and beverage industry support group offering hope, fellowship, whotostruggle with substance abuse and addiction. d a path forward professionals who struggle with substance abuse and addiction.

Offering inside WEEKLY MEETINGS RESTART SUNDAY JUNE 14 Ben’sLIVE Friends Savannah Chapter AND outside Sundays @ 11 | Local 11ten Restaurant | 1110 Bull St., Savannah, GA MEETINGS START SUNDAY, MARCH 8 seating from ndays @ 11am | Local 11ten Restaurant | 1110 Bull St. Savannah, GA 3pm-8pm Ben’s Friends offers a safe and haven for TH

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those grappling with and maintaining Ben’s Friends models acceptance and sobriety. By coming together and gratitude, and though unaffiliated with Friends models Ben’s Friends offersthat a safe and abuse constructive acknowledging substance either AA or NA, shares an important cannot be overcome in isolation the only thing you need tancecommonality: and gratitude, haven for those grappling with andor willpower alone, we hope to write a to bring through the door is a desire to hough unaffiliated maintaining sobriety.

By of coming together, new chapter in the lives our country’s stop drinking or using. talented and dedicated food and ither AA or NA, by starting a dialogue, and by acknowledging beverage professionals.

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90S NIGHT / MATCHBOX TWENTY AND HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH TRIBUTE @COACH’S CORNER

That’s right, it’s an entire night of music from arguably two of the most successful pop rock bands of the 90s. If you’ve ever wanted to hear “3 AM” and “Hold My Hand” on the same night, look no further. These guys do it all, from the classic and modern eras of both bands. They’ll be taking the Coach’s Corner stage of a socially distanced night of guitars and those melodies you remember so well.

SAT., JUNE 13, 7 P.M., $15+

TAVERN TUESDAYS / THE OLDE PINK HOUSE LIVE STREAM

SELDOM SOBER / LIVE STREAM

Everyone’s favorite celtic-infused duo has been doing a regular live stream every Tuesday, and it’s worth every second of your time. They play a healthy mix of originals, traditional Irish tunes, and more, and they do it amazingly. Colleen Settle and Michael Corbett are wonderful artists who together create something completely unique. Don’t miss this amazing series of concerts.

EVERY TUESDAY, 8 P.M., FACEBOOK.COM/SELDOMSOBER

SEAN MCCARTHY BAND @QUARANTINE CONCERTS

Nashville’s Sean McCarthy Band brings their blend of Americana, bluegrass, and country to the Quarantine Concerts stage and right into your homes. If you’re a fan of rootsy American music, this one should be right up your alley. As always, Quarantine Concerts encourage donations and ticket purchases to help the artists and the dedicated and incredible staff of people who stage these shows regularly. Don’t miss this one!

FRI., JUNE 12, 8:30 / QUARANTINECONCERTS.ORG FOR TICKETS/ INFO

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

If you missed the first two episodes of the Tavern Tuesdays live stream series from The Olde Pink House, don’t worry. Not only are they archived on YouTube, but the venue is continuing the fundraising concert series every Tuesday streamed live on their Facebook page. Local business owners, philanthropists, and more sing classics in this incredibly entertaining series that benefits America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia.

EVERY TUESDAY, THEOLDEPINKHOUSERESTAURANT.COM

17

CULTURE SPOTLIGHT

Neighborhood Comics rings in year one under quarantine Lee Heidel talks struggles, triumphs of being a small business owner right now

BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

THIS IS obvious: it’s a hard time for businesses right now.

The uncertainty of our economic climate is not exactly reassuring for small business owners, who are already stressed under normal circumstances. It’s even more stressful for new businesses, because the first year of operations carries a lot of weight in terms of how the business will play out.

Neighborhood Comics rang in its oneyear anniversary in the midst of a pandemic. We sat down with owner Lee Heidel to talk about the struggle of businesses during this time, shifting your focus, and what it means to be a leader.

CS: How are you?

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

Thanks for asking. It’s a common courtesy that we always ask everyone how we’re doing, and I think that’s what’s made the last few months really hard—we’re just trained to always say, “Fine,” so we can keep the conversation going. It’s seemed like a loaded question these past few months.

The short answer is: I’m well. And the longer answer is: like everybody, there’s been a lot of challenges and adapting and learning over the past few months. That’s pretty exhausting to constantly feel like you’re having to change.

Neighborhood Comics on May 4 would have celebrated its one-year anniversary.

As a relatively new business, the one-year mark is where you feel you got your feet underneath you and all of your processes are figured out, and maybe you’ve got a good crew and you’re feeling okay. We had all that good momentum and then had the rug pulled out from underneath us. All of a sudden, it was like a new day one of trying to figure out what is normal, what should we expect, how we budget for this, how do we take care of our employees? How do we survive, both financially and physically?

Everybody is dealing with this in differ18 ent ways, and all of it gets tied up together

really easily and quickly. Like it’s been for a lot of people, it’s been a lot of added stress.

And the whole point of owning a comic book shop is to have a good time! It really runs counter to the vibe we’re trying to have.

CS: What are some specific challenges that you’ve faced as a comic book shop?

It’s still a periodical business, so comics come out every Wednesday. Because of the pandemic, our distributor’s warehouses had to close, so the whole industry is backed up about two months. That has thrown the industry into a very weird place, because they didn’t even stop printing comics in World War II. It’s really had a major impact on the industry.

My silly little quote I tell anybody who listens is, “We pay our rent $4 at a time.”

But it’s very true. You have your regulars who have their favorite books and buy them every month, and you have new readers who may be buying their first book.

These aren’t for the most part big transaction we’re dealing with—they’re little ones.

Without foot traffic, that’s just been a sea change in how we make our money and where we see that revenue that we need to pay our rent and our employees. Because of the nature of our business that we do have so many regulars, the outpouring of support from those regulars during this time has been phenomenal. People calling just to check on us, pay for their preorders before they even get here, asking what they could do to help. That has been wonderful to see the community we’ve developed over the last year and been so grateful to be the recipient of their patronage. This is a business that is not a critical need—we’re not a grocery store, we’re not a pharmacy.

It’s been gratifying for us to be able to see the fruits of that last year and know that people do appreciate the fact that we’re part of the community.

In a typical month, we would have six to eight events that are all geared around volume, to get people in the store. We’re adapting and trying to figure out when is it going to be safe, and we don’t know when to do any of those things again. What will

Lee Heidel, owner of Neighborhood Comics. PHOTO BY BEN ROBBINS

normal look like when things finally do shake out? You figure out what you do well, and then you’re told by the world that you can’t do that anymore, for good reason.

CS: Did you have to shift your focus as a business?

Oh yeah, 100%. Everybody is dealing with these new stressors in different ways. For me, it’s stress anyway, so you’ve already got the stresses of being a business owner and having a family and all the regular obligations, and with this, we knew right away that it wasn’t a time to sit back and rest. It wasn’t a time with the shop being relatively new and being dependent on the regular schedule of new releases that it was a time to double down and keep all of our social media as active as possible to keep reminding people that we’re here and even when our doors aren’t open, we can be a resource.

When we closed in early March, we pivoted to online sales, which we always offered. Online went from being none of our business to all of our business. Once the state opened up, we introduced a system of reservations to try to make people more comfortable. We’re starting to go back to normal. It’s going to be a long road.

CS: What have you learned about yourself as a business leader during this time?

I think that, again, we’re still so new. Had we been more of an established business, and really set in our ways—which I hope we don’t ever get that way, I hope we always stay hungry and try to do things that are new and different—I feel like we pivot all the time anyway. We’re like, “Okay, this didn’t work, so let’s change it.” I think that has really reinforced some things, like our

commitment to our employees, of making sure they’re taken care of.

When paychecks are coming in and all that is going like it should, there is a complacency to that. And when that rhythm is disrupted, when you’re having to cut hours or not see people or have your expectation of your responsibility as an employer and your involvement … I think that was always one of the things that I dreaded the most from having a brick and mortar shop: management of employees. The unpredictability of people and finding the right fit, but we have had the same two core employees for almost the full year.

I think I’m willing to take the mantle of ownership of being a manager of people, of being a boss, and holding that in a different way than I had before. My first concern over all this wasn’t paying rent, it was, how long can we make sure they’re still getting paid? Can we pay them not to come in?

Those were the first things that came to my mind.

CS: What lessons did you learn during this time that you’ll adapt moving forward?

You don’t know how many things are going to be short-term and long-term. With comic books in particular, you judge a book by its cover; literally that’s what you’re doing. And the idea of seeing them in person, picking them up, browsing in that way can’t really be replicated when you’re just scrolling pictures on a website. We’re starting to focus on inventory that we feel like is going to be more secure. Everything from ordering decisions down to making changes on how we promote ourselves online, it’s hard to say what will stick. CS For more, visit neighborhoodcomics.com.

CULTURE THE ART•BEAT OF SAVANNAH

FOR THE CULTURE

The Culturist Union’s Elbi Elm talks about representation, promotion

BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com Elbi Elm, right, founded the Culturist Union to help amplify the voices of Black people.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ELBI ELM.

and nobody is looking at them. You’re not making any noise! No one knows that you’re doing it; we can’t read your mind.

We don’t know you’re working on a new project.”

As a solution, Elm seeks to help artists develop a marketing strategy that will help them get themselves out there.

“The best way we help creatives and artists is to give them the other side, the business side they need,” she says. “We have so many talented people, but they don’t know how to market themselves—they don’t know how to brand themselves, create a schedule, get out of their own heads. What we want to do, and what we have done, is strategy consultations with artists and creators. We sit down and have then purge and tell us everything that they want in this life, and we map it out for them.”

The Culturist Union is something Elm has wanted to exist for a long time.

“I’ve always wanted to create some sort of gathering spot where people can get together and network and collab and create community and do all the things and be all the things,” she says excitedly.

Then Elm found herself in Minnesota for a fellowship and discovered The Coven Minneapolis, a coworking space that centers women, non-binary and trans people.

The lightbulb went off in her mind.

“I loved Savannah and I loved coming to visit,” she says, “but I didn’t feel like I had a home, so I wanted to create what I was missing.”

Elm had previously attended SCAD for performing arts, but she quickly found herself wanting more representation.

“I got tired of Savannah and seeing maybe one or two black people in my classrooms. I didn’t feel like I was relating to anyone,” she shares. “It’s like I wasn’t getting the same effort or care into my postgraduate career that I was seeing other people get.”

At the suggestion of a professor, Elm applied and got into Howard University in Washington, D.C., one of the premier

HBCUs in the country.

“Howard is the mecca,” Elm raves. “I don’t think that I would’ve had the opportunity that I had without Howard.”

Representation matters, and Elm’s experience at Howard prepared her to take the next step with The Culturist Union, which she began upon moving back to Savannah in May 2019.

Now, The Culturist Union is a community that centers black people and what they need. Elm learned what her community wanted after having several events.

“People started telling me what they need—‘I’m having trouble starting a business,’ or ‘I’m having a confidence problem,’” says Elm. “I decided to create events from what people were telling me that they needed.”

One of those events is the Black Millennial Roundtable Discussion, an event on June 19 that brings together a variety of perspectives.

“We’re going to have a self-made millionaire, an artist, a stay-at-home mom, a black conservative, a state representative, a lawyer, a civil rights attorney,” Elm says.

“We’re going to have this conversation

about the black agenda, on economy, on gay rights, on lots of things, and I’m really looking forward to that.”

Elm’s goal with The Culturist Union is to promote visibility for people of color, as well as bringing the community of Savannah together in a more meaningful way.

“Savannah is so unique—it’s like a small town that wants to grow up,” she says. “I think we just need to cultivate a community together, and I think everybody tries to do it on their own; everybody tries to create monolithic communities. I think the way to do it—and who am I, but whatever— is to bring all of those ideas together and expand versus just everybody staying in their own lane.”

Essentially, that’s at the heart of what both Elm and I are trying to do, in our own ways. Our Savannah art community is notoriously insular, and I think we often tend to stay in our own familiar lane. It’s time to combine our efforts and be the thriving artistic community that I know we can be. CS For more, visit The Culturist Union at theculturistunion.com.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

WE’RE experiencing a very important moment in our country right now.

The protests currently happening across America are in response to the on-camera murder of George Floyd, but they’re about so much more than that.

Racial injustice is a problem we can’t seem to solve, and we’ve collectively had enough.

It’s beyond time to begin amplifying the voices of black and brown people.

I’ve realized this is a blind spot I have in my own coverage of our city’s art scene.

Before coronavirus, when we actually had art shows in person, I’d feature an artist who had a new exhibition out, or an artist who was doing a project, or a new gallery owner.

Now, that’s not an inherently wrong approach, particularly for an events-based paper. But, as we’ve written numerous times over these past few months, the absence of events invites a different kind of coverage, one that doesn’t hinge on physical events happening. The time is now for a more thoughtful choice of our editorial coverage—and a reckoning with our own blind spots.

I had a realization early last week that I’m not doing enough to consciously amplify black and brown voices. I typically cover the artists and exhibitions that I know about, and that is a dangerous position to be in.

In a town—and an art scene—that is largely about who you know, an outsider can often feel like they can’t break into the inner circle. At the same time, artists who are savvy at marketing themselves are getting most of the attention and showing their work a lot more.

That’s not to imply that any of the artists in this town are not worthy of shows, because I don’t believe that in the least.

But it bears mentioning that artists are often taught marketing in art school, and not every artist here went to an art school.

Elbi Elm, founder of The Culturist Union, shares my concern with artists’ marketing.

“That’s the thing I want: to emphasize the other voices,” says Elm. “There are so many local artists here that are amazing,

19

CULTURE VISUAL ARTS

QUESTIONS

WITH

Xavier Hutchins

BY RACHAEL FLORA

rachael@connectsavannah.com

BEFORE he got into painting, Xavier Hutchins would’ve been content to go to school for accounting. Thankfully, he followed his passion and is now a full-time artist.

Originally from the west side of Atlanta, Hutchins has spent about half his life in this area, first in Bluffton and then in Savannah. Hutchins graduated from Savannah State in 2013 and has been working on his art ever since.

We caught up with Hutchins last week.

1. How did you first get into painting?

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

I actually didn’t start painting until college. Before then, I had been drawing all my life, but up until then it was just sketching with my pencil in the sketchpad. When I went to college, I didn’t know what I wanted to go for, as I always heard there wasn’t a lot of money in art. And I was good at math, so I thought, “Maybe I can just be an accountant.” I was good in that area as well, but it just didn’t fulfill me the way art does.

I was looking at ways to where I could be able to do what I love but still get compensated constantly as far as income, so I looked into being a tattoo artist and doing research with that. I learned that becoming a painter or illustrator would make an 20 easier transition into becoming a tattoo

artist. I actually leaned to paint in order to become a tattoo artist, and I ended up loving it. Not just painting, but being at Savannah State just opened up my mind to different avenues like photography, graphic design, printmaking, all of those things that I dabble in, too.

When I was entering my last year of college, I was able to come in contact with the owner [of a tattoo shop] who was interested in me being an apprentice. I’d been there for five years, just long enough to the point where it just took my love out of it because I was doing it too much. During that time, I started to realize that I love painting a lot more, and I tattooed so much I didn’t have the time to express myself in that way. I had to take a risk and jump ship, follow in a different path.

2. What’s it like to be a full-time artist?

It’s not easy. The design aspect of it, the paining aspect isn’t hard. It’s just finding the business and the clientele to be able to sustain yourself, finding different avenues to help sustain yourself. I do original paintings, I do paintings by commission, I do custom sneakers, I have a website that sells prints of works I’ve previously done along with shirts. I gain income from all three avenues to help me being able to sustain myself.

Granted, keeping track of all that by myself can be nerve-wracking, but overall l I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Xavier Hutchins creates work that’s uplifting to everyone. PHOTOS COURTESY OF HUTCHINS

3. What inspires you in your original

work? How do you get those ideas out?

I get a lot of inspiration from my outlook on the world, as I see things happen, along with music. I listen to a lot of music that I find to be relatable. Just having simple conversations with my peers can generate a thought or an idea of something I can throw on a canvas.

I listen to a lot of Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, artists who speak on different social issues, such as Big K.R.I.T. and Killer Mike.

I listened to everything he said [in the speech to Atlanta. He can literally make someone run through the wall for him with his words. He’s not exactly politically correct, but he says what he needs to say, and I really respect that.

I come from the Westside, so all that hits home whenever I see him or any artist from that area. Like T.I.—he’s been doing the same thing. I grew up listening to all of them, so just to see them coming out and speaking out means a lot to me. It inspires me to do the same thing with my realm of art. I wish I could do music and rap and all that, but I just cannot do it to save my life.

4. Tell me more about the mural at Bull and 40th for the Starland Mural Project.

With that mural, I love just looking at it, especially with what’s going on today. I did it in December of last year, and it’s just so weird how relevant it is. It’s a snapshot of

what I see that goes on in the world, telling a lot of stories within it. I also feel like it gets the message across for helping one another. Each one teach one, if you make it over, make sure you give back. Reach back and pull the next person up. That’s how we can all move forward; that’s how each generation can do better. If we’re not doing that, then you have what we have today.

I’m glad I took the opportunity to make this. That was my first public mural, and I came into it with the mindset of, “If I’m going to do this, I’m going to say something that means something. I don’t want it to just be something that’s aesthetically beautiful. I want something that’s there that people can walk by and have a reminder of what we can do to make the world better, or at least this country.

I recently had someone tag me in a photo of them wearing a shirt saying, “I can’t breathe.” And it was just like, that was powerful. It complements the wall.

5. What are you working on now?

I’m currently brainstorming on a couple of ideas. I don’t necessarily have the style or the complete composition. I always come into a painting with the end goal in mind of what I want to make, so I try to say what I need to say, try not to offend anybody even though you can’t please everybody. I try to do it to where it’s a well thought out message, not putting down anybody, more of uplifting everyone. CS Follow Xavier on Instagram at @art_by_zay.

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

FOOD & DRINK EPICUROPEDIA

BY MATT JONES ©2019 Answers on page 23

“TAKE TWO” --ONE OF EACH TO CONNECT.

Auspicious Timing

BY LINDY MOODY LOCAL bakeries are the cornerstone of a community’s culinary scene. Long before sliced bread became commercially distributed in the ‘20s and ‘30s, neighborhood bakers filled the carb-hungry bellies of local residents with loaves of bread and a sandwich or two for decades.

Obviously, times have changed a lot since then, but there is still a little bit of that down-home love being pumped out of the Auspicious Baking Company’s ovens every day for local residents.

You can go into seemingly just about any restaurant in Savannah and find a baked good created by Auspicious Baking Company. And if you ask most locals, they have sampled any one of the exemplary products of Auspicious.

As a forever fan of the genius bakers, it came as no surprise when owners of Auspicious Baking Company, Mark Estron and Kaitlyn Bryant, announced the opening of a bigger and better second store front.

What once housed Great Harvest Bread Company in the Sandfly shopping center is now the expanded Auspicious Bakery.

Bryant explains the expansion.

“We really just needed more room.

Probably within six months of opening at Derenne we realized we were quickly outgrowing that small square footage.

And then the equipment became available through sale when Great Harvest went out, and we came to just look over what would be here. We realized pretty quickly we could use almost everything in the facility,” she says.

Fiancés Estron and Bryant originally planned to keep the first location open as

a sister shop to the newest store. Shortly after finding success at the Skidaway bakery, the duo announced they would be closing the original, smaller shop.

The baking whizzes have managed to gain success despite the pandemic that has caused restaurant closures across the nation. The move to a bigger space enabled Auspicious to set guidelines for patrons before Governor Kemp’s most recent pandemic-related executive order.

To ensure social distancing, the bakery implemented a pre-order system. Customers can go onto auspiciousbakingco.com and place their pastry order for pickup.

The bad news is that those, like me, who wait to purchase in person are often left with a smaller selection. There is nothing worse than missing out on their flaky ham and cheese croissant that has a signature extra special bonus—the cooked crispy bit of cheddar cheese that oozes out of the side of the thousand layers of buttery pastry and salty ham.

If you go into the store, instead of preordering, guests are asked to wait outside of the store to allow for one patron and one patron out. Even before the recent change in policy, when the doors open to Auspicious you can expect a line around the building. A long line of hungry shoppers has been the norm at the bakery since almost the day they opened shop.

The consistency of creating high caliber pastries, breads, and baked goods has not changed for Auspicious. No matter the geographical location or day of the week, perfectly executed and professional quality are pumped out by the bakers of one of Savannah’s favorite bakeries.

Classics like the ham and cheese croissant or the monkey bread stick around the menu, but head baker Bryant constantly

CONTINUES ON P. 22

ACROSS

1 “Interstate Love Song” band, briefly 4 “Fiddler on the Roof” dance 8 Frenzied 14 Some old Chryslers 16 Former Georgian president Shevardnadze 17 *Pioneering video game company founded in 1972 18 Egyptian goddess of love 19 Like almost all restaurant orders these days 20 Plate 22 Lennon’s second wife 23 *Japanese variation on a frozen dessert 28 Like old wristwatches 30 “I know! Pick me!”

31 Turn bad 32 “Where ___” (song by Beck) 35 “Wow, cool!”

39 *Redundant-sounding title for an “X-Files” agent 42 “I’m Gonna Git You ___” (Keenen Ivory Wayans film) 43 “Clueless” actress Donovan 44 Powerful sphere 45 “___ a Kick Out of You” (Cole Porter song) 47 First name in the 2020 campaign 49 *Home of Indira Gandhi International Airport 54 Prefix meaning “egg” 55 Nickname of a ‘50s-’60s

sitcom kid 56 Freudian error 59 Is untruthful with 62 *Former TLC reality show about tattooists 65 Candle material 66 “Go easy on me” 67 Bequeaths 68 Show that moved from Fox to ABC, familiarly 69 “I just finished the puzzle!” exclamation

DOWN

1 “Get a move on, Mittens!”

2 “The Wizard of Oz” dog 3 Down-to-earth 4 ___ polloi 5 Sash for a kimono 6 “Amazing” magician famous for debunking 7 PC character system used for some “art” 8 Laugh from Beavis 9 “When Your Child Drives You Crazy” author LeShan 10 Partner of paste 11 Lake between two states 12 Richie Rich’s metallic, robotic maid 13 Format for Myst, back then 15 Emulate Pavlov’s dogs 21 ___ Brothers Records (longtime label for “Weird Al” Yankovic) 24 Invention of new words 25 “House Hunters” cable

channel 26 Did a Cuban ballroom dance 27 Cassowary’s cousin 28 Kennel noises 29 Chef Matsuhisa who coowns a restaurant with Robert De Niro 33 Be really mad 34 Comm. from some translators 36 Characteristic of Schonberg’s music 37 “Boys for Pele” singer Amos 38 “It’s either hunt ___ hunted” 40 “Just joking around” 41 Publisher’s multi-digit ID 46 Macaroni shapes 48 “Mr. Mojo ___” (repeated words in The Doors’ “L.A. Woman”) 49 Nick of “Cape Fear” 50 Dasani rival 51 Handle with skill 52 Fancy way of saying “feet”?

53 Covered with green creepers 57 “Lost ___ Mancha” (2002 documentary) 58 It’s seen near the hyphen 60 Traffic sign warning 61 Pull along 63 It may come after long 64 Blanc behind Bugs

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

Popular bakery’s new location employs pre-order system, distancing measures

21

EPICUROPEDIA

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

creates new treats.

Recent menus have included new flavors such as sesame baguettes, pretzel croissants, Philly cheesesteak pastries, and strawberry and plum galettes.

A cold case is part of the new expansion.

Hummuses, curds, soups, and jellies are now being sold in store.

Bryant explains, “We are making a lot of prepared items. We’ve got a lot of really great girls working with us now, so they are doing a lot of jams and fillings and stuff.”

Freshly curated hummus is the perfect

accompaniment to any of Auspicious’ artisan handmade crackers. The same can be said to the jams and jellies as a counterpart to any of the naturally leavened breads.

Along with menu expansion, the opening of the second location enables Auspicious to extend their hours. In the past, baked goods were available only on Tuesday and Sunday. Now, Friday marks the third day for purchase.

In the future, Estron and Bryant plan on expanding their store to include cafe offerings. Sandwiches and the ability to dine in

allow guests to spend a little bit more time with the lovely team of Auspicious. Past lunch sandwiches have included BLTs, Italian meats, and mayo coated salads.

“People can definitely expect more made to order items—time warranting obviously.

We are going to have a full sandwich menu.

We will probably offer one soup throughout the week,” according to Bryant.

Amping up space has resulted in larger production on the wholesale side. Restaurant goers can expect to see more of Auspicious’ products on menus around town.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19):

During her 90 years on the planet, actor and singer Marlene Dietrich reinvented herself numerous times. She had superb insight into the nature of shifting rhythms, and a knack for gauging the right moment to adapt and transform. Good timing, she said, came naturally to people like her, as well as for “aerialists, jugglers, diplomats, publicists, generals, prizefighters, revolutionists, financiers, and lovers.” I would add one further category to her list: the Aries tribe. Make maximum use of your talent in the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

Author and theologian Frederick Buechner writes, “There is treasure buried in the field of every one of our days, even the bleakest or dullest, and it is our business to keep our eyes peeled for it.” In alignment with current astrological potentials, Taurus, I’ll name that as your key theme.

More than usual, breakthroughs and revelations and catalysts are likely to be available to you in the midst of the daily slog—even when you’re feeling bored. Be on high alert for them.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

22

According to novelist Octavia E. Butler, “Positive obsession is about not being able to stop just because you’re afraid and full of doubts.” That’s what I wish for you in the coming weeks, Gemini: positive obsession. It’s also what I expect!

My analysis of the astrological omens suggests that you will have the pluck and craftiness necessary to veer away from murky, disturbing versions of obsession.

Instead, you’ll embrace the exhilarating kind of obsession that buoys your spirit in moments of uncertainty. I foresee you making progress on your most important labor of love.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

William Thomson, also known as Lord Kelvin (1824–1907), was a Cancerian physicist and mathematician who contributed to the understanding of ther-

modynamics and other areas of scientific and engineering knowledge. Despite his considerable intelligence, however, he was myopic about the possibility that humans might one day fly through the air while seated inside of machines. In a 1902 interview—a year before the Wright Brothers’ breakthrough experiment—he declared, “No aeroplane will ever be successful.” I suspect you could be on the verge of passing through a Lord Kelvin phase, Cancerian. You may at times be highly insightful and at other times curiously mistaken. So I urge you to be humbly confident and confidently humble!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

Author Marianne Williamson tells us, “Spiritual growth involves giving up the stories of your past so the universe can write a new one.” And what exactly does it mean to “give up the stories of your past”?

Here’s what I think: 1. Don’t assume that experiences you’ve had before will be repeated in the future. 2. Don’t assume that your ideas about the nature of your destiny will always be true. 3. Even good things that have happened before may be small and limited compared to the good things that could happen for you in the years to come. 4. Fully embrace the truth that the inherent nature of existence is endless transformation—which is why it’s right and natural for you to ceaselessly outgrow the old plot lines of your life story and embrace new ones.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Philosopher and astrologer Marsilio Ficino wrote, “Mortals ask God for good things every day, but they never pray that they may make good use of them.” I hope that in the coming weeks, you Virgos will disprove that cynical view of human beings. As I see it, you will be more likely than usual to actually receive the blessings you ask for. And I hope—in fact, I predict—that when you receive the blessings, you will then aggressively seek the help of God or Life or your deepest wisdom to make good use of them.

Currently Auspicious wholesales products to Cohen’s Retreat, Mirabelle, Fox & Fig, Toasted Barrel, Purrvana, Brighter Day, The Paris Market, and so many more.

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic Bryant and Estron have been unable to host an official grand opening. CS Auspicious Bakery is at 7360 Skidaway Rd. Current hours are Tues., Fri. and Sun. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Pickup begins at 9 a.m.

BY ROB BREZSNY

beautyandtruth@freewillastrology.com

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

I was hiking under a blue sky in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, just north of San Francisco, where sublime vistas provide views of ocean and mountain. Although I was in a good mood, at one point I spied empty Budweiser cans amidst the wild jewelflowers. “What kind of nature-hater was so careless as to despoil this wonderland”? I fumed.

For a few moments I was consumed with rage and forgot where I was. By the time I recovered my bearings, the bobcat and red-tailed hawk I’d previously been observing had disappeared. That made me sad. My anger was justified but wasteful, irrelevant, and distracting. Don’t be like me in the coming days, Libra. Keep your eyes on the prize.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Actor Emma Thompson tells us, “I wish I wouldn’t have to say this, but I really like human beings who have suffered. They’re kinder.” Adding to what she observes, I’ll say that for many people, their suffering has also made them smarter and more soulful and more compassionate. Not always, but often, it’s the pain they’ve suffered that has helped turn them into thoughtful companions who know how to nourish others. I urge you to make a special point to converse with people like this in the near future. In my estimation, you will benefit from intense doses of empathetic nurturing.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

“I have more memories than if I were a thousand years old,” wrote poet Charles Baudelaire. Was he bragging or complaining? Did the weight of his past feel like a burden or did it exhilarate him and dynamize his creative powers? I’m hoping that in the coming weeks your explorations of your past will feel far more like the latter—a gift and blessing that helps you understand aspects of your history that have always been mysterious or murky.

Lake Elsinore is a city in southwestern California. Last spring, torrential rains there caused a “superbloom” of poppies.

Millions of the golden-orange wildflowers covered many acres of Walker Canyon.

They attracted another outbreak of beauty: thousands of painted lady butterflies, which came to visit. The magnificent explosion was so vast, it was visible from a satellite high above the earth. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re experiencing a metaphorical superbloom of your own right now, Aquarius. I hope you will find constructive ways to channel that gorgeous fertility.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you’re primed to navigate your way through a sweetly gritty, tenderly transformative, epically meaningful turning point in the history of your relationship with your favorite collaborator or collaborators. If that sounds too intense, you could at least accomplish an interesting, stimulating, educational shift in the way you fit together with your best ally or allies. It’s up to you, Sagittarius. How much love and intimacy and synergy can you handle? I won’t judge you if you’d prefer to seek the milder version of deepening right now. Besides, you’ll probably get a chance to go further later this year.

Lucumi is an Afro-American religion with Yoruban roots. Its practitioners worship their ancestors, and seek regular contact and communion with them. According to Lucumi priestess Luisah Teish, “Sometimes the ancestors deem certain information so important that they send it to the subconscious mind without being consciously asked.” It’s my belief that all of us, whether or not we’re members of the Lucumi religion, can be in touch with the spirits of our ancestors if we would like to be—and receive useful guidance and insight from them. The coming weeks will be a time when you Pisceans are especially likely to enjoy this breakthrough.

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For Your Information IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT Action pact formerly CONCERTED SERVICES, INC. is now the service provider for The Weatherization Program that previously was administered by EOA Savannah. Applications are being accepted to weatherize the homes of Low-Income Families living in Chatham County.

For more information, please contact Teresa Lewis @ 912-285-6085

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ACTIVISM & POLITICS BENEFITS CLASSES WORKSHOPS CLUBS ORGANIZATIONS DANCE EVENTS HEALTH FITNESS PETS & ANIMALS RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUAL THEATRE

Paint the Town RED OCHRE !

Check out Art Patrol For All The Local Art Openings and Exhibits.

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CALL: TOM ANDERSON 912.433.4340

KW Coastal Area Partners Keller Williams REALTY • 912.356.5001

CROSSWORD ANSWERS CONNECT SAVANNAH | JUNE 10 - 16, 2020

Announcements

23

Sunset THURSDAYS

Party

Live dj | thursdays 6-9 pm | draft & Herradura Specials | Mimosa towers

Friday, Saturday and Sunday $3 Glaes of Rosé

125 West River Street On top of the cotton sail hotel

SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY NOON TO 10 PM* FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NOON TO MIDNIGHT*

www.topdeckbar.com *CLOSING HOURS SUBJECT TO CHANGE